Moses Pendleton of Momix dance company.

Written by DCist contributor Amanda Abrams

He’s a bit of an anomaly. Moses Pendleton started out squarely in the dance world when he and a few fellow Dartmouth students started the company Pilobolus. These days, though, ask a group of dance aficionados about Momix, the company he later founded and still runs, and you’ll get a lot of opinions. Is it modern dance? Yes, kind of. Critics have taken to calling the company “dancer-illusionists,” and that seems to fit. With the natural world as an inspiration (past shows have been about cacti and the moon), Pendleton’s choreography combines bodies in inventive ways to create surprising and often awe-inspiring shapes. Above all, it’s a spectacle — and that means the audience doesn’t have to worry about “getting” it.

The other thing about Pendleton that has other dancers grumbling: he can be unapologetically commercial. Paid gigs mean that Momix is one of the very few for-profit dance companies that’s run without grant dollars or tax-deductible contributions.

We spoke with Pendleton — who, at 61, is still remarkably curious and enthusiastic — while he was finishing up a show in Richmond and preparing to come to Washington. Momix performs its most recent creation, Botanica, at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts this Saturday and Sunday.

Where do the ideas for your pieces come from?

I get my inspiration from the natural world — plant, animal, mineral. It reflects my deep passion for gardening, flowers, the mystery of the natural world and the magic of it. You’ll see things onstage resembling sunflowers and marigolds; it’s quite magical and visual — we’re less of a dance company than a physical, visual theater, using props and costumes to create fascinating pictures. It’s a mix of a lot of elements and appeals to a larger audience, I hope.