Review by: Jessy Smith

Company
Pilobolus

Show / Event Name
Razor/Mirror

Performance Date
Thursday, July 3rd

Venue / Location
The Joyce Theater

Your Occupation:
Choreographer/Teacher

Last time you moved your body:
Yesterday

Have you ever seen this company/ before?
Tell us a bit about your history with this group/performer?
I volunteered to usher at the Joyce last year to see Pilobolus perform.  I remember some humor in the work, which I enjoy, and also a beautiful cocoon piece where 2 females, with the help ariel fabric, became a beautiful butterfly.

Why did you go to the show? What did you expect to see?
 I went to the show because my friend, Manelich Minniefee, a company member for the last 4 years, gave me 2 comp tickets.  I was expecting to see dance that defied gravity, in true Pilobolus form.

What was your favorite moment(s)? What inspired you?
The last piece of the evening, Rushes, by Isreali choreographer Inbal Pinto, was amazing!  It was set to a 1920's inspired score and had a stop-go-flickering-old--movie effect that was wonderful!  This project is the first collaborative project for Pilobolus and I hope not the last.  Truly magical!

Describe as plainly and as specifically as you can what you actually saw. We are going for description without judgement.
There is no need for complete sentences, phrases and word lists are fine. You can describe these elements or anything you can think of: the artists, the kinds of movement, the qualities of the movement, the use of the stage/space, the musicality/timing...
 Floating, flying, disappearing, appearing, balancing, working together, counter balance, muscles, strength, bodies, colors, science, theatrics, society morphed.

Do any images, colors or feelings pop into your head when you think about this show?
 If you look on their website, www.pilobolus.com, they have a picture of this fungus that grows in barnyards.  That pretty much describes the shape of what I saw.  The dancers are as if they were tiny little organizms, that weirdly mirror human society, and we watch them through a magnifying glass.

Describe any or all of these elements: music, lighting, the venue. - How did they contribute (or not) to your enjoyment of this performance?
 The venue was very cold!  I was freezing.  The lighting was magnificent.  It really contributed to the trickery that was constantly fooling my eye.  The music, multiple times, was very lullaby-like.  From my seat, I could see the lullabye starting to do it's job... if you know what I mean...

Would you like to see this performance / company again? Would you recommend it to a friend?
Why or why not?
 Yes, I would see them again!  It is a great company for people who do not see too much dance.  Perfect to get kids interested and enthusiastic about the performing arts.

What would you like to have seen more of? Less of?
 More collaboration!  There is much to say about the meeting of the minds and how it can freshen things up a bit!

If you could, what would you ask the choreographer / dancers?
 Are you going through a transitional phase?  I see many new faces in the company...  Oh, and how did you get that gig at the Oscars???

311 views