On April 16, I had the pleasure of watching Pilobolus perform at the Luhrs Performing Arts Center. As I sat in my seat, waiting for the performance to start, I watched as the dancers warmed up on stage. Their fluid movements and extreme flexibility already mesmerized me. Within a few minutes, the dancers cleared off the stage, the lights dimmed and the show began.
The performance began with a brief introductory video, titled “Pilobolus is a Fungus,” which showed a quick succession of clips with different scientific images, such as spores and growing cells. The video ended with a silent greeting from the Pilobolus dancers, spelling “Welcome to Pilobolus” with the bottoms of their feet. The video screen was pulled up, and soft stage lights came on in preparation for the first act.
Three dancers, clad only in the skimpiest of undergarments, performed the first piece, “On the Nature of Things.” It began with a male dancer carrying another male dancer onto the stage and laying him on a circular platform.
The dancer lying on the platform was assumed to be unconscious, until the other dancer brought him to life by simply touching him with his finger. The dancer awoke and seemed to discover his body for the first time. He then performed a series of movements to test his newfound strength and balance.
Meanwhile, a female dancer was brought out on stage in the same fashion as the first male dancer. She was placed on the stage and “brought to life” with a touch of a finger.
The male and female shared the platform and began an intricate, sensual dance that represented the exploration of another human’s body for the first time. A third dancer was added to the mix and together the three performed a dance that exploited the human body’s strength, balance and bodily awareness.
It was clear that “On the Nature of Things” was designed to show all the physical capabilities of the human body. The music was a dramatic classical piece, and the lighting was dimmed to cast the most flattering shadows over the bodies of the dancers.
The costumes were designed so the audience could see the dancers’ bodies in their most natural form and also how the dancers’ muscles moved with every movement they made.
After another short video, titled “Wind,” the dancers began their next piece, “Skyscrapers.” Vastly different from the first act, this dance segment was much more lighthearted and fun.
The dancers were in three pairs and took turns coming out on stage to perform their own short solo dance. What made this piece interesting were the speedy costume changes each pair completed. The dance was only about four minutes long and within that time frame, each pair made at least three costume changes. The dance piece was based on the original concept and choreography for OK Go’s “Skyscraper” music video. The video offered a similar visual to the dance performed by Pilobolus.
As the stage was being set up for the next dance, a short video titled “Cirrus,” was played. It depicted mass production through combining simple ’50s images to create huge towering cities in a very Andy Warhol-like way.
After the video, the next dance, “Automation,” was performed by all of the dancers. The dance began in mechanical style, with each dancer moving in robotic movements, individually and as a whole. As the dance progressed, one dancer suddenly started moving in a more human way. He noticed he was different and began trying to get the other dancers to move in the same way.
The dance escalated and got faster and jerkier as the other dancers tried to escape their robotic movements. At the climax, the music changed from robotic noises to a soft classical style, and the dancers stripped down to basic costumes, which represented the dancers finally becoming more human.
With the use of mirrors, the dancers danced in a fluid manner, alone, and with interchanging partners. Without skipping a beat, the dancers slowly mixed robotic and smooth movements until, eventually, all of the dancers were dancing in the mechanical style, once again. The piece finished as the dancers connected to one another and shut down, like robots.
After the intermission, the dancers returned to the stage and continued the performance with what can only be described as a magic show.
One dancer was tied up in a burlap sack and put into a locked wooden box. Another was hog-and zip-tied into a duffel bag, while two others were chained to a tall poll, together. The final dancer was duct-taped to a chair by her hands, feet and chest, with a plastic bag taped over her head as her “timer” to escape.
The duct-taped dancer escaped first, using her strength to bust through the duct-tape and freeing herself from the chair. The dancer in the duffel bag escaped next, emerging from the bag not only untied, but now dressed in pajamas. Using a variety of stripper-esque moves, the two dancers chained to the pole freed themselves.
Finally, the audience’s attention was brought back to the box, where the final dancer was still held. One of the female dancers stood atop the box and lifted a red curtain around herself. When it was lowered only seconds later, the male dancer, who was locked in the box, was in her place, wearing her dress. When the box was unlocked and the bag on the inside was cut open, the female dancer emerged in the male dancer’s pants and suspenders.
After the short video “Danielle,” the dancers took their place on the stage for their final act.
Dressed in form-fitting leotards, the dancers performed an emotional dance, titled “Sweet Purgatory.” The dancers used their bodies to create large movements as a group and appeared to be floating across the stage. The dancers moved slow and fluid when the music was soft, but picked up speed to create more exaggerated movements when the music would became loud and dramatic. The style was similar to the first dance segment, focusing on the body’s physical ability and strength.
I have seen many theatric performances, but Pilobolus was by far the most incredible show I have ever seen. The dancers’ athleticism, grace and strength were astounding and left me awe-inspired. The dancers’ ability to showcase the amazing things our human bodies are capable of doing was breathtaking.
Pilobolus is a fungus that propels its spores with extraordinary speed, accuracy and strength. The dance company of the same name does not fall short of the description; the dancers of Pilobolus are fast, accurate, strong and nothing short of extraordinary.

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