Pilobolus To Blow Minds At The WHBPAC

Fresh off its performance set to the band Ok Go’s latest music video, “All is Not Lost,” on “America’s Got Talent,” which aired this month on NBC, the imaginative, athletic and modern dance company Pilobolus is heading to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center.

On Saturday, August 27, at 8:30 p.m., the renowned dance theater company, known for its ability to mix humor and inventive choreography, will introduce its unique, creative collaboration to an East End audience.

Pilobolus was born in 1971, as an outside dance company with just four male members, and has since grown into a group of versatile, athletic performers, according to Associate Artistic Director and dancer, Renee Jaworski. She has been involved with the company for the past 11 years.

During a phone interview on Monday morning, Ms. Jaworski said she’s proud to be a part of Pilobolus because the troupe pushes the boundaries of what the audience might think of dance, while still being accessible.

“My father-in-law has always said to me that our performance was the first he went to and watched without falling asleep,” she said laughing. “That’s how I knew I had really made it into a great group.”

The company has performed live shows in 63 countries. And according to Ms. Jaworski, members of the troupe are always coming up with new pieces of work to share with the world.

“The best part of being a part of Pilobolus is our collaborative way of working,” she said. “You can see it on the stage in the work that we do, from the beginning the founding artistic directors always worked together. The hierarchy is not so clear cut to the outside eye and you aren’t sure whose idea was what. We bring in outside artists as well so we’re constantly learning new things about each other and ourselves and the world and theater.”

Ms. Jaworski added, “In order to expand our brains, and our audience’s brains we like to keep it open and make sure everyone has a say in what we’re doing and gives their opinion.”

Pilobolus’s performance at the Performing Arts Center will include five distinct works.

First is “Tsu Ku Tsu,” a Japanese piece that combines a nearly meditative atmosphere of ritual with Pilobolus’s gymnastic movement and physical shapes. The troupe will also perform “The Transformation,” a shadow piece in which a young woman is transformed. To or from what will remain unknown until the piece is on the stage.

“Day Two,” of the troupe’s classic works, will also be performed. The piece’s tribal atmosphere enacts the second day of the creation of the world.

The company will also perform a Pilobolus classic, “Gnomen,” a quartet that explores relationships. “Duet,” another Pilobolus classic that is rarely performed and has not been shown in almost a decade, will also be staged. According to the company’s website, “Duet” has been revived for the company’s 40th anniversary and is a tender, loving, and intense physical relationship portrayed on stage, exploring themes of intimacy, misunderstanding, and the hope of successful union.

According to Ms. Jaworski, the program is a great reflection of the company’s abilities.

“You’re getting a great range of what we do,” she said. “And what we’ve been doing over the last 40 years.”

Ms. Jaworski added that Pilobolus members work hard to perfect these artistic works, even when they are not touring.

“

Six months of the year we are on tour,” she said. “The rest of the time, it’s 9-to-5 blue-collar hours in the studio rehearsing. But the variation of work we do is really interesting and fun to be part of, so it’s worth it.”

“Pilobolus: Imaginative and Athletic Exploration of Creative Collaboration...” will stage at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 26, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $70, $85 and $100 and can be purchased at whbpac.org, by calling 288-1500, or stopping by the box office on Main Street in Westhampton Beach For more information on the troupe, visit pilobolus.com.