Photography by Bryan Haeffele
On Saturday, June 22, Pilobolus held its annual Midsummer Ball, bringing guests from the world of art, entertainment, dance, performance, and philanthropy together at a private sculpture park in Washington, CT. The evening celebrated the renowned dance company’s fifty-three-year legacy of experimental and boundary-pushing dance, which has continuously innovated the landscape of performance and theater. The Ball also marked Pilobolus’s biggest annual fundraiser, which supports new works, dancer training, collaborations, community outreach, and educational programs.
Notable attendees included art director Marc Balet, author Robert Becker, president of Trinity College Joanne Berger-Sweeney, actress Lily Cowles, TV personality Clinton Kelly, film producer Charles Layton, Ambassador William Luers, actor Chris Meloni, artist Mark Mennin, artistic director of Limón dance company Dante Puleo, renowned flutist Gretchen Pusch, and screenwriter Mark Rosenthal, among others.
The Midsummer Ball centered on roving, site-specific dance performances, which activated the park’s sculpture collection. The ball marked the dance company’s first-ever event at this location, which features nearly seventy artists from around the world, situated in a one-hundred-and-fifty-acre nature preserve.
Guests followed the dancers across several sites around the property, taking in three unique dance pieces. Each work was a collaborative creation from the artistic team and Pilobolus dancers, inspired by the art and natural beauty of the setting. The dances were planned and rehearsed on-site (in the middle of a heat wave), producing an impressive showing of the power and grace of the human form–which not even an unexpected bout of rain could stop.
After the performance portion of the evening, guests gathered for dinner and remarks from Pilobolus’s board members and loyal supporters.
Executive Director/Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski and Artistic Director Matt Kent shared, “It was inspiring and magical to play in this landscape all week and to create something truly singular. We’d like to thank the Ball committee for their planning, humor, creativity, and support, and share a huge amount of gratitude to our corporate sponsors and local partners. We’d also like to thank the Pilobolus dancers and Education Director Emily Kent, who were collaborators in this process. They aren’t just dancers– they are artists.”
Chair of Pilobolus’s Ball Committee, Lily Cowles, noted, “What a gift to watch Pilobolus perform in this wild and wonderful space tonight, and what a gift to celebrate them with you all. Pilobolus reminds us of the power of our bodies in space. It shows us the best of ourselves, the strength and grace of reciprocity and partnership, and insatiable curiosity and joy in our world. Tonight is truly a midsummer night’s dream.”
Cowles then led the guests in a short meditation, encouraging all to center themselves and feel grounded in their bodies, allowing attendees to immerse themselves in the connection between spirit and body quintessential to Pilobolus.
To conclude the speeches, Pilobolus Board Chair, Shauna Holiman, stated: “I want to thank you all for appreciating Pilobolus for who we are and for what we do. We are a company that does almost everything collaboratively, which produces the extraordinary results you saw tonight. Stupefying in its extraordinary, elegant athleticism, our dancers communicate without words and express their humanness so easily. I thank you all for being here to witness that.”
The evening concluded with a moonlit dance party, during which guests and Pilobolus’s dancers joined each other on the dance floor—an embodiment of the company’s ethos, which encourages dancers and non-dancers alike to experience the joy of movement.
The Midsummer Ball kicks off Pilobolus’s summer season, including the re:CREATION tour, a dynamic compilation of new experimental dance pieces, paired with landmark works from the company’s repertoire. Pilobolus will hold performances across the U.S., including a residency at The Joyce Theatre in New York City, which will feature the New York City premiere of two new works: Bloodlines, a women’s duet, and Tales from the Underworld, which features music composed and performed by Stuart Bogie. For more information about where Pilobolus is headed next, visit our Tour Calendar.
