Pilobolus

ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
Created by: Robby Barnett, Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent, and Itamar Kubovy in collaboration with Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern, Benjamin Coalter, Matt Del Rosario, Eriko Jimbo, Jordan Kriston, Jun Kuribayashi, Derion Loman, Nile Russell, and Mike Tyus
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, and Marlon Feliz OR Quincy Ellis, Hannah Klinkman and Zack Weiss
Music: Vivaldi; Michelle DiBucci and Edward Bilous; Mezzo Soprano, Clare McNamara; Violin Solo, Krystof Witek

WALKLYNDON 
Choreographed by: Robby Barnett, Lee Harris, Moses Pendleton, and Jonathan Wolken
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Connor Chaparro, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman and Zach Weiss

AWAKEN HEART
Created by: Gaspard Louis, Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent in collaboration with Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, and Zack Weiss
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, and Zack Weiss
Music: Michael Wall

UNTITLED
Choreographed by: Robby Barnett, Alison Chase, Martha Clarke, Moses Pendleton, Michael Tracy and Jonathan Wolken
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Connor Chaparro, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman and Zack Weiss
Music: Robert Dennis

INTERMISSION

BEHIND THE SHADOWS 
Created by: Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent in collaboration with Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman Paul Liu and Zack Weiss
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Connor Chaparro, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman and Zack Weiss
Music: David Poe
Lighting: Yannick Godts

NOCTUARY
Created by: Derion Loman, Madison Olandt, Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent in collaboration with Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Connor Chaparro, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman and Zack Weiss
Music: Jad Abumrad
 

The show runs approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes (including one intermission).

Awaken Heart: Four dancers float delicately through an atmosphere imbued with the lightness of reminiscence and the excitement of young love in this beautiful reminder of the preciousness of relationships and the transience of life. Join us on this captivating journey that will leave your heart dancing and your spirit renewed.
> View video from Awaken Heart

Collaborator Information: Gaspard Louis, former Pilobolus dancer and teacher, joined the company the same year as Artistic Director Matt Kent. Later joined by Executive and Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski, they toured the world and created new pieces with the Founding Artistic Directors. They have teamed up again to create a work of heartfelt reminiscence and youthful energy in the gorgeously lit and costumed Awaken Heart. The quartet is a beautiful reminder of the preciousness of relationships and the transience of life.

Behind the Shadows begins with a short duet between a giant hand and a young woman. In this brilliant collaboration with Steven Banks, lead writer of the iconic animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, Pilobolus tells a poignant and mysterious story using their now famous shadow dance technique, with a moving illusion and surreal narrative that has audiences laughing and leaves them amazed. Behind the Shadows doesn’t stop there; it moves into a playful energetic romp through a shadow menagerie as the dancers spin the screen, revealing the technique creating these amazing shadows.
> View video for Behind The Shadows

Noctuary is a captivating sextet filled with stunning ethereal imagery, haunting beauty, and delightful humor. An original score by Jad Abumrad incorporates sounds of night, a Chopin nocturne, a ticking clock, distant thunder, and rain which seep into the inner landscape of a woman’s subconscious seeking harmony and synthesis between discordant contradictions of waking life and a fantastic expansive dreamscape.
> View video from Noctuary

Collaboration with Derion Loman and Madison Olandt featuring Jad Abumrad, creator of Radiolab.
Derion Loman was Pilobolus's first dance apprentice. He quickly proved his ability to embody the unique approach to collaborative creation of Pilobolus. He has taught, created, and performed with Pilobolus, sharing his deep knowledge and skill. He met his creative partner, Madison Olandt while the two were performing with Diavolo. Pilobolus was drawn to create again with Derion and Madison for the creation of Noctuary, a visionary piece created in collaboration with the three-time Peabody Award winning journalist and podcaster, Jad Abumrad, who is heralded as the iconoclastic creator of the seminal podcast Radiolab. Noctuary is quintessential Pilobolus with emergent fresh voices.

On The Nature Of Things: Performed by three dancers balanced on a three-foot wide plinth rising three feet above the stage, On the Nature of Things explores the renaissance of antiquity as powerful bodies tell the iconic story of desire and its intertwined connection to shame and revenge. Set to vocal music inspired by the classical baroque, this trio is both graceful and riveting to watch.
> View video from On The Nature of Things

Untitled takes the audience into an unforgettable, dream-like experience as two elegant young ladies transform into towering figures through a clever stage device. The dance interweaves the traditional and the modern, and balances between the audacious and the demure. Themes of youth, playfulness, and bawdy humor give way to a sophisticated narrative, leaving the audience in awe of a theatrical work where contrasts coalesce into an unnameable and meaningful art form. A breakthrough piece that’s quintessentially Pilobolus.

Walklyndon, a seminal piece in Pilobolus’s repertoire, is an all-time favorite that captures the playful essence of the company’s early days. During this time, four men were joyously exploring outlets for creativity, barnstorming the Northeast, and even opening for Frank Zappa. Created in a squash court in Lyndonville, VT, and inspired by silly walks and slapstick, this 50-year-old classic continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. It reflects the company’s penchant for double entendres and boundless energy, filling theaters with squeals of laughter from both children and adults alike.
> View video from Walklyndon

Pilobolus is a rebellious dance company. Since 1971, it has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies creating awe-inspiring and accessible performances. In the five decades since, Pilobolus has continued to propel the seeds of expression through their collaborations with some of the greatest influencers, thinkers, and creators in the world and its unique educational programming. The company offers classes serving all ages and movement abilities. Pilobolus classes use movement to teach dancers and non-dancers alike to harness the creative potential of groups. Bespoke leadership workshops for corporate executives, employees, and business schools teach teams how to maximize creativity, solve problems, create surprise, and generate joy through the power of nonverbal communication. Pilobolus continues to bring the beauty of movement to the world, growing and changing each year while reaching new audiences and exploring new visual and physical planes. Learn more at pilobolus.org.

Other dance performances coming to Shubert Theatre this season:

• Dance Theatre of Harlem - February 24, 2024
• Beyond Babel - March 8, 2024

2023-2024 Season Brochure