RAVE REVIEW: Pilobolus

Photo Credit: John Kane

I am so grateful that last night The Ordway invited me to see Pilobolus!  Prior to the invitation, I had not heard of this group and  in retrospect I feel as I have been living under a cultural rock or something.  I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil, Cavalia, Blue Man Group and Stomp!, however, I think last night’s show was probably the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen.  I sat through most of the performance dumbfounded and wondering if what I was seeing was real.  The show started off strong before it even began.  The performers warmed-up with the curtain open and gave us a marvelous taste of their incredible strength and flexibly.  One would expect world class dancers to be strong but my jaw nearly dropped to the floor when I saw one dancer do a pushup, one arm pushup, one leg pushup and then NO LEGS PUSHUP with a perfectly plank body.  It was unreal.

The performance itself is perfect for the masses because it’s more than gorgeous dance execution.  Pilobolus incorporates incredibly innovative choreography, props and lighting that is mesmerizing and very artistic.  I often felt as I was watching an art exhibit come to life.  To transition between each piece, short videos were played that were equally as interesting and thought provoking.  The kind of videos that make you think (like what would it look like if you lit off fireworks inside your living room?  HINT: DO NOT TRY AT HOME).  The performances were wonderfully diverse, which kept the show moving and forever interesting.  They did a wonderful shadow piece, similar to this one, which was definitely a crowd pleaser.  Many performances also included a bit of humor, which isn’t easy to accomplish in dance.  My only critique is that there was no true finale piece.  The closing piece was great, but it was not any better or exciting than any of the others.  The dancers started to take their bow and I said to myself “it’s over??” This is one show I really wish did not end.  I cannot wait to see them again.  Bravo to The Ordway for bringing this group to St. Paul.

Unfortunately, Pilobolus was only here for one night.  Click for a list of upcoming performances at The Ordway.