Dancing to a dreamscape of the desert

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Momix dance theater's newest production, "Opus Cactus," which depicts the creatures and landscapes of the American Southwest, plays this weekend at Hawai'i Theatre.

Momix is known for its surreal, eye-popping approach to the art of dance.

Momix In a program on the theme "Opus Cactus" 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Hawai'i Theatre $17-$35 528-0506 And: 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center; $10, $18, $28 general, half-price for kids 12 and younger. (808) 242-7469

Dreaming, that is.

And this time, it's all about the flora, fauna and denizens of the American Southwest. The result is "Opus Cactus," playing Saturday and Sunday at the Hawai'i Theatre.

"Phoenix was the original inspiration," Pendleton said in a phone interview from his Connecticut base. "I was outside, there, in the Sonoran desert, where those giant saguaro cacti thrive. Originally, I was commissioned to do a 25-minute ballet, and this production is an expansion of that dream."

Indeed, the Momix landscape is derived from what Pendleton perceives and conceives from his dreams, from his imagination.

Deal with dreams, he said, and the sky's the limit — or, in this case, the desert.

"There are no boundaries of realities; with dreams, there's no right or wrong. You can create a variety of impressions."

This he's done with "Opus Cactus."

After all, he said, the saguaro is dominant in Arizona.

"It appears on all the license plates, and its reputation is mythical," he said. "But the cactus also is protected by environmentalists; if you build a house in Phoenix, and the cactus is growing on your property, you have to build around it."

The species, he said, has its place in the ecosystem and a huge role in Native American mythology.

"It grows to 750 years old and reaches puberty at 75," said Pendleton. "Many of its mutant forms have been personified (in the arts)."

"Cactus" has enabled Pendleton to go all out with the imagination. His suite of desert scenes is a feast for the senses, with 19 pieces to be performed by his cast of 10 (five men, five women).

His forté is conjuring up images of the surreal, through light, sound, choreography and costuming.

Thus, his Momix mix includes formations in rock, multiforms in black and red conjuring up notions of desert snakes (or land lobsters) plus "winged" dancers fronting oversized fans.

"We try to depict the Arizona sky," said Pendleton. "But we also use silhouettes. With lights, we create 'fire' on the feet of dancers. And kinetic sculpture to enhance another number."

The performance includes such titles as "Sonoran: But Not Asleep" (a cute play on words), "Prickly Pair," "Side Winder," "Desert Storm" and "Gila Dance" (as in that creepy crawler lizard creature).

The music includes a hint of new age, a whisk of African, even a segment of Bach — with ample power and grace to suit the moment.

The oversized fans figure in a sun dance, he said. "Kind of our own ritual to acknowledge the desert."

There's even a skateboard entry, "Tracking the Earth," and one sequence involving bungee suspensions, for visual diversity.

Indeed, it's an experience that dazzles the eye, soothes the ear, touches the heart.

"We simply try to create a picture and add the elements of light and movement and sound — like staging a series of paintings and sculptures about the desert."

Though he's not making the journey to Hawai'i this time — work beckons, as Pendleton creates a production that would deal with the moon, and perhaps the sun, too, for next year's tour — he's eager to come here and explore the landscapes from Kona to Kaua'i, to perhaps eventually put the Hawai'i experience into his Momix dream machine.

Momix concludes a four-month U.S. tour with the Hawai'i shows.

"We began in New England, when the temperature was 32 below," he said of the Mainland chill earlier this year.

"The cast is waiting to collapse on the beach once the tour is over."