On Tuesday March 18, I went to see Pilobolus dance comapny's Shadowland. Pilobolus is a ground breaking modern dance company that is some of the main inspiration for Inlet Dance Theatre, where I danced last summer. You may have seen them perform at the Academy Awards a couple years ago - they're the weirdos rolling around the floor and forming shadow sculptures out of their bodies behind a screen. They did something for March of the Penguins and then made a giant, human Oscar shadow.
Anyhow, Shadowland follows a girl who gets sucked into a land of shadows, ends up with the head of a dog, and has a lot of really weird encounters with strange shadow creatures along the way. The dancing was amazing and the shadow work is stunning. It allows them to create almost cinematic depth and perspectives. Technical feats aside, though, I didn't enjoy the production. The story was too strange, and I didn't understand what the point was. I didn't know what they wanted you to feel at the end. The Shadowland was scary and esoteric, but then they would interrupt the headiness for cheap laughs. It was like watching somebody trying really hard to be whimsical. Whimsy just can't be forced.
Anyhow, Shadowland follows a girl who gets sucked into a land of shadows, ends up with the head of a dog, and has a lot of really weird encounters with strange shadow creatures along the way. The dancing was amazing and the shadow work is stunning. It allows them to create almost cinematic depth and perspectives. Technical feats aside, though, I didn't enjoy the production. The story was too strange, and I didn't understand what the point was. I didn't know what they wanted you to feel at the end. The Shadowland was scary and esoteric, but then they would interrupt the headiness for cheap laughs. It was like watching somebody trying really hard to be whimsical. Whimsy just can't be forced.