Michael B.
Yelp
Review of the MOMIX Premier at the Joyce Theater
I would give this performance 6 stars (or ten stars) if I could. I've probably been going to see modern dance since before most of you reading this review have been walking upright, and in my experience, this was perhaps the best, most original, entertaining, exciting, fun 90 minutes of dance/performing arts I have ever seen. I couldn't believe how many times I kept saying to myself, "wow, I've never seen anything like that before" throughout the performsnce.
When you take brilliant artistic vision, combined with extrodinarily original and refreshing choreography and combine that with interesting and creative stage lighting, highly talented and athletic performers, uniquely imaginative costumes and a melange of music ranging from hip electronic dance music to contemporized nomadic middle eastern music to Tibetan or Zen buddhist Temple chants to what sounded like a digitized aboriginal Digeradoo's, you get a sum much greater than the parts and a performance that had the audience on their feet screaming in appreciation for what they had just experienced.
The dance numbers are almost impossible to describe, but so take a look at my photo, try and imagine a dance routine to each of those phrases, take a hallucinogenic, and repeat the "imagine" part. The dancers each conveyed the essence of the many numbers so wonderfully, sleek and stylish when they needed to be, other times soft and tender, humorous, whimsical, powerful, mystical, enchanted etc. The audience couldn't help but get drawn in deeper with each number.
I've long been a fan of Moses Pendleton who has consistently proven himself unique and one of the best through his work with Pilobolus Dance Theater and other associations With this performance, he has taken his game to the stratosphere and raised the bar for others to follow. A not to be missed experience.
A quick shout out to the Joyce Theater, also best in class, for bringing us the best of modern performing arts for decades in a cozy, stylish art deco venue at prices that make it accessible for all income brackets. You're what makes NY great.