Greetings,
I have seen Pilobolus every summer in New York for several years and sometimes on tour. I have noticed that new works are premiered in the summer and a sample of them go on tour. I would like to know a bit about how Pilobolus chooses which pieces from the repertoire to perform. Does it depend on rights, on the mix of current dancers, on matching a piece with a new one (e.g. an abstract piece with a narrative piece, a humorous piece with a serious piece), or other factors?
Michael N.
Hi Michael,
Great question! The artistic directors ultimately decide the programming for every show, so I asked one to answer your question. Here’s what Robby Barnett had to say:
We try to make at least three new dances each year, and we have been presenting the NYC premieres of these pieces in the summer during our NY season at the Joyce Theater every year since 1992. The subsequent programming of our touring repertory during the year is a complicated process, but we continue to present these new works for at least a year after their premiere. There are many reasons for this, but the most powerful has to do with what one might call “parenting.” New works are customarily only about 75% complete when they are put on stage for the first time. Over the next year, through touring and performance - the feedback of audiences and incremental changes the dancers make spontaneously that can only come about through performance – the works tighten and spaces gradually fill in.
We feel it takes about two years for a dance to reach its maturity, and there is a strong desire to let every work achieve some kind of final form. Some dances, for a variety of interesting reasons, develop more slowly than others, but all grow with time. We track those changes as the year progresses and make programming decisions based upon what we find.
The design of every program on our touring calendar – which averages about 100 shows a year – is specific to each venue and contingent, as you suggest, upon a complicated set of considerations, including but not limited to pace, size, color, speed, scoring and our performing history in a given city.
Not every work is created equal, and some have longer lives than others. If, once a dance has substantially completed the arc of its evolution, we feel it continues to add variety and value to our programming, it can have a very long life. We are still performing a work called Walklyndon that was made in a squash court in Lyndonville, Vermont in 1971 and has been performed as a duet, trio, quartet, quintet and sextet and had a cast including dogs, theater directors in cow suits and, over the years, many many streakers including P.D.Q. Bach.
The subject of programming is a large one, and we will not ramble on more than this.
If you’ve ever seen Walklyndon before (and you’ll probably remember it if you have…think bright yellow unitards), you can compare it to this video, which features an early performance of it from the ’70s. It starts at 02:30 in the video.
Have you ever had a question that you were dying to ask after a show? Or are you curious what the dancers eat? Whether your inquiry is important or trivial, commonplace or abnormal, we’ve got your answer. Email your question to jhuang+mailbag@pilobolus.org.
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Was just wondering about recent auditions and subsequent results, who is new to Pilobolus and whop is leaving?
Hi Christina,
Keep an eye on the blog. There might be a blog post coming soon to answer your questions…
I love your blog! Great question again. You guy/gals are the best. Keep inspiring and I know you will.
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