Arts & Entertainment ^ " Photo courtesy of John Kane Cynthia Quinn of Momix ‘Dance from outer space’ Momix blends sight, sound in performances By Emily Rosenbaum Senior Reporter The modem dance group Momix took its name from a milk supplement for veal calves. That’s probably the first clue to just how unusual this troupe is. “It’s dance from outer space,’’ said Moses Pendleton, founder and artistic di rector of Momix. “Logic is not what we’re trying to project.” The pieces Momix performs are a mix of many elements, Pendleton said. Abstract lighting, shadows, themes of nature and props ranging from a television set to snow skis are used by the dancers and set to music. The mood of the dance can be humorous, sensual or serious. *4Dance for me is taking what you can gel your hands on and musicalizing it,’ ’ he said. Pendleton said he wants the audience to “drift and dream” at a Momix perform ance. He describes the dances as an “Alice in Wonderland” experience. A Momix performance features several different pieces of dance, each one per formed by usually one or two dancers. The emphasis is on visual imagery and illusion and there's no limit to what the group will do, he said. ‘‘One of the rules is that there are no rules,” Pendleton said. Alan Boeding, a dancer with Momix for five years, explained that the group uses props as extensions of the body. ‘‘Props carry on an illusion of move ment,” he said. ‘‘Dance is illusion.” The “lightandairy” look of the dancers’ movements is an illusion in itself because the dancers actually arc straining to achieve those movements, Boeding said. He said the combination of prop, body and movement make up the dance. “You and the prop figure out how to work together,” he said. “You don’t just start with the body and you don’t just start with the prop.” But props aren’t always televisions and snow skis. “Sometimes our props are just light,” Boeding said. “Sometimes it’s just a while suit.” One of the props Boeding uses is one that he created for his “Circle Walker” piece. The prop is a large sculptural configuration of circles made of steel pipe that rolls ac Kiii^Ballp cording to the movements of Boeding. He said plans arc in the works for his performance of “Circle Walker” during halftime of the Nebraska-lowa State foot ball game Saturday. Boeding said it’s often difficult to cate gorize Momix because the dancing does not use a specific technique. “It’s very new and different,” he said. “Things are floating and energetic and people are energized by our perform ^ a a ances.” Since last year’s performance in Lin coln. Momix has loured around the world. Pendleton said the group has performed in rock videos for Prince and in a live televi sion special filmed in Naples, Italy, and broadcast in 45 countries. Pendleton is the co-founder of Pilobolus, a dance troupe started at Dartmouth College in 1971. He founded Momix in 1980 with Alison Chase as an offshoot of Pilobolus and occasionally performs wifh the group. Momix will be performing at 8 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $13 and $9. University of Ne braska-Lincoln students and those 18 or under receive half-price tickets. Pre-performance talks arc scheduled for Room 119 in the Westbrook Music Building 30 minutes before curtain lime.JJNL danc ers will demonstrate the process choreogra phers and dancers go through in creating a dance piece. 0 Ensemble performance historically accurate By Gretchen Boehr Senior Reporter Baroque music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach filled Kim ball Recital Hall Friday night much the same way it might have filled other concert halls in the late 170Cs. The internationally acclaimed Bach Ensemble gave a historically accurate performance of three Con certos and one Overture by Bach. Violin, flute, harpsichord, oboe d’amore, viola, recorder, violoncello and violone combined for a profes sionally orchestrated sound. During the performance each in strument had a different part or mel ody in each piece, which is the way Bach intended his music to be played. Bach's compositions arc very in tricate with many melodies in differ ent octaves laced throughout. This makes Bach’s music fairly challenging to play as a group, but the ensemble’s timing seemed per fectly together at all times. The audience was assured of his torical accuracy because Joshua Rifkin, director of the ensemble, has spent years studying the background of Bach and his works. The ensemble’s version of Larghello, part of the Concerto in A major for Harpsichord, was one of the slower and more melodic pieces of the evening. The sound slowly built up note by note, then melted away into the stillness of the room. Members of the audience who heard Rifkin play ragtime piano Thursday night might have been sur prised to hear his Baroque style on the harpsichord Friday. Kitkin gave an authentic and sen sitive interpretation of Bach’s Con certo in A major and Concerto in F major for Harpsichord. Rifkin proved he was just as ca pable of playing Bach as Scott Joplin, composer of ragtime music. It was refreshing to hear stringed instruments in a formal selling by a group that clearly is serious about its music. The performance was a treat for Classical and Baroque music lovers but might have been too long for those who don’t necessarily enjoy this type of music. l he evening also included me Overture in B minor for Flute, Con- » certo in C minor for Oboe & Violone concertato and Concerto in F major for Harpsichord. The Bach Ensemble was founded in 1978 and consists of Christopher Krueger, flute; Stephen Hammer, oboe d’amore; Benjamin Hudson, violin; Linda Quan, violin; David Miller, viola; Myron Lutzke, violon cello; Michael Widens, violone; and Rifkin on harpsichord. The ensemble’s honors include winningGreal Britain’sGramophone Award in 1983 for its recording of the B Minor Mass.