A truly mesmerising show

The four seasons sprang vividly to life during Momix Botanica’s breath-taking dance theatre and mind-bending illusion. 

Staged over Valentine’s Day the show delivered a perfect concoction of carnal fantasy and erotic reverie.  

Momix evoked the wonders of the natural world in all their glory from the frantically spinning wings of a thunder bug illuminated by lightening flashes to the dozily swaying heads of
summer’s sunflowers.

There were several standout scenes from this magical menagerie, all artfully crafted and directed by Moses Pendleton.

A tilted mirror reflected an almost nude figure whose quickly shifting positions multiplied to look almost insect-like. 

Human body parts were ingeniously manipulated to paint moving pictures — neon lights on limbs against a pitch-black canvass created the illusion of dancing glow-worms, slithering snakes and grimacing faces. 

One female performer, an accomplished ballerina, spent five minutes continuously spinning as beaded strings attached to her body splayed artfully around her.  

Another jaw-dropping piece consisted of a tempestuous love affair between a young woman and the skeletal remains of a life-sized triceratops.

Framing the show were soul-stirring scenes of what looked like a streaming ocean created so simply by a thin sheet being blown across the surface of the stage. Performers manipulated the flow from beneath, most eye-catchingly when their faces and shoulders formed the crests of crashing waves.

Some of the scenes were less awe-inspiring, like the buzzing flies or the flower made from stretched out bodies but there was very little to pick holes in.

You know a show is good when you do not want it to end. I could have sat for hours watching these masterful performances. It is a show you could watch multiple times just to get your head around it. 

For me, this show stood out as one of the top offerings of the Bermuda Festival of the Performing
Arts.