MOMIX in Botanica seems specifically geared toward people who think dance is basically a bunch of extremely fit people rolling around on stage in a display of pretentiousness that is beyond comprehension or caring.
This show is extremely accessible, even to people who hate dance. The premise is simple: Dance the four season. When the company is performing “August of Wind” and “Storms” and there is bright light, rolling thunder and women, dressed in shredded white skirts dragging themselves across the stage like lamed victims of war, you don’t have to think too deeply to get it.
Stay up-to-date with the local arts scene
Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.
And Botanica is lush. Women come out dressed as blossoms, what look like rocks suddenly get up and start dancing, giant feathered fans turn the dancers into sunflowers, and one dance, “INSEX” features a man crawling across stage with a giant balloon like shell attached to him from the waist down.
Of course, the whole production could quickly become gimmicky, but Botanica doesn’t pander. This isn’t flashy prop dancing. And it isn’t mindless beauty either. Moses Pendleton, the choreogapher and artistic director for MOMIX, isn’t afraid to play with metaphor. In “The Beaded Web” a young woman emerges with a beaded curtain surrounding her like a birdcage, attached at her head. As she dances, the curtain morphs into a silvery spinning spider web (see top photo). The illusions are also representative of the natural transformations that they are supposed to be portraying.
One of the most emblematic images of Botanica are the female dancers dressed like marigold blossoms (see above). As they dance, their extra fluffy tutus fall from being around their upper bodies to being down around their feet, reminding the audience not just of the blooming of flowers, but of the coming into adulthood of women themselves as the dancers go from Shirley-Temple-length cutesy jumpers to full length sultry flamenco style dresses.
That the dancers and choreography are excellent assures that this show will keep everyone, the neophyte and the aficionado alike, entertained. But to all those uncertain about dance seeing MOMIX in Botanica will convert you.
You can still catch dance this spring at Dance St. Louis’s Spring to Dance Festival May 26–28. 30 dance companies will be performing for three nights and at $10 a night, you really can afford to take a chance.
