‘Botanica’ dance brings imagery of nature to Emens

Moses Pendleton is in the process of harvesting thousands of sunflowers from his country garden. He uses the flowers for work projects and life inspiration.

Pendleton has an appreciation for the natural world and a curiosity for the connection the human body and natural world share. Pendleton translated his passion for nature of all kinds into “Botanica,” a dance production put on by Momix.

Momix is a company of dancer-illusionists under the artistic direction of Pendleton. For more than 30 years, Momix has brought surreal images to life with the use of light, shadow, props and the human body. The company has earned a variety of international awards and has been performed on television shows and at festivals.

“[Momix] is not one particular thing, but a combination of visual and physical theater,” Pendleton said. “It uses dance, bodies, props, special lighting and magical projections to try to create an invocative evening of physical theater and dance. It’s not just a dance concert, but also a visual experience.”

Pendleton and Momix are bringing “Botanica” on Friday to John R. Emens Auditorium. The show highlights nature’s changing imagery. It reflects the seasons and nature by portraying flowers, rocks, centaurs and more.

Pendleton said while flowers don’t sound like physically demanding roles to play, Momix dancers train very hard to portray them.

“I think if people are worried that the show will be boring, they should come and watch these incredible bodies doing incredible things,” he said. “These [dancers] are highly trained athletes. They work out everyday and they do their dances. ... It takes a lot of physical power to imitate a centaur, a rock, a butterfly in this show. You have to train hard to portray these roles.”

Simona Di Tucci has danced with Momix for about 10 years. She is a dance captain in “Botanica” and helped with the production’s creative process. She describes Momix as “a different way to use the body.”

“We work a lot with props and lights to give the illusion of something,” Tucci said. “For example, in ‘Botanica,’ we have this piece called ‘Marigolds.’ It’s made up of five women, and we all wear this dress that we use in different ways. It’s a skirt that starts at our heads and goes down as we move. So from a marigold, it becomes a flamingo dancer.”

Di Tucci said seeing Momix’s “Botanica” is “a moment out of reality” for audiences. She said the dancers try to get the audience engaged into the dances with the use of different music, sounds and imagination.

“Momix is open to everybody of every age,” she said. “It’s very visual and colorful.”

Pendleton said Momix has visited a lot of universities around the country, and he wishes that more students were in the audience.

“This is something that I think that students would really get into,” he said. “It’s really a trip ... to say the least. I think there is a message of artistic freedom — a freedom to think outside of the box — in ‘Botanic.’ Momix, as a whole, is a reflection of that.”

Momix’s ‘Botanica’ is a one-night performance Friday at Emens. Student tickets are $5 in advance or $10 at the door. Contact the box office at 765-285-1539 for more information.