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.
