Organizing and choreographing 50 Holstein cows in Vermont was one of Moses Pendleton’s first experiences with choreography.

Today, he is the artistic director of Momix, the company presenting “Opus Cactus” for more than 20 years.

“I created a piece of cow choreography — cowography, I suppose you’d call it,” Pendleton says. “I put a white sheet over my head and ran around in front of them, and they’d follow me. I designed some interesting patterns.”

Pendleton says he loves nature and creating things themed around it. There won’t be any Holsteins in Stephens Auditorium Sunday evening, but the show does have nature as its theme.

“I really find an inspiration in the natural world,” Pendleton says. “I spent some quality time in the Southwestern desert. I was drawn to the giant mythical cactus.”

Pendleton says the theme of “Opus Cactus” is desert plant and animal life, a topic he loves to research. He says the show came about because he was invited by a ballet company in Arizona to create a show for them. The original show he created for them was about 25 minutes long. He says he then took the shorter dance and created a whole show, which his own company then began performing.

“The show itself never gets quite finished,” Pendleton says. “We videotape performances and keep tweaking it. That’s the thing about live theater; it gives you the opportunity to keep improving.”

“Opus Cactus” has 10 dancers in it, five men and five women. Pendleton says each of the dancers has a different story. Some dancers are new this year, and some have been with Momix for 20 years.

Pendleton says he was born and raised in Vermont, and choreography is just what he ended up doing. While at Dartmouth College completing a degree in English, Pendleton says, he wanted to write screenplays.

“Choreography is what I ended up doing,” Pendleton says. “I’ve always been interested in making and inventing things. I always took a creative take on the activity of the day.”

Pendleton says he’s maintained kind of a free style over the years. He says it’s all about quickness and imagery — almost like painting. He says he uses props to extend the range of motion.

“It is nice how it works to combine the athletic with the artistic,” Pendleton says.

Pendleton says he is always working on new project; currently, he’s doing research for a show about the moon. He says his job is to work on the new shows, while keeping the others maintained.

“My favorite show is the show that I haven’t done yet,” Pendleton says. “I like the research on the new piece, which is on the moon. I like getting inspired by all the books on the shelves in this old house. It’s like having a new love affair.”

Pendleton says “Opus Cactus” is imaginative and poetic, not just something you go and watch. He says he would like to get more young people in to see it, and he finds that in many college towns, students are reluctant to come but then end up loving the show.

“The music really rocks,” Pendleton says. “The whole show is very surreal, very image-istic, very sensual. It doesn’t really tell a story, but gets you into another zone.”