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Innovative Dance Illusionists Return To The Bankhead
Bankhead

LIVERMORE – Known for a signature illusionary style that combines sleek movement with stunning visual effects and larger-than-life props, innovative dance company MOMIX returns to the Bankhead on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. with “Viva MOMIX.”

The Bankhead Theater is at 2400 First St., in Livermore. The cost is $20 to $95 regular, $20 student and active military. For tickets visit lvpac.org or call 925-373-6800.

Showcasing their inventive theatricality, “Viva MOMIX” is made up of favorite selections from their acclaimed shows “Alchemia,” “Remix,” “Opus Cactus,” “Lunar Sea,” and “Botanica,” which was presented at the Bankhead in 2011. The small vignettes highlight all the remarkable elements that make up their trademark style: illusion, beauty, magic, fun, and inventiveness. Several new pieces created in celebration of their 35th Anniversary season will also be included.

Founded by director Moses Pendleton in 1980, MOMIX quickly established their own fascinating and inventive art form, one which defies classification. Eye-catching imagery and the dancers’ lithe and impossibly nimble movements create a visual illusion that blurs the line between the physical form and the imagination. Pendleton has described MOMIX works as “visual theater,” saying he creates them the way a painter or sculptor might work, setting an image first, then adding choreography, props, lighting and music to create the whole. The result is an astonishing and unforgettable visual experience.

A native of Vermont, Pendleton has been one of America’s most innovative and widely-performed choreographers and directors for over four decades. He was a co-founder of the ground-breaking Pilobolus Dance Theater in 1971 before forming MOMIX, forming the name from his first solo work for the 1980 Olympics called “Moses Mix.” Very active as a choreographer and director for other companies as well as his own, Pendleton has won numerous international awards and honors. He has worked extensively in film, television, and opera, and he created Doves of Peace for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Dancers have joined MOMIX from such companies as Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Mark Morris Dance Group.

 “Viva MOMIX” is just one of many performances at the Bankhead this season that celebrate the beauty of dance and theatrical movement. The Oakland Ballet also performs this month and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet returns to the stage on Nov. 3 The tour featuring the Top 10 finalists from the Emmy Award-winning show “So You Think You Can Dance” makes a stop in Livermore on November 29 for a single performance that is already nearly sold out. Later in the season Cirque Mechanics presents their dramatic circus-themed show “42FT” in February, the remarkable Mummenschanz arrive in March, Drum Tao combines modern choreography with Taiko drumming in April, and Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles joins Jarabe Mexicano for a lively and colorful performance of “Cruzando Fronteras” (Border Crossings) in May. Tickets for these and all other shows in the 2019-2020 season are available now through the Bankhead Ticket Office or online at lvpac.org.