MOMIX Presents ALCHEMIA Tonight

MOMIX, the company known for its dancer-illusionists, will perform its newest full-length work Alchemia tonight, Oct. 10, 2014, at 8 p.m., in Jones Hall, presented by Society for the Performing Arts.

The irrepressible Moses Pendleton, MOMIX's founder and artistic director, is known for creating performances utilizing light and shadow, props, the human body and his epic imagination. This new work is all about the art of alchemy and the alchemy of art.

Alchemia is an enchanting multimedia spectacle full of invention, beauty, sensuality and humor. Just as he led audiences on a surreal journey through the four seasons in Botanica, which MOMIX performed in Houston in October 2010, Pendleton manipulates the four classic elements of earth, air, fire and water in Alchemia to produce a show full of aesthetic thrills, surprising metamorphoses and the sexuality of nature itself.

Set to a wide-ranging soundtrack, Alchemia is a two-part work that features a cast of 10 dancers. Part one titled "Quest for Fire Water" has the stage engulfed in red flames with dancers clad in red costumes, including humorous oversized bustles, hats and bodices. Part two, "Led into Gold," showcases dancers taking to the air using a deconstructing sculpture and aerial apparatuses, as well as ropes, mirrors, extensive lighting and projections. The work is performed without intermission.

In addition to stage performances worldwide, MOMIX has worked in film and television, and were featured in a national commercial for Hanes underwear and a Target ad that premiered during the airing of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Other appearances include PBS's Dance in America series; the Rhombus Media film of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; and IMAGINE, one of the first 3-D IMAX films to be released in IMAX theaters worldwide.

Commissioned by corporations such as Fiat and Mercedes Benz, MOMIX performed at Fiat's month-long 100th Anniversary Celebration in Torino, Italy, and Mercedes Benz's International Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany. With the support of the Scottsdale Cultural Council and Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Pendleton created Bat Habitsto

celebrate the opening of the San Francisco Giants' new spring training park in Scottsdale, Arizona. This work served as the forerunner of Baseball and joins such acclaimed original productions as Lunar Sea, Opus Cactus,Orbit, Passion and, of course, Botanica.

A co-founder of the ground-breaking Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971, Pendleton formed MOMIX in 1980. He has worked extensively in film, TV and opera and as a choreographer for ballet companies and special events. Pendleton also choreographed the "Doves of Peace" segment of the Sochi Olympics' opening ceremony.

Tickets range from $30-$85 and can be purchased online at www.spahouston.org, by phone at 713-227-4SPA or at the courtyard level ticket office at Jones Hall located at 615 Louisiana St. Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For groups of 15 or more call 713-632-8113.

Part of SPA's Tudor Family Dance Series, this performance is generously sponsored by Reliant Energy, United Airlines, H-E-B and JW Marriott Houston Downtown.

About Society for the Performing Arts

Founded in 1966, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA) is the largest independent non-profit presenting organization in the Southwest. Since its inception, SPA has sponsored more than 1,000 performances of the world's finest music, dance and theater events, in adherence to the belief that the arts are fundamental to the overall enrichment and quality of life within the community. In addition to presenting artists, SPA seeks to provide a variety of learning experiences for adults and children through master classes, lectures and special student performances, as well as build relationships between the performing arts and other interests within the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Texas.

Photo Credit: Max Pucciariello

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