Tag Archives: brooks center

MOMIX

On Thursday night, I saw MOMIX: Botanica, and I was dazzled. If you wanted to pigeon-hole MOMIX, I think “modern dance” would be the title given, but this does not even begin to do justice to the visual sorcery of the performance. From the moment the curtain rises, the dancers bring you under their spell.

Creating illusions with their bodies and their dress, the boundaries of reality were extended. I was amazed at how simple costume alterations, a black line here or an all-brown body suit there, could metamorphose the human figure into another being. The entire production was a demonstration of our ability to seamlessly transfigure ourselves.

Light and dark become play things as your perception is bent this way and that. For instance, a deep red backlight with no front, side, or above lights transforms the dancers into black shapes without distinct features, or the trickery of a black light on reflective sleeves worn on the arms and legs opens new stretches of the imagination.

The dancers also make deliberate use of props, objects that are often lithe in design and motion while bold in statement.

Altogether, the show is captivating. I highly recommend seeing it if you have the chance.