Also this issue:

Spontaneous Combustion
Dance, drums and tabla combine to light up the Painted Bride.
-Deni Kasrel

Out of this World
-Susan Hagen

Lee Blessing
-Interview by David Anthony Fox

He Talks Pretty
-David Anthony Fox

Family Affair
-Debra Auspitz

Quilting Bucks
-Helen i-lin Hwang

From Chippendale to Talavera
-Lori Hill

Stage Flight
-Debra Auspitz

October 17-23, 2002

artpicks

Moving to the Desert

The desert may strike some as a dry, barren place, but for Moses Pendleton it's abundant and overflowing with intriguing inhabitants. With colorful snakes, lizards and funky-shaped cacti, to name only a few, the desert offers a real-life fantasy landscape from which Pendleton built a visually arresting work of art with the cast of his dance company, MOMIX. The desert is the inspiration behind Opus Cactus, a full-length piece that metes out a little humor and a lot of athleticism.

MOMIX possesses a virtually unparalleled physical prowess. They bend into shapes that make you wonder, "How the heck did they do that?" Check out the dexterity of the crew that contorts and stacks bodies into a cactus-inspired formation, or the guys who slither in serpentine fashion like Gila Monsters. And then there's the dancer who scoots around the stage with real flames shooting from his feet. Being MOMIX, there are plenty of cool props for everyone to play with, including a hammock, skateboards and a jungle gym. The music, a varied mix, features tunes by Bach, Brian Eno, Mickey Hart, Dead Can Dance and Douglas Spotted Eagle. Put it all together and the desert landscape never looked so lively.

Opus Cactus, Thu., Oct. 17, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 18, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 19, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., $23-$36, Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.

—Deni Kasrel