Pilobolus Case

Introduction

Pilobolus offered a very intense, athletic, and amazing performance Friday April 27, 2012. I noticed that all of the dancers were in incredibly good shape which allowed them to perform their acts with smoothness and control. Each dance brought a completely different structure but yet all of the dances allowed the dancers to truly show off their skills. The dancers constantly used each other in order to perform their next move. Many of the movements were similar to our class when we practiced contact improvisation where the dancers were constantly attached to each other. There were 5 acts total in the performance 2 of which completely showed off the amazing strength of the dancers and one in which silhouettes were used.

Strength

Acts “Gnomen” and “Duet” were performances that focused on the strength and body control of the dancers. Gnomen was performed with four male performers. The outfits of the men allowed the audience to truly see the strength of the men. Every muscle in their body could be seen when they would perform different moves. The men constantly used each other’s bodies in order to move together. For example, the men rolled onto the stage in a ball that they were able to form with their bodies. This then continued by lifting each other up, propelling each other across the room, and forming into different shapes. When the men lifted one another up, the strength and body control of the performers made it seem as though the dancers were weightless and that anyone could perform these moves. Ringing bells were used throughout the act. The ringing of the bell signaled a different part of the act and that a different person would be guided around the stage.

While “Gnomen” focused on the strength of men, “Duet” focused on the strength of the women performers. Again, the performers were wearing basically nothing which allowed the audience to