MEGAWATT (2004)
Choreographed by: Jonathan Wolken in collaboration with Mark Fucik, Andy Herro, Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent, Jennifer Macavinta, Manelich Minniefee, and Matthew Thornton
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Music: Primus, Radiohead, and Squarepusher
Costumes: Liz Prince
Lighting: Neil Peter Jampolis
Megawatt has been re-staged for the Big Five-OH! in memory of Jonathan Wolken, in part by ADF with support from the SHS Foundation and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
BEHIND THE SHADOWS (2021)
Created by: Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent in collaboration with Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Music: David Poe
Lighting: Yannick Godts
Behind the Shadows is inspired by work from Shadowland (2009) and the contributions of Steve Banks, David Poe, Robby Barnett, Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent, Michael Tracy, Neil Peter Jampolis, Neil Patel, Liz Prince, and the original cast of Shadowland.
ON THE NATURE OF THINGS (2014)
Created by: Robby Barnett, Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent, and Itamar Kubovy in collaboration with Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern, Benjamin Coalter, Matt Del Rosario, Eriko Jimbo, Jordan Kriston, Jun Kuribayashi, Derion Loman, Nile Russell, and Mike Tyus
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, and Marlon Feliz OR Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Music: Vivaldi; Michelle DiBucci and Edward Bilous; Mezzo Soprano, Clare McNamara; Violin Solo, Krystof Witek
Lighting and Set Design: Neil Peter Jampolis
On the Nature of Things was commissioned by The Dau Family Foundation in honor of Elizabeth Hoffman and David Mechlin; Treacy and Darcy Beyer; The American Dance Festival with support from the SHS Foundation and the Charles L. and Stephanie Reinhart Fund; and the National Endowment for the Arts.
INTERMISSION
THE BALLAD (2022)
Created by: Darlene Kascak, Renée Jaworski, and Matt Kent in collaboration with Eryn Barnes, Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Storytelling: Darlene Kascak of the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation
Soundscape: Ben Sollee
Costumes: Valerie St. Pierre Smith
Lighting: Brian Tovar
Props: Yannick Godts
The Ballad is commissioned by the American Dance Festival with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Works. Additional support provided by the Institute of American Indian Studies and The Ballet Foundation.
BRANCHES (2017)
Created by: Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent in collaboration with Itamar Kubovy, Mark Fucik and Antoine Banks-Sullivan, Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Krystal Butler, Isabella Diaz, Heather Jean Favretto, and Jacob Michael Warren
Performed by: Nathaniel Buchsbaum, Quincy Ellis, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman, Paul Liu, and Zack Weiss
Music: David Van Tieghem, David Darling, Riley Lee, Olivier Messiaen, Stuart Bogie
Sound Design: David Van Tieghem
Costume Design: Liz Prince
Lighting Design: Thom Weaver
Branches premiered at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Inside/Out Series, June 21, 2017, and was commissioned by Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.
Biographies
About Pilobolus
PILOBOLUS
is a rebellious dance company. Since 1971, it has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies creating awe-inspiring and accessible performances. In the five decades since, Pilobolus has continued to propel the seeds of expression through their collaborations with some of the greatest influencers, thinkers, and creators in the world and its unique educational programming. The company offers classes serving all ages and movement abilities. Pilobolus classes use movement to teach dancers and non-dancers alike to harness the creative potential of groups. Bespoke leadership workshops for corporate executives, employees, and business schools teach teams how to maximize creativity, solve problems, create surprise, and generate joy through the power of nonverbal communication. Pilobolus continues to bring the beauty of movement to the world, growing and changing each year while reaching new audiences and exploring new visual and physical planes. Learn more at
pilobolus.org.
Executive Director/
Co-Artistic Director
RENÉE JAWORSKI
has had an extensive creative career working with Pilobolus since 2000 and in 2011 was honored to have been chosen by the founding artistic directors to lead Pilobolus into and beyond its post-succession evolution. She served as choreographer and creator for exciting projects and collaborations for stage, film, and video such as the
79th Annual Academy Awards, the Grammy-nominated video for OKGo’s
All is Not Lost,
Radiolab Live: In the Dark,
World Science Festival;
Time and the Creative Cosmos, and works with myriad outside artists through the International Collaborators Project, as well as overseeing the daily functioning and long term planning for the company’s creative endeavors. As a teacher, she facilitates workshops and group projects in diverse communities with dancers and non-dancers alike. In 2010, her alma mater honored her with the University of the Arts Silver Star Alumni Award for her work as an artist in the field of dance. She has performed and toured the world with Momix and Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company. Jaworski lives in Connecticut with her husband and a menagerie of animals.
Co-Artistic Director
MATT KENT
began his career with Pilobolus as a dancer in 1996, helping create many pieces, including classics like
Gnomen and Selection, a collaboration with Maurice Sendak. In 2011 Kent was chosen by the founding artistic directors to lead Pilobolus in its post-succession evolution. He has directed for the stage and screen choreographing on horses, chinese acrobats, giant Michael Curry puppets, zombies on the
The Walking Dead, jugglers, break dancers, actors, LED umbrellas, and dancers. He was nominated for Best Choreography by the L.A. Drama Critics Circle for
The Tempest directed by Aaron Posner and Teller. Kent loves exploring and executing the ever evolving work of Pilobolus as it reaches out to an expanding group of artists, audiences, and populations in ever unexpected ways.
Dance Captain
NATHANIEL BUCHSBAUM
Manipulator of Light and Shadow, Harnesser of Momentum, Shepherd of Saccharomyces, Student of the Ephemeral, Walker of the Prime Material Plane. He is known amongst the Planeswalkers as Tragic the Blathering and is rumored to be known in the Northeast as “He’s Alright.” When he isn't wandering the lands, delighting both young and old with his nimble, scantily-clad acts of physical storytelling, he dwells in Connecticut, brewing beer in his garage under the watchful eyes of his feline familiars. He was absorbed into Pilobolus in 2012.
Dance Captain
QUINCY ELLIS
began training as a gymnast and figure skater in Maine before earning an acting degree from Emerson College. He has been performing and teaching for the past ten years with companies such as The MoveShop, DeFunes Dance, and Theatre Raleigh. Outside of traditional theatre, Ellis also dances for a variety of NYC Drag Artists, including Juicy Liu and Miz Cracker. Ellis joined Pilobolus in 2017 and does not dye his hair grey...it grows that way.
Dancer
MARLON FELIZ
has danced with Pilobolus since 2014, touring
Shadowland productions around the world, and now presenting repertory and artistic programing wherever possible. Additional credits include a Broadway debut in the new
West Side Story, and other musicals, cruiseships, and NYC-based companies. She received her foundational training in ballet and modern dance at New World School of the Arts, and completed her BFA in dance at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is originally from Miami.
Dancer
HANNAH KLINKMAN
was born and raised in Dexter, Mich. where she was classically trained at Ballet Chelsea. She studied at Grand Valley State University and completed her training with BalletMet Columbus in 2016. She has since danced and created with Festival Ballet Providence, Dance The Yard, Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project, and Momix, collaborating on her own choreographic projects when not traveling. Klinkman is a mindfulness meditation teacher, Pilates instructor, dance teacher, and houseplant enthusiast. She joined Pilobolus in 2021.
Dancer
PAUL LIU
grew up in New Jersey training in traditional Chinese dance and acrobatics as well as breaking. He has studied with the Nai-Ni Chen Youth Dance Company, the Academy of Dance Arts New Jersey, the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, and the Boston Conservatory. He has worked with Avary Gerhardt, Fukudance, Hybridmotion Dance Theatre, and is a collaborator with Motlee Party. He is almost always upside down doing floorwork except while eating or getting tattoos. He joined Pilobolus in 2019.
Dancer
ZACHARY WEISS
grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C. and began his formal dance training at age eight. He has always been a performer whether it be playing the saxophone, singing, acting, or dancing. Weiss studied contemporary dance at UNC School of the Arts for a year before transferring to Swarthmore College. He graduated in 2020 with a major in engineering and a minor in dance. After working as a data engineer in DC for a year, he joined Pilobolus in 2021. Outside the studio, Weiss can be found riding/fixing bikes, finding high places to climb, and reading science fiction (but not all at the same time).
Co-Founder, Choreographer
ROBBY BARNETT
was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains and attended Dartmouth College. He joined Pilobolus in 1971.
Co-Founder, Choreographer
ALISON CHASE
is a choreographer, director, master teacher, and theatrical artist. Her work explores emotional terrain through innovative movement, multidimensional storytelling, fusions of film and dance, and site-specific works. During her three decades with Pilobolus, she built an eclectic repertoire of choreography with unorthodox partnering and aerial techniques. She founded Alison Chase/Performance in 2009 to pursue her creative vision in bold collaborations. She has commissions from Wolf Trap, La Scala Opera, the Rockettes, and the Fête de l'Humanité, among others.
Co-Founder, Choreographer
MARTHA CLARKE
is a founding member of Pilobolus and Crowsnest, noted for her multidisciplinary approach to theatre, dance, and opera. She has choreographed for Nederlands Dans Theater, La Scala Ballet, the Martha Graham company, and is a resident artist for Signature Theatre, with works including Garden of Earthly Delights, Chéri, and Angel Reapers. Awards include a MacArthur fellowship, Drama Desk Award, two Obies, the Scripps/ADF Award for Lifetime Achievement, and two Lortels.
Co-Founder, Choreographer
MOSES PENDLETON
has been one of America’s most innovative and widely performed choreographers for almost 50 years. A co-founder of the ground-breaking Pilobolus in 1971, he formed his own company, Momix, in 1980, which rapidly established an international reputation for inventive and illusionistic choreography. Pendleton has also worked extensively in film, TV, and opera, and as a choreographer for ballet companies and special events, including two Winter Olympics.
Co-Founder, Choreographer
MICHAEL TRACY
was born in Florence and raised in New England. He met the other Pilobolus founders at Dartmouth in 1969, and became an artistic director after graduating magna cum laude in 1973. He toured with Pilobolus for 14 years and choreographed and directed the company until his retirement. He has set his work on the Joffrey, Ohio, Hartford, Nancy, and Verona Ballets, and with Pilobolus choreographed a production of Mozart’s Magic Flute. Tracy taught at Yale University for two decades and lives in northwestern Connecticut.
Co-Founder, Choreographer
JONATHAN WOLKEN (1949-2010)
co-founded Pilobolus and remained an artistic director until his death, creating 46 Pilobolus works in collaboration with co-artistic directors and guest artists, and as sole choreographer. He also choreographed Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s production of Maurice Sendak’s
Where the Wild Things Are, and the Royal Danish Ballet’s
Oneiric. Wolken taught many workshops and was dedicated to the furtherance of Pilobolus technique in dance and as a model for creative thinking.
Collaborator
DARLENE KASCAK
Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, is education director and traditional Native American storyteller of the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, Conn. Kascak's experience as an educator, tour guide, museum assistant, and Traditional Native American Storyteller has taught her the importance of educating both young and old about the many misconceptions and stereotypes about her ancestors. Her style of teaching from a Native American’s point of view allows children and adults the opportunity to have a new understanding of Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples lives both in the past and in the present.
Lighting Designer
NEIL PETER JAMPOLIS (1943-2019)
designed for Pilobolus since 1975, spanning 40 years and creating more than 60 new works for the company. He also had a 50-year active career as a set, lighting, and costume designer for Broadway where he received four Tony nominations and a Tony Award for Off-Broadway, dance, regional theater, and opera, which he also directed. His designs appeared on every continent. He was a distinguished professor of theater at UCLA.
Lighting Designer
BRIAN TOVAR
is an award-winning and Drama Desk nominated lighting designer who has created original work for major Off-Broadway and regional theatres, everywhere. His body of work spans theater, dance, installations, and live events. As a creative director and producer, Tovar has developed and collaborated on multiple groundbreaking and award-winning live experiences, earning multiple Clio Awards. He is a frequent collaborator with the City of New York and has created and designed multiple art installations in New York City.
BrianTovarDesign.com
Lighting Designer
THOM WEAVER
studied at Carnegie-Mellon and Yale and first worked with Pilobolus on Teller and Aaron Posner’s
The Tempest at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. In New York, his work has been seen at NYSF/Public Theatre, Primary Stages, Signature Theatre, Player’s Theatre (Play Dead with Teller), 37ARTS, Cherry Lane, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Institute, and SPF. Weaver has worked regionally at CenterStage, Syracuse Stage, Huntington, Milwaukee Rep, Shakespeare Theatre, Asolo, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Folger Theatre, Roundhouse Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Hangar, Spoleto Festival USA, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and Yale Rep. He has received three Barrymore Awards (21 nominations), four Helen Hayes nominations, and two AUDELCO Awards.
Costume Designer
KITTY DALY
created costumes for Pilobolus’s
Molly's Not Dead,
The Detail of Phoebe Strickland,
Bonsai,
The Empty Suitor,
Moonblind,
Lost in Fauna,
Mirage,
What Grows in Huygen's Window,
Stabat Mater,
Elegy for the Moment. She has designed for the Ohio Ballet, the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Milwaukee Ballet, Merce Cunningham, Crowsnest, and Parker/Pucci. Daly lives in northern Vermont, creating custom evening gowns and beautiful tracks in the snow.
Costume Designer
LIZ PRINCE
designs costumes for dance, theatre, and film and has designed costumes for numerous Pilobolus productions. Her costumes have been exhibited at The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Rockland Center for the Arts, and the 2011 Prague Quadrennial. She received a 1990 New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) for costume design as well as a 2008 Charles Flint Kellogg Award in Arts and Letters from Bard College.
Costume Designer
VALERIE ST. PIERRE SMITH
White Earth Ojibwe-kwe, mischief maker, scholar, and author has an eclectic design background including stage, fashion, dance, film, opera, and themed entertainment. Her designs have been seen at The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Sea World: San Diego, the National Museum of the American Indian, and more. Her scholarly work on cultural appropriation, inspiration, and representation in design has her presenting for a variety of institutions and conferences, including Central Saint-Martins Fashion Programme in London, England, and writing for a variety of publications.
Stage Manager
DANIELLE DEVITO
grew up just outside of NYC and was introduced to the production side of the performing arts at her high school’s performing arts curriculum program, PACE. She continued her studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., majoring in both film and dance production. Devito has worked summers at the American Dance Festival and has worked with dance companies such as Parsons Dance, Dorrance Dance, and Passion Fruit Dance Company. She has also worked for The Broadway Education Alliance, putting together kids ensemble programs at locations such as Carnegie Hall and The Macy’s Day Parade.
Lighting Supervisor
YANNICK GODTS
joined Pilobolus as a production intern in 2013 and has since toured with the company to 18 countries across four continents, in addition to designing multiple works for the company. He received his BA from Vassar College in 2013 and now resides in Washington, D.C., where he designs lighting for several theater and dance companies. When not on the road, he draws, hikes, bakes, and enjoys the company of his 30 or 40 houseplants.
Deck Manager
MAXWELL JABARA
hails from southeastern Michigan and went on to study technical theatre at Kent State University in Ohio. Just out of college, he worked with Pilobolus as a production intern and recently, he worked as a prop hand for the Blue Man Group. He’s very excited to be back on tour with Pilobolus!
