In Review: Joyce Theater Residency 2025

Members of Pilobolus pose outside of The Joyce Theater in NYC following the 2025 season. Top row, left to right: Ryan Hayes (Dancer), Gabriel Esparza (Lighting Supervisor), Evan Hausthor (Production Stage Manager); Middle row, left to right: Isaac Huerta (Dancer), Hannah Klinkman (Dance Captain), Connor Chaparro (Dancer), Jessica Robling (Dancer); Kneeling: Darren Robinson (Dancer)

Pilobolus premiered the Other Worlds Collection at The Joyce Theater in New York City for a three-week residency from June 24 to July 13, 2025. Two stellar programs delighted audiences and included two new works:

Flight, a playful tale of perseverance inspired by original Pilobolus member and pilot Lee Harris, and featuring contributions from longtime collaborators Paul Sullivan (music), Thom Weaver (lighting), and Márion Talán de la Rosa (costumes), all of whom were in attendance at The Joyce.

Photo by Steven Pisano

Lamentation Variations, Pilobolus’s interpretation of Martha Graham’s iconic solo Lamentation, was created in celebration of GRAHAM100 and the Lamentation Variations Project. The piece elicited audible gasps from the audience as the lights illuminated the stage.

Photo by Emily Denaro

Complementing these works were company classics and recent favorites created by Executive/Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski and Artistic Director Matt Kent, along with collaborators Stuart Bogie, Aaron Posner, and Gaspard Louis. A children’s matinee, curtain chat with Clinton Kelly, plus a one-night-only appearance by a lucky patron, Susan Austin, in a walk-on role in Walklyndon, punctuated the residency.

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS…

“It is a company of dancers that are totally in harmony with each other, a perfect collective whose lifts, turns and ability to deftly intertwine their limbs is mesmerizing.”  - Broadway World

“….an ideal concoction of movement and poetic storytelling….” - Interludes

“If you appreciate challenging work that will have you gasping, laughing, and pondering, be sure to see Other Worlds.” - DC Theater Arts

“Pilobolus remains one of the most unique and inspiring dance companies. Their blend of physical daring, artistic precision, and emotional authenticity continues to challenge and move audiences. Whether evoking childhood play, deep longing, or surreal dream logic, they remind us that the body, in all its complexity, is the most powerful instrument of all.” - Stage and Cinema

“After bursting onto the dance scene in the 1970s with its playful and artfully athletic work, Pilobolus has endured as one of the form’s most popular companies.” - NY Times

Additional Coverage:

Pilobolus returns to The Joyce for multi-week dance run
Interview with Executive/Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski and Stephanie Simon of NY1

Pilobolus dance company wraps up season in NYC this weekend
Interview with Executive/Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent by Dave Carlin of CBS2

Experience Pilobolus’s Other Worlds Tour on a stage near you.

Pilobolus to Open Penn & Teller’s 50th Anniversary Show at Radio City Music Hall

Pilobolus, the world-renowned dance theater company known for its jaw-dropping physicality and theatrical imagination, is honored to open Penn & Teller: 50 Years of Magic—the legendary illusionist duo’s 50th-anniversary show—at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY, on August 21, 2025.

“Pilobolus is thrilled to celebrate one of the greatest partnerships in history,” stated Pilobolus Artistic Director Matt Kent. “Sometimes, when you get to see behind the scenes, you lose a little fascination, and you wish you knew a little less so you could be thrilled. Not so with Penn & Teller. The more you see, the more you understand what they are doing, the more amazed you are. Penn & Teller have opened our eyes to the magic of magic, the hard work, the skill, and the love of it all. We owe the two iconoclasts a debt of gratitude.”

This show marks the latest in a series of collaborations between Pilobolus and Penn & Teller, including [esc], which premiered at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina, in 2013. The work incorporated Houdini-inspired escapes that require incredible strength, flexibility, grace, and control. The daring choreography was created by Penn & Teller, Pilobolus founder Robby Barnett, Executive/Co-Artistic Director Renée Jaworski, and Artistic Director Matt Kent. Most recently, Pilobolus partnered with Teller on The Tempest at American Repertory Theater,  a critically acclaimed production directed by Teller and Aaron Posner, with music by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, and choreography by Pilobolus. That project earned Jaworski and Kent a 2023 Helen Hayes Award for choreography.

Penn Jillette said, “We’ve worked with Pilobolus before. We’ve written magic tricks with them to do in their dance performances. They’ve never asked us to dance, and we don’t know what’s in store when we get together onstage at Radio City Music Hall. We should probably tell them that we never made it as Rockettes.”

Tickets for the August 21 show are available at pennandteller.com.

Pilobolus on the Air: A Conversation with WAMC’s The Roundtable

In anticipation of our upcoming performance at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA, Pilobolus sat down with Madeline Reynolds of WAMC’s The Roundtable to talk about the past, present, and future of the company.

In this special interview, Artistic Director Matt Kent, Artistic Associate Derion Loman, and company dancer Jessica Robling share how Pilobolus continues to break the mold of modern dance, offering insight into our unique creative process and collaborative spirit. They also discuss the exciting restaging of Martha Graham’s Lamentation, which will premiere at the Mahaiwe.

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Tune in for an inside look at the artistry and innovation behind our work, directly from the voices that bring it to life.

In Review: Joyce Theater Residency 2024

Photo by Emily Denaro

Pilobolus returned to The Joyce Theater in New York City for a three-week residency from July 23 to August 11, 2024 as part of the re:CREATION tour. In addition to classic and contemporary pieces, two programs–Dreams and Memory–featured two new NYC premieres, including the women’s duet, “Bloodlines,” featuring Marlon Feliz and Hannah Klinkman, and a full-company piece entitled “Tales from the Underworld,” which included live music performance by composer and collaborator Stuart Bogie.

press highlights…

“From the first minute to the last, we were amazed by the troupe's grace, athleticism, control, and the creativity that defines their works. We applaud Executive/Co-Artistic Director, Renee Jaworski and Artistic Director, Matt Kent for their impressive leadership.” - Broadway World Review

“The wholly original Pilobolus reliably delivers visually appealing theatrical dances that combine whimsy and a muscular physicality. For its three-week summer engagement at the Joyce, titled “re:CREATION,” the company presents two distinct programs drawing from its broad repertory built over more than half a century, as well as a few works new to New York audiences.” - New York Times

“…this season Pilobolus brought two brilliant programs, Dreams and Memory, with works that probed deeply into love, friendship, society and, of course, sexuality, including their 1978 masterpiece, “Untitled.”” - Theatrescene.net

“For “re:CREATION,” artistic directors Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent crafted two unique programs paying homage to its agility, athleticism and timeless repertoire.” - New York Daily News

“The inventive, high-energy dance company Pilobolus has been around for more than 50 years and continues to captivate audiences with every performance.” - CBS News

Pilobolus featured on CBS News

CBS New York's Dave Carlin captured a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Pilobolus’s process ahead of the opening night of the three-week Summer 2024 residency at The Joyce Theater in New York City, NY—including a glimpse at Pilobolus’s new women’s duet, “Bloodlines,” performed by dancers Marlon Feliz and Hannah Klinkman. Watch the video to also catch insightful interviews with Feliz, Artistic Director Matt Kent, and Executive Director/Co-Artistic Director Renee Jaworski.

Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES

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December 29th, 2017

Pilobolus brought excerpts of Shadowland for a private event in Buenos Aires, Argentina held at the famed national theater, the Teatro Colon. Pilobolus performed for local and foreign businessmen as well as the Mayor of Buenos Aires and the President of Argentina. 

To learn more about partnerships and special projects, visit our Work page – or you can contact us with an idea.

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