Pilobolus
(dartmouth.edu)
Mainstream modern dance. Yeah ... not a terribly common phrase. But this weekend, at the Ahmanson Theater, there is a stellar example on display.

All weekend long (Oct 23-25), Pilobolus performs -- a compelling, athletic, inventive and, daresay, accessible dance troupe. The highest level of exposure Pilobolus has had was during the Academy Awards broadcast earlier this year. Remember the dancers' shadows creating remarkable (and remarkably quickly) silhouettes as the 'cast went to commercial break? They've also done mass media via Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes and Conan O'Brien (pre-Tonight Show).

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The troupe is dedicated to pushing boundaries (video here) -- and they seem to do well with it, having won numerous international awards as well as an Emmy.

It's athletic, bendy and always innovative. This weekend, Pilobolus will dip into the way-back machine for a couple of pieces while performing some of their newer stuff. The following pieces are on the bill from their repertoire (from their official release):

REDLINE (2009)
Jonathan Wolken's REDLINE examines the beauty and futility of physical battle. Accompanied by a driving and seductive score by Battles and Autechre, this full company work is full of tremulous energy balanced by a graceful discipline.

RUSHES (2007)
The first of Pilobolus's collaborating partners projects, RUSHES is the result of Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak's collaboration with Pilobolus AD Robby Barnett and our company. The result - an isolated community of broken dreams. Jacques Tati meets Gogol in a breakthrough for Pilobolus's constantly morphing aesthetic.

GNOMEN (1997)
One of Pilobolus's classic men's quartets, GNOMEN lyrically explores emerging relationships using an unusual and inventive physical vocabulary.

DAY TWO (1980)
One of Pilobolus's classic works, DAY TWO enacts the second day of the creation of the world, from its earliest forms of life to the moment to the moment at which creatures of the earth take flight intro the air. One of the company's most amazing works, set to a soundtrack from Brian Eno and Talking Heads, DAY TWO captures the awe of evolution and the wonder of existence.