*On the Nature of Things. Photo by Ivan Martinez*

From The Art Fuse’s “Dance Review: After Five Decades, Pilobolus Still Moves Like No One Else” by Christopher Caggiano:

“In Trips, the company’s dancers, as always, possess astonishing strength and precision. But what’s most impressive isn’t individual prowess. Pilobolus has always placed an emphasis on mutual dependence rather than solo virtuosity. Performers become one another’s foundations, counterweights, and extensions, moving with such admirable trust that six separate bodies often appear to function as a single organism. Sculptural balances, gravity-defying lifts, and intricate weight-sharing create living architecture that seems to ignore the ordinary limitations of the human body.

That collaborative spirit gives the choreography an emotional dimension beyond its physical spectacle. The dancers frequently perform in minimal costumes and interact with remarkable intimacy, yet the work never feels prurient. Instead, bodies become instruments of communication, expressing humor, tenderness, vulnerability, and playfulness with equal ease. Even the company’s most astonishing feats avoid empty virtuosity. Every impossible balance or improbable lift serves a larger theatrical or emotional purpose.”

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF PROGRAM B AT THE JOYCE