Modern Dance in the Commercial World

Pilobolus has done what very few modern dance companies have ever done - they've entered into the commercial world. Pilobolus has been featured on television numerous times. They were part of the the 79th Annual Academy Awards in 2007. In shadow they created a logo or scene from Little Miss Sunshine, Happy Feet, The Departed, Snakes on a Plane, and The Devil Wears Prada. They also performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPERVDVHAr4

Pilobolus has also created commercials for several different companies including Ford, Hyundai, and Bidvest.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PilobolusDance#p/u/8/sNNNIz2Y1q0

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PilobolusDance#p/u/5/AjJBpG-UC9c

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PilobolusDance#p/u/11/77hE5CLyRSA

All of this work in the commercial world is possible because Pilobolus created Pilobolus Creative Services, or PCS. It is highly unusual for a modern dance company to have as much exposure in the commercial world as Pilobolus has had. I believe that this exposure has lent to their success and stability as a dance company. Obviously, this type of exposure to the general public isn't necessary for a dance company to thrive and be successful, but in Pilobolus' case, it works for them and has brought modern dance into the lives of many people who would otherwise never be exposed to any modern dance. They have made themselves extremely accessible to the public through this commercialization and also through their use of shadows. The scenarios they create through shadow are often humorous and easily recognizable by the audience. They create the world through using only the shadows their bodies create. They create dances without the use of shadows as well, but much of their work in the commercial world has been done with shadows. Overall, I find it impressive how they have been able to bring their style of modern dance into the lives of people across the United States.

The Science in Dance

Pilobolus really pushes the envelope of modern dance and challenges conceptions of what modern dance is and what it can be. The choreographers and dancers combine athletics, dance, and gymnastics to create shapes and movement beyond what most people could imagine. Every time I watch them move, I never ceased to be amazed at the pictures they create. It seems to me that they defy every law of physics in their dances. It is absolutely incredible.

Pilobolus incorporates science into dance. There is one video in particular that really embodies this marriage of science and dance for me. In this video, the dancers seem to be moving at a microscopic level, as if we are viewing them under a microscope and they are bacteria. The movements are relatively slow and controlled for the most part but are still stunningly interesting. There is incredible weight sharing in this piece and partnering that seems to defy gravity at times. At one point, the male dancer is holding the female dancer off the ground only by grasping the sides of her head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOZ6KnVPvIU

Watching Pilobolus is never boring for me and always inspiring. Their style of dance is completely different from my own, but I am always inspired by their creativeness with their bodies. They create movement and shapes individually and together that I have never seen before. Their dances are often very playful, and in a 1994 New York Times review of one of their concerts, writer Jennifer Dunning says, that "play is at the heart of all creation, but Pilobolus tends to wear it on its sleeve as well" (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE6D8153CF933A05755C0A962958260&fta=y&scp=18&sq=pilobolus%20dance%20theater&st=cse). I want to be able to use the concepts and ideas that Pilobolus uses in my own choreography. Their partnering ability is beyond anything I have ever seen before, and I want to be able to use some of their weight sharing abilities myself. Choreographing partnering is something that has never been a strong point of mine, and I find myself envious of their abilities; I really want to use them to improve my own abilities.

The World Surrounding Pilobolus

The directors and dancers of Pilobolus believe in choreographing dances collaboratively. They work together to solve problems. There is a definite emphasis on collaboration and cooperation to create their art.

In 1971, the year Pilobolus was founded, U.S. soldiers were in Vietnam fighting the Vietnam War. At the same time this was going on, people were protesting the war. In April of 1971, five hundred thousand people marched in Washington D.C. and 125,000 people marched in San Francisco to protest the war. In June of that year, the New York Times starts publishing the Pentagon Papers, leading the government to try to stop the paper from publishing them. On June 30, the Supreme Court rules that the New York Times can publish the Pentagon Papers.

In the midst of all this turmoil, the founders of Pilobolus were creating dances that required deep collaboration and connection with each other, something that seemed to be lacking during this time in the U.S.

A Brief History of Pilobolus

Pilobolus Dance Theatre began in 1971, and had its origins at Dartmouth College. Its four founding members were Robby Barnett, Lee Harris, Moses Pendleton, Alison Becker Chase, and Jonathan Wolken. According to the Pilobolus website, the company "quickly became renowned the world over for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration." The primary artistic directors of the company for a long time were Barnett, Wolken, Pendleton, and Michael Tracy. In 1983, Pendleton left Pilobolus to create a new company, Momix, that was an offshoot of Pilobolus. Chase also left Pilobolus in 2006 and started her own company. The dances created by Pilobolus are extremely physical and can be considered almost gymnastic in nature.

Since its beginning, Pilobolus has expanded into three entities: Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Pilobolus Institute, and Pilobolus Creative Services. The Pilobolus Institute provides master classes, workshops, performances and more. The workshops offered at the institute "are not training in dance but rather in methods of effective group creativity that use physical expression as their medium" (http://www.pilobolus.com). One of the goals of these classes is to discard "preconceptions of what dance should be" (http://www.pilobolus.com). The Pilobolus Institute has also offered its workshops to schools, particularly to the William W. Niles School in the Bronx in NYC. Two members of Pilobolus Dance Theatre went to the school every week to work with middle school children to help them "'work co-operatively to problem-solve'" (Smith, "Pilobolus and the Middle School"). The full article about Pilobolus' collaboration with this school can be found at: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.indiana.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=104&sid=f2386b80-a397-46be-ad47-22709f58da85%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=25260596#db=f5h&AN=25260596

Pilobolus Creative Services (PCS) was created to provide original work for advertising, fundraising events, corporate galas, film, and television. PCS began in 1997 and has provided work for a number of companies and events. They've created commercials for Hyundai, Mobil, Bloomingdales, and many other companies. They also performed at the 79th Annual Academy Awards. PCS has created work for many other people and companies as well (http://www.pilobolus.com). This is a commercial PCS created for Hyundai:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elWf8nI6ivw