Pilobolus puts the fun in fungus

LAURA JOHNSON
A&E Assistant

Except for maybe a bout of athlete’s foot, dancers and fungus are not things thought of usually in tandem. But in the case of the Pilobolus Dance Theatre Company, fungus and dance unabashedly unite. The show, full of awesome innovation and spectacular creativity, does not actually feature fungus on stage. Rather, the meaning of the strange name donned by the troupe is a description of what they are.

In scientific terms, the name Pilobolus is a phototropic zygomycete — a type of fungus usually found on lush plains or in barnyards. Just like the dancers on stage, it loves to be in the light, and likes to be wherever the light is. Always on the lookout for the sun, the fungus, like the company, must be adventurous in order to get the desired results. On Thursday, Feb. 15, a Pepperdine audience will become a part of the adventure as well.The company members, who banded together in 1971, chose this name as they felt it encompassed everything their new kind of dance form was about. The group’s dance technique can best be described as a combination of gymnastics, weight-sharing, pop dance and performance art. According to Marnie Mitze, managing director for the Center for the Arts, the company has a long tradition of performing at Pepperdine.“Pepperdine has been presenting Pilobolus for almost 20 years,” Mitze said, “They are a uniquely different company. I feel they are a very accessible group, in the fact that they use props and take a creative approach to their art, which can almost be described as body architecture. They are much easier to watch than other modern dance groups.”Pilobolus found its name after one of the founding members, Jonathan Walker, who worked in a biochemistry lab by day, started working with the substance. It was then Walker knew what the name of his company should be. Hailing from Connecticut, the non-traditional group sprung up from a Dartmouth College dance class. Though the company has gained worldwide acclaim, it has not moved far from its Dartmouth roots. However, while the company’s location may not have changed, that does not mean the dance troupe has not evolved. On the contrary, the troupe has grown from being an all male four-piece ensemble to an organization with four traveling companies as well as female performers. The company now prides itself in the fact that it is one of the only self-sufficient dance companies in the nation — meaning the artists not only work on the creative side, but the business side as well.A combination of new and old will meld together in the Feb. 15 show to form an all-enriching demonstration of the art of dance. The show will begin with a large group number called “Aquatica” (which will not be performed underwater here, but the first time it was performed, it was) that will include all of the company’s dancers. Later, an all men’s quartet will take the stage. Called “Gnomen,” it is one of the original Pilobolus choreographies. The troupe will then showcase its latest work, a delicate duet between a man and woman called “Memento Mori.” According to a news release, “Memento Mori” deals with the fantasies of growing older and serves as a reminder that life is short. Clearly, the show provides a variety of emotional experiences. Other pieces to be presented include the 1974 work “Pseudopodia” and the more recent “Sweet Purgatory,” from 1991. Each year the company challenges its skills and inventiveness by creating a new work.After being together for more than 35 years, the group has truly come into its own, performing all over the country and for television audiences. Over the decades, Pilobolus has had time to carve out their niche in the dance world, developing a system that the troupe calls the “Pilobolus method.”“It all derives from where we started,” Robbie Barnett, a founding member and now co-director of the company, said. “It’s almost a developmental anthropology, as we are strong believers in ‘the group.’ It is through group thinking that we can see the difference in shape while creating.”A dancer demands a lot from his or her body, and with rehearsals eight hours a day, five days a week, the dancers of Pilobolus definitely ask a lot. Dance captain Andy Harrow, who has only been dancing for seven years, said that while the group’s weight-sharing approach to partnering may be strenuous, if one properly learns how to use their body, it would not take a toll.“In our company, we don’t teach technique,” Harrow said. “Doing it over and over again is the only way to teach our bodies how to create what we do. The difference between us and other dance companies is that we aren’t just on stage together, we are asked to use our muscles to move with each other as close as we can get.” According to the Web site, the goal of Pilobolus is to probe the human psyche; to ask the audience to go to a place they have never been before. As Cirque Du Soleil has proven with its many shows in Las Vegas, the country is ready to be amazed by new art forms that are ever changing and evolving.“Change is constancy for us,” Barnett said. “Our company is very diverse, and we try to be an adaptable fleet of people. For us change is always constant, in this way we are always the same.”A limited number of $10 tickets are still available for students at the box office. Pilobolus will perform Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in Smothers Theatre. The troupe is also scheduled to perform Feb. 16 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. For more information on the troupe, visit the Web site at pilobolus.org.

02-08-2007