Purdue News

September 10, 1999 Inventive movement company brings premier to Purdue WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University Convocations will host contemporary dance icon Moses Pendleton and his company MOMIX at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, at Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. The program will feature world premieres by Pendleton, who will give a free pre-performance talk at 7 p.m. in Room 202 in Stewart Center. Under Pendleton's direction, this creative company of dancers-illusionists has been celebrated for its ability to conjure up a world of surrealistic images using props, light, shadow, humor and the human body. Greater Lafayette audiences will witness the premier of a new work by Pendleton called "In Orbit," in addition to other new pieces that he choreographed over the summer. The performance will have an outer-space theme and will also include MOMIX classics "Sputnik" and "Orbit" (not to be confused with the new work). MOMIX was formed from Pendleton's other equally inventive dance company, Pilobolus. For more than 16 years, MOMIX has performed across the globe and has been featured on stage, screen and television, particularly in Europe. MOMIX also was seen in one of the first IMAX 3-D films, "Imagine," which premiered in 1993. Pendleton, who is known for stretching boundaries and exploring new ways of moving and seeing, continues to keep a busy performance, consulting and choreography schedule. His projects are diverse, including music videos for rock star Prince, choreography for the Paris Opera Ballet and the Olympics, and a special commission about hair for Procter & Gamble Co. with MOMIX alums Daniel Ezralow and David Parsons, renowned choreographers and performers in their own right. He even returned to the stage recently to play Drosselmeyer opposite his daughter in Nutmeg Ballet's "Nutcracker." Pendleton also was involved with the workshop stages of Disney's new stage musical "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and Michael Hoffman's film "A Midsummer Night's Dream," starring Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer. The Oct. 1 MOMIX performance will be the culmination of a two-day residency at Purdue that includes dance workshops with Harrison High School dance students and a "Dance for Non-Dancers" workshop for the community at noon Sept. 30 in Rooms 302-306 at Stewart Center. For more information on these activities, contact the Convocations offices at (765) 494-9712. Tickets are $18 for the public and $13 for Purdue students ($20 and $15 after Sept. 20) at campus box offices. Discounts are available to groups of 15 or more. Charge by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. CONTACT: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-9712; snsteven@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page