Shadowland Pilobolus

Pilobolus is an American modern dance company that began at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in 1971. With collaborations with some of the greatest influencers, shape-shifting perspective, and the usage of digital technology, in 2009, Pilobolus reached beyond performances, developing shadow-theater. Shadowland was Pilobolus’s first narrative dance, produced by Steven Banks, David Poe, Robby Barnett, Renee Jaworski, Matt Kent, Itamar Kubovy, and Michael Tracy. Shadowland was originally performed in Madrid, Teatro Nuevo Apolo, and continued to be performed in 32 countries through Europe, Asia, Australia, and The Americas. To note, the video watched was a result of a Pilobolus Shadowland show in Tel-Aviv, Israel in 2013. From the opening

Pilobolus uses the young heroine’s journey to portray the frustration and struggle a human goes through when trying to find an identity, thus adulthood. Overall, the dance was successful. The intent of the Pilobolus was met, using the arts of drama and comedy to convey a narrative of a teenage girl exploring her identity, sexuality, and purpose in life. The lighting and set design paired with the music corresponded in all scene shifts, creating the feeling and mood Pilobolus wanted to spur in the audience. When the audience was meant to laugh or be spooked, it was delivered, thus indicating that the setting and composition were all spot on. The dancers were technically proficient at their work. When the audience got a behind the scene peek during the performance, they got to explore the mechanics of the production of the dance. Strength, acrobatic flexibility, and athleticism, and balance all contribute to the effortless dancing and tricks done. The costumes of the dancers were well fitting in a sense. The nudity presented by the trio when the audience was exposed to the love story, made sense because this was the girl’s stage of life where she was exploring the elements of acceptance, emotion,

The half-girl, half-dog is chased, threatened, provoked, humiliated, tied up, and whipped in the majority of the performance. This urges me to question the type of audience Shadowland is directed at – through the glamorization of violence and other ideals that are sexualized, in a narrative that explores identity and growing up! While the execution of this project is plausible, the content, at times, is debatable whether to be deemed a clever or juvenile. Shadowland is a refreshing theatrical dance in comparison to the other dances I was exposed to in this class. I find it interesting that with skillful tricks of the body, scenery, a corresponding soundtrack, and manipulation of light, a narrative can be shown through shadows. Shadow-theater is a fascinating concept reintroduced in the twenty-first century that has been traced back to ancient Egypt, India, Indonesia, and China that was most likely attached to the high-class and holy allegory. With Pilobolus’s known history for experimenting for new mediums of art and its successful work of shadows, athletic choreography, and multimedia to create illusions, I am thrilled for future performances of