Megawatt > Full Strength (Pilobolus), April 29, 2005, Jones Hall

This program is the first evening-length work by Pilobolus, which has been one of America's most provacative dance companies since its inception from a Dartmouth College dance class in 1971. With music by Primus, Radiohead, Squarepusher, Michael Rodach, Massive Attack, Eminem, Moby, Brian Eno, AK 1200, and Cursor Club, being in the audience felt more like being at a rock concert than a dance performance. The green lasers that spread patterns on the stage added to that effect. The dancers came on stage in a most unusual fashion: inchworm-crawling on their backs, side by side, straight from the wings. I marveled at their ability to stay in line, given that they weren't all the same height. Well, you know what they say about how to get to Carnegie Hall.... After much crawling and some endearing scooting, the dancers made it off the floor and into the air. They flung themselves to the floor with abandon, only to pop up and leap again. The kneepads helped soften the blows, but if I attempted this dance I would be covered in bruises after five minutes. My muscles were twitching, though - a sign that I really wanted to go try some of these moves for myself. I once again forgot my binoculars, and since I was sitting back in row AA there were several times I sorely wished for them. I sensed that facial expressions were telling half of the story, but I couldn't quite see them; however, there was still much to be enjoyed about the performance. In one duet the woman literally got inside the man's clothes - talk about invading your personal space! I was fascinated by a slow section in which the dancers created an airplane by "following" the sound across the stage with their focus. In another duet, this time with two men, one pestered the other in between bunny hops, exuding "Hey! Look at Me! Hey!" Eventually the second man found himself bunny-hopping against his will and finally gave in to the experience. If you want to get an idea of what good shape Pilobolus dancers are in, try lowering yourself almost to the floor with one leg while the other one is stretched straight in front of you. Not so bad, right? Now come back up. With only six cast members and a continuous 75-minute show, there were few moments that were obvious resting places for the dancers (like that slow section that always comes in the middle of ice skating long programs). The show did drag a little towards the end, but the last slow section was a meaningful comment on finding peace and how it inevitably gets swept away in the rush of today's lifestyle. I was surpised at how well six dancers could fill the stage, but with the frenetic activity and gravity-defying leaps, there probably wasn't room for more. The six dancers were Mark Fucik, Andrew Herro, Renee Jaworski, Otis Cook, Jenny Mendez, and Manelich Minnifee. It must have been a triumphant homecoming for Jenny Mendez, who graduated from Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In case you were wondering where the name "Pilobolus" came from, their webpage helpfully explains that it's a phototropic zygomycete. In layman's terms, that's a "sun-loving fungus that grows in barnyards and pastures." You don't suppose one of the original company members learned about it during a biology lecture, do you? A dance company founded by nerds - I like it.