FSCJ Artist Series: Pilobolus

Pilobolus is not only a fungal entity that grows in barnyards and pastures; it is also the name of a unique American arts dance company of international influence that originated in a Dartmouth College dance class in 1971 and will perform in Jacksonville as one of The Artist Series’ April productions. With over twenty-five full and part-time dancers, the company has continued to grow, expanding and refining its unusual collaborative methods to produce a body of over 100 choreographic works. Pilobolus is based in Washington Depot, Connecticut and performs for stage and television audiences all over the world. The 2010-2011 season marks the company’s 40th year.

Today, the company is comprised of three sublets: PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE, the umbrella for a series of radically innovative and globally acclaimed concert dance companies; THE PILOBOLUS INSTITUTE, unique educational programming for schools, colleges, and public arts organizations as well as a series of classes and leadership workshops for corporate executives, employees, and business schools; and PILOBOLUS CREATIVE SERVICES, a division specializing in a wide range of movement services for film, advertising, publishing, commercial clients, and corporate events.

The physical images of Pilobolus works are not drawn from choreographed dance movements. They are, instead, creative improvisations of the human form meant to convey the body’s seductive innocence. The dancers infuse elements of ballet and gymnastics to create acrobatic, picturesque poses.

In June 2000 Pilobolus received the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement in choreography and in 2004 the company was featured on CBS 60 Minutes. In 2007, the company created and presented six acclaimed performances during the 79th Annual Academy Awards, and produced a series of original segments for the Oprah Winfrey Show; in 2008, it was featured on the Conan O'Brien show; and in 2009 it was nominated for a Sports Emmy for its work for the NFL Network.

The company will present an elegant representation of what it means to be symbolically contracted and decomposed in an artistic sense when Pilobolus appears at the Times Union Center’s Moran Theater on Friday, April 15, 2011.