Pilobolus
UW Memorial Union-Shannon Hall 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Ian Douglas
Since forming in 1971, Pilobolus has consistently left audiences marveling over the wonder and beauty of the human body in motion and the creative possibilities conjured by the human brain. For Shadowland, the company collaborated with Steven Banks, lead writer for SpongeBob SquarePants, and composer David Poe to tell the story of a teen girl’s coming of age. Multiple moving screens with projected images are employed, along with choreography performed in front of the screens to explore the surreal happenings in the dark shadows.
press release: The Wisconsin Union Theater is thrilled to be hosting dance group Pilobolus on their international tour of Shadowland on Thursday, February 23rd, 2017, at 8 p.m. in Shannon Hall. Pricing is as follows: UW-Madison students are $15, Union Members and non-UW students are $44, $40, $25, UW Faculty and Staff are $46, $42 & $25 and the general public are $48, $44 and $25. Tickets can be purchased on our website, at the Memorial Union box office or by calling 608-265-ARTS.
Shadowland is an exciting display of theatric modern dance and multi-media, telling a wordless story. Pilobolus’ innovative directors and dancers created the unique coming-of-age narrative together with Spongebob SquarePants lead writer Steven Banks. As expected from these collaborators, the show is dazzling.
Gymnastic and intricate dance, paired with a technical approach to a dreamlike backdrop, work together to show what happens when a teenage girl falls into her dark and complex dreams. The performance is fluid in comedy, drama and the cartoonish exploration of both human experience and artistic creativity. With an original and diverse score by composer David Poe, this experience is anything but ordinary, as it swallows its audience into the illusory world of Shadowland.
Pilobolus has been creating and touring dance theater for 44 years, with over 120 pieces performed in over 65 countries in their repertoire. They have performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Oprah, Ellen, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, the Today Show, and for The 79th Annual Academy Awards. Shadowland first premiered in 2015 at the New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, and has been touring after opening to high praise.
The Wisconsin Union Theater is proud to welcome this renowned company to Shannon Hall, and we cannot wait to explore the Shadowland!
This performance is presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Performing Arts Committee and supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. WSUM 91.7FM is a media sponsor.