Playing with Pilobolus and Shadows
- Gina Greenlee, Author
- Apr 13
- 1 min read
Ideas are like mice in your house: you know they are there, you don’t know when you’re going to see them or where it’s going to be, so you just set lots of traps and be patient.
Pilobolus started in 1971 by four men who were not dancers, but curious and interested movers.
The current artistic directors describe Pilobolus as a dance company where “we make things with our bodies.”
Fans identify Pilobolus’ creative signature as the bringing together of dancers in ways that audiences can’t tell where one body starts, and one ends.
This is especially notable in their Shadowland performances – a fusion of theatre, illusions, and choreography, which conjure projected images onto dynamic screens.
Play is foundational to Pilobolus’ creations:
“…when we started working with shadows, we didn't really know the rules. So, you’re playing with this new medium and slowly discovering these very simple rules… the more we played in it the more the rules started to open up and we had more of a vocabulary to work with.
“…limitations are awesome for creativity. They are super helpful because if the world is your oyster, then it’s hard to decide. Limits are a box to work within. They compel you to be creative, to bend rules and push the boundaries of what is possible.”
