April 15-21, 2004

artpicks

Pilobolus

dance

Fun for the whole family! How many times do you hear that about a contemporary dance company? Hardly ever, but you can rightly make that proclamation when it comes to Pilobolus, a dance company that blurs the lines among art, sport, play and performance. Masters of witty physical invention, Pilobolus often have dancers developing live-action sculptures where bodies flex, bend and otherwise entwine to create intriguing formations. "They have extended the possibilities of the human body," says Randy Swartz, artistic director of Dance Celebration. "Their palette is very wide; that's why kids adore Pilobolus, because of the imagination."

Adults dig 'em, too. That's why the company is a staple of the Annenberg Center's Dance Celebration series. Swartz heaps the highest of praise on the ensemble, which he rates as being a "one of the rocks of late 20th-century dance." Unlike many other dance outfits, which draw on codified dance vocabularies, Pilobolus makes it up as it goes along. There's constant experimentation. So while you may be familiar with their aesthetic, you never really know quite what to expect. Except that it will be inventive and athletic, and as the kids say, "way cool."

Pilobolus, Thu., April 15, 7:30 p.m., Fri., April 16, 8 p.m., and Sat., April 17, 2 and 8 p.m., $28-$39, Annenberg Center, 3680

—Deni Kasrel

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