Dance that tests the limits of human physicality.

A company with Dartmouth origins, Pilobolus has become one of the most mesmerizing and rebellious ensembles. The company explores the beauty and the power of connected bodies to connect with its audiences. In this program that defies the confines of the human body, Pilobolus continues its decades-old tradition of telling stories that forward diverse people, ideas and ways of moving as well as boundless creativity. 

About Pilobolus and Its History

Now in its 50th season, Pilobolus began at Dartmouth College in 1971. Moses Pendleton, an English literature major and cross-country skier; Jonathan Wolken, a philosophy science major and fencer; and Steve Johnson, a pre-med student and pole vaulter were enrolled in a dance composition class taught by Alison Becker Chase. In the class, they created their first dance titled "Pilobolus," inspired by the light-loving and fast-moving fungus pilobolus crystallinus, which Wolken's father was studying in his biology lab at the time.

In the decades since, Pilobolus has performed on Broadway, at the Oscars, and the Olympic games, and has appeared on television, in movies, in advertisements, and in schools and businesses. Pilobolus has created and toured over 120 pieces of repertory to more than 65 countries and performs its work for over 300,000 people across the U.S. and around the world each year. Pilobolus was featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NBC's TODAY Show, MTV's Video Music Awards, The Harry Connick Show, ABC's The Chew and the CW Network's Penn & Teller: Fool Us. 

Pilobolus has been recognized with many prestigious honors, including a TED Fellowship, a 2012 Grammy® Award Nomination, a Primetime Emmy® Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cultural Programming, and several Cannes Lion Awards at the International Festival of Creativity. In 2015, Pilobolus was named one of Dance Heritage Coalition's "Irreplaceable Dance Treasures." 

Funded in part by the Class of 1961 Legacy: The American Tradition in Performance Endowment Fund, the Melville 1960 and Leila Straus Fund, the Amy and Henry Nachman Jr. 1951 Fund for Visiting Performing Artists in Dance, and a gift from Barbara and Richard Couch Jr. '64 TH'65

Photo: D. Murray