Pilobolus graceful, but lacks soul

Last Wednesday saw the performance of one of America's most prestigious and lauded dance troupes at the IU Auditorium. Pilobolus, the modern dance troupe founded at Dartmouth College in 1971, amazed the audience with their unique style dance that combines acrobatics, contortions, humor and dance into a surreal experience.\nPilobolus was the first modern dance performance I have ever attended, and I left wanting more. While the dancers were amazingly strong and graceful, I felt the performance lacked a soul, one of the most important components of dance.\nPilobolus performed four selections out of their repertoire of 75 original dances. The first piece they performed was "Brass Ring," a piece commissioned for the Olympic opening ceremonies. It was an amazing beginning to the show. I was blown away at the level of flexibility and strength the dancers exhibited. The choreography involved dancers using each other as their support. It seemed as though some never touched the ground.\nThe second dance performed, "Ben's Admonition," was the most moving piece of the performance. Only two of the male members performed, and they spent the entire time suspended either by an arm or leg. It was a morbid display between the two, permeated with sadness and guilt. The dance culminated in the dancers hanging themselves from their suspensions. Ras Mikey C and Matt Kent, the performers, did an amazing job. Their strength and endurance was only matched by their grace. Despite the dark theme, this was the most moving and emotional piece of the evening.\nThe third dance, "Symbiosis," was by far the most unusual. It was another performed between two dancers, this time a man and a woman. When they entered the stage I was convinced they were nude (on closer inspection they were not, but it took a few minutes to convince me of that). The dancers, Otis Cook and Renee Jaworski, then performed an undulating and writhing dance, one which I can describe only as a bazaar alien mating ritual. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. Though it was very strange, it was still an enjoyable experience.\nThe final dance, "Davenen," was a poor note to end the performance. It began with Yiddish music and then all the Pilobolus dancers entered the stage. The dance itself was executed flawlessly, but it was way too long and extremely repetitive.\nThe overall performance of Pilobolus was good, and I walked away with a profound appreciation of the strength and skill of the dancers. However, I also left with a feeling that humanity is missing from the dance itself.