Pilobolus is something that defies categorization.  For those of you that missed out on their October 31st-November 1st performances at the Detroit Opera House, you missed out on a true experience.  It is like the live band whose studio album does not do them justice. You had to see it to believe it.

Pilobolus began in 1971 as a renegade dance company that quickly gained a reputation for its innovative explorations of athleticism and dance through groundbreaking performances.  Currently, Pilobolus has three companies: Pilobolus Dance Theatre (the umbrella of its concert dance companies), The Pilobolus Institute (its educational programming) and Pilobolus Creative Services (its division specializing in movement services for various media, events and clients).

I was fortunate to be able to catch their November 1st performance.  I’ll be honest when I say that I didn’t know what to expect.  I had checked out their website and my fiancée told me about one of their performances she saw on the 2007 Academy Awards.  Even with all of this, I knew that I had to keep an open mind.

Let me say that I was glad that I did.  The group of about six or so performers performed pieces that just broke all sorts of boundaries.  I consider myself a relative novice in terms of dance terminology and styles.  In a lot of ways, it’s good because I wasn’t looking at the performance from a dancer’s perspective but from someone with a clear slate and no real frames of reference.  I had to suspend any notions that I carried in about what “dance” is and is not.

In their performances, the dancers performed independently, as well as weaving themselves into physical forms that almost reminded me of something out of Voltron (where each of the robots combined into one big one).  It’s a ridiculous comparison although the only one that I can use to describe what I saw. I remember during one piece the dancers combined to form an airplane, where one of the dancers was the front propeller.  Trust me-you would have had to see it to believe it.  The music, the dancers and their expressions formed a true tapestry.  There were no words for expressing themselves—only their movements and facial expressions.  At no point during the show was I losing interest. If anything, I was waiting for the next piece.  Unfortunately, there was a break during each piece for the dancers to change costumes.  When the time came for them to take their bows, I was really saddened. I ended up a true convert.

So when Pilobolus comes through town again and I hope that they do soon, do yourself a favor: buy a ticket and come in with an open mind.  I promise that you will not leave disappointed.