The Fabulous Fox Theatre

Reviewed by Chris Gibson

April 30, 2009

I may never have stumbled across Flight of the Conchords if we hadn't had some problems with our satellite service, and been given HBO free for three months as some sort of recompense. But, I guess these things must happen for a reason, because I've become a fan of these two musicians from New Zealand ever since. And, I immediately rented the first season of their cable show and downloaded their music from iTunes soon afterward. So, the chance to see them actually perform live seemed too good to be true. Thankfully, I was able to get tickets for this sold-out show, and I'm happy to report that my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the inspired antics of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement; the duo known as Flight of the Conchords.

Eugene Mirman, who plays their landlord on the show, opened with a short set of stand up that featured some cutting remarks about his experience trying to find a place to window shop in downtown St. Louis (Tell us something we don't know. I guess he wasn't looking to cash a check or get a tattoo.). He also took a jab at our own Union Station, remarking how it's historical significance is being overshadowed by a proliferation of hat and candy shops. Of course, it was much funnier than any description I can write, and painfully true.

Bret and Jemaine took the stage next, standing in their robot suits (from an episode of the show where their manager, Murray, shot a cheap music video on his cell phone) amidst a collection of keyboards and guitars that were collected on stage. They opened with a rousing version of “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor” that immediately had the crowd engaged. And, it's their combination of wit and catchy melodies that lifts them above being just a novelty act. In fact, their between songs patter is of equal importance to the music itself, and provides the fellas with the chance to offer up their own unique brand of deadpan humor.

Over the course of the next two hours, they ran through a large portion of their catalog, pulling off lovely stripped-down versions of: “Carol Brown”, “Hurt Feelings”, “I Told You I Was Freekie”, “We're Both in Love with a Sexy Lady”, “Foux du Fafa”, “Bowie”, “Robots”, “Au Revoir”, “Demon Woman”, “Mutha' uckas” and “Think About It”. But, the highlight for me was a request from the audience for “Business Time” which found Jemaine sexily crooning an amusing ode to “sweet weekly love making".

What really distinguishes these guys is their talent. They're not just a couple of funny New Zealanders, these guys can actually play. A cellist named Nigel, representing the entirety of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, added immensely to the groove with his bowed and plucked contributions. And, the boys themselves swapped around instruments playing acoustic guitars, electric piano, drums, and a forgotten electronic relic known as the Omnichord.

Lengthy encores brought the night to a close in fine fashion, with the only regret being the omission of “Boom”, which is a personal favorite. If you haven't heard of these guys, you need to check them out. The capacity crowd at the Fox was certainly hip to them, so they're obviously not as far underground as it would seem.

The Pirates of Penzance

March 13, 2009

Touhill Performing Arts center

By Lucy Moorman

This absolutely delightful operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan was performed by the "New York Gilbert and Sullivan players"—a wonderful traveling troop of actors and musicians. This was Gilbert and Sullivan’s fifth collaboration that premiered in New York in 1879 and was a great success. It’s still very popular today due to its humor and catchy music. The title "Penzance" was taken from a quiet seaside resort where you would not expect to find pirates. The title was also a jab at the practice of "pirating" unlicensed productions in America.

The story is a little complicated. When Frederic was a little boy, his nurse was told to apprentice him to become a pilot. She misunderstood and thought he was to become a pirate which she laments in "When Frederic was a Little Lad." Due to Frederic’s all-- encompassing sense of duty, he is obligated to be a pirate until his 21st birthday which is just occurring. Until the Pirate King and Frederic’s nurse, Ruth discover the paradox of Frederic having been born on Leap Year, February 29 and therefore he has only had five and half birthdays. In the meantime, Frederic has discovered true love with Mabel and asks her to wait for him until he can officially leave the pirate’s duty which would put them in their 80’s. She agrees but then the crazy police come to timidly combat the pirates, the pirates storm the chapel, seize the Major General and are easily beating the policemen until they are asked to yield in the name of Queen Victoria. After they surrender, they are forgiven because they are all "noblemen who have gone wrong" probably due to a difficult childhood as orphans. They are pardoned and allowed to marry Major-General’s many daughters.

All the performances were terrific. I especially enjoyed the Sergeant of Police (David Auxier) with his dead-pan expressions and the slapstick (literally) humor and clever, klutzy choreography of the policemen. I also loved the police march to "Tarantara". Who knew an operetta could be so catchy and toe-tapping? Mabel (Michele McConnell) also was a strong lead and had a beautiful voice that did justice to all the tra-laas. Her song "Poor Wandering One" stays with you long after the performance. The Pirate King (David Wannen) was also wonderfully handsome as a swash- buckling scoundrel with a great speaking and singing voice. Major General (Stephen Quint) sang the song with so many words, "I am the very model of a modern major General" in great form. He got a good laugh in the second act when he’s awakened by all the carrying-on between the police and the pirates and he appears in his nightgown and a huge pair of puppy slippers. Great stuff!

There were serious moments too. Well, at least one. Mabel and Frederic’s (Colm Fitzmaurice) duet "Stay, Frederic, Stay!" was touching and heartfelt. The cast was top-notch. The music was provided by a live orchestra that also got involved in some of the antics. This production of "Pirates" was enthusiastically received by a large audience. This is one you should not miss.

Kansas City Ballet Dances

Twyla Tharp

Fox Theatre

February 27 & 28, 2009

By Lucy Moorman

Kansas City ballet performed three dances by the innovative choreographer Twyla Tharp. Miss Tharp began her dance career during the 1960’s in New York during a time when many young artists were stretching the boundaries of dance (and everything else). Tharp’s work combines classical ballet with natural movements like running, walking, or skipping. Sometimes the dances are reminiscent of improvisational jazz music with all the instruments seemingly playing their own version of the song yet to some people, all come together in a cohesive whole. Tharp’s dances seem to be "doing their own thing."

She has created over 135 dances and has choreographed for Broadway, film, and television as well as for other major dance companies.

The first dance called "Brahms Paganini" was a crisp but fluid flowing of "yuppies" dancing in shorts designed by Ralph Lauren. I kept expecting them to bring out the tennis rackets but that’s just me. For the male solo performance, Tharp drew from previous ideas she had developed for Mikhail Baryshnikov and a British skating champion with dazzling results danced well and vigorously by the male solo.

But the biggest number of the evening was "Nine Sinatra Songs" Sinatra Songsthat left us wanting to dance in the aisles! Featuring songs sung by Frank Sinatra, this elegant and sometimes humorous piece is ballroom style popularized by the television show "Dancing with the Stars." Oscar de la Renta collaborated with Tharp to design the beautifully flowing dresses that were by far the most colorful of the evening’s performance. Tharp’s choreography is unpredictable and dynamic with dancers moving separately from each other and not interacting with the other 7 couples. Personally, I could have used a little more variation on this number and just once, I would have enjoyed seeing all the dancers come together in the same movement. The last song, "I’d do my way" certainly seemed appropriate with Tharp’s creative choreography; she certainly was "doing it her way."

Kansas City Ballet was founded in 1957 and today has 26 professional dancers. William Whitener, currently the artistic director, previously danced with Joffrey Ballet (1969-77) and later joined Twyla Tharp Dance (1978-89). Kansas City Ballet continues to enhance the reputation of dance in the Midwest . They are close enough to seek out a performance in Kansas City . They will be back in St. Louis for the wonderful "Spring to Dance" festival May 21-23, 2009 at Touhill Performing Arts Center. This is an amazing show of dance from many different dance companies that runs for 3 nights at only $10 per night. It is not to be missed!

Cirque du Soleil

Saltimbanco

Family Arena

February 4-8, 2009

By Lucy Moorman

This was an amazing show filled with wonder and delight. "Saltimbanco" is an Italian word that literally means "to jump on a bench." Although there was plenty of jumping, hanging, leaping, bouncing, and balancing, I didn’t see anyone jump on a bench. No matter, there is much entertainment to be seen.

The show started with several clown-like performers pulling people out of the audience and making fun with them. Two clowns stood on either side of a woman and as she followed along with their gestures, they picked her up and flipped her all the way back to her feet before you could blink. The colorful stage was shaped sort of like a butterfly with a canopy of metal rings that are interconnected over an elevated stage with five musicians. The theme of Saltimbanco is supposed to be based on an urban experience of life with hustle and bustle of various colorful characters and how they interact with each other. But I didn’t see that in the show. What I did see was the breath-taking performances that were truly amazing.

The first act featured the "Chinese Poles". Several tall poles stood at the front of the stage with performers in rainbow-colored leotards leaping from pole to pole like tree frogs and hanging on with their arms as they straightened out their body side-ways. This act was inspired by a Chinese discipline and has 26 acrobats performing over 25 feet above the stage. It was mind boggling.

Also in the first act was a solo juggler who created forms and shapes with the moving balls while also bouncing them through his feet. In another solo act, an extraordinary balancing bicycle rider turned and rode the bike in every imaginable way possible with the bike still moving. He would swing from the seat to beyond the handlebars without moving his legs from the pedals or turn the bike upright and ride it like a unicycle.

The second act was even more sensational. The "Russian Swing" was a huge pendulum-type swing that catapults performers up to 30 feet in the air…where they are supposed to land on a small cushion. Fortunately, all of them did. One act was especially tense. It involved a very strong man on the bottom with another man standing on a small pole device on the first man’s head, and then a smaller person is tossed into the air via the swing and supposed to land on the second man’s shoulders. She missed the first time but was wearing a harness so no blood was shed. She tried again and missed. She tried a third time and missed again. After that, the audience was praying she would stop and she did. After those hair-raising acts, the clowns would come out and mock the previous performance or pull someone out of the audience and do clever mime and sound tricks. The comic relief let our heart rates return to normal.

I especially enjoyed the "Duo Trapeze" and the "Bungees". In the "Duo Trapeze," two petite graceful girls looked like you could blow them over with a feather but had extremely strong ankles and feet that they dangle from, leap and catch each other with. Their act was a graceful ballet in the air on a moving swing.

The "Bungees" are four performers tied to bungee cords as they swing, drop and fly as though they are angels soaring through the air. The timing created very nice patterns as the jumpers moved through each other and ending with a group hand clasp to the floor like parachutists.

There’s so much to say about this show. It’s typical Cirque du Soliel in the brightly- colored, amazingly creative costumes, the crazy characters, and the music and singing that seems to be made up of numerous cultures and languages. The arena seemed a little too large for the show. This is the third performance of Cirque du Soliel I’ve seen and I think it’s more effective in a smaller venue.

There’s something for everyone in this show and mere words cannot do it justice. My friend, who is a drummer, especially liked the "Boleadoras." He enjoyed the percussive quality of the spinning weights that bounce off the ground. Invented in Argentina , this act also had some smooth foot work similar to Flamenco dancing. I was impressed that they never hit themselves or each other in the head with those rapidly swinging weights.

Cirque du Soliel states their mission as "to invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world." They definitely accomplished this. Expect to be impressed when you see this show.

Jan. 9 & 10, 2009

On the Brink

By Lucy Moorman

"On the Brink" was a very enjoyable show with dancers of many ages and stages of dance professionalism. Some were little tiny dancers that kept up with the steps amazingly well. Some could be "on the brink" of becoming professionals. And some were well advanced in the world of professional dance specifically Antonio Douthit who is a member of the world famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Leah Morrison who is with Trisha Brown Dance Company as well as Alicia Graf (Second Company Artistic Director) who recently left Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre due to a knee injury. Douthit and Morrison both hail from St. Louis and were students at COCA.

It must be very inspirational for the young "wannabees" to see that it’s possible to make it in the world of dance and it’s a testament to the quality of training at COCA that it can and does produce professional dancers. Although I enjoyed all of the dances, I will mention a few.

"Sweet in the Morning" to the music of Bobby McFerrin was nicely choreographed by Alicia Graf. I was impressed with the kids of all sizes who all kept up with the movements. It looked like there were at least 50 on the small stage and they all performed in a limited space without running into each other. I was impressed!

"If you couldn’t see me" danced by Leah Morrison and choreographed by Trisha Brown was certainly unique. The entire dance was done with her back to the audience. She did an excellent job of keeping her face from the audience but I thought this number was way too long and I quickly grew tired of the limited movements and the annoying dissonant music that seemed to stop and start with no plan. "Metropolis" was quite entertaining with hip-hop/techno music, modern punk girls and a seeming cast of thousands on that small stage--again, quite impressive and enjoyable.

The second half included five short dances by Isadora Duncan. All well-performed but Isadora is pale in comparison with many other dance styles, in my opinion. "Release" was a solo performance by Chris Page who has some beautiful lines and reminds me of an Alvin Ailey dancer. However, I wanted a little more variation in some of the movements of this number.

They saved the best for almost last and that was to see Antonio Douthit dance "Ready" from Alvin Ailey’s "Revelations" which is my very favorite dance number of all time. Mr. Douthit is a delight to watch and even thought this dance is very short, it would have made the entire evening worth it even if I hadn’t liked the rest of the concert (which I did.) I would have preferred to see more of Mr. Douthit in this show but I guess the show is more about the up and coming dancers than the ones who have already "made it."

The grand conclusion was "Groove Therapy" choreographed by Chris Page and performed by the full company—a thoroughly enjoyable, spirited dance with such promise for the future of all these young dancers. Thank you COCA.

Edison Theatre

November 7 & 8, 2008

By Lucy Moorman

Luna Negra Dance Theatre gave a bold, fresh performance full of bright swirling colors coupled with the technical expertise of athletic and passionate dancers. They hail from nearby Chicago and this is their 10th anniversary tour. Luna Negra Dance Theatres combines ballet and contemporary dance with Latino and Afro-Caribbean dance styles.

They’re approach is crisply energizing.

The first dance called “Deshar Alhat (Leave Sunday)” was about Sephardic Jews who were forced to settle in Latin America. This dance dealt with themes of loss and disappearance. I loved the use of a large, soft -tone drapery that hung above the back of the stage and was subtly raised or lowered depending on the mood of each dance sequence.

The second dance was more low-key. It was inspired by the biblical verse in Ecclesiastes “There Is a Time.” The dancers were dressed in muted earth tones with no back lighting. The dance conveys many themes from the verse such as a group would dance planting the earth; another would deal with healing or with death. “A time to love…a time for peace.” Each sequence was danced and acted out but always returning to the whole group moving together in a gentle swaying circle of life.

The third dance was very high energy and featured brightly colored circles of light in different positions in each sequence. This music was all steel drums, whistles and other Brazilian instruments. This dance captured the explosive energy of Brazil’s Carnival. The dancers gave 100% plus more in this dazzling performance. Because I was enjoying it so much, I didn’t want it to end.

Overall, this is another exceptional dance company with a wonderful, creative style of combining Latino cultures. If you go to Chicago, you should definitely catch one of their performances or see them on tour.

Dracula

BalletMet Columbus

October 23-26, 2008

Touhill Performing Arts Center

By Lucy Moorman 

Did you know that vampires can dance? Yes, the entire cast of BalletMet Columbus vampires and vampire-vanquishers danced beautifully. In the opening scene, a huge painted curtain reveals an upside-down female head and hair in the hangman pose surrendering to the inevitable seduction of Dracula as we see the coffin open and a nude Dracula emerge.

The choreography was stunning and spell-binding as poor Lucy becomes Dracula’s first victim while she is sleepwalking. She later returns to her own engagement party on Dracula’s arm while she dances hypnotically and seductively with wild abandon. Dracula later comes back for more as she writhes and twists on her bed while her fiancée and helpers try to figure out what’s wrong with her. Later, Dracula draws the last drops of blood from Lucy. The men try to give her blood transfusions as depicted brilliantly in stop-motion dance with strobe lighting. But Lucy dies and is later staked and beheaded in her tomb. Dracula drains Lucy but he lusts for another.

The next victim, Mina, is wooed and seduced by a weary Dracula even as they both try to go against their passions, his for her blood and her for him to take her blood. She succumbs to the entrancement as Dracula creepily crawls up the wall and disappears from the would-be captors. His cape falls empty to the floor. Where did he go? Mina grabs a dagger and takes her own life. I was puzzled by the ending because it seemed that Dracula got away as he disappeared into the night. That means he would come back later for Mina, which is what she wanted and if she was a vampiress already, the dagger wouldn’t have killed her. However, it was a surprising and fascinating depiction for an ending.

Overall, the Ballet’s execution of creepiness with the sets of flowing draperies or backdrops floating on and off the stage as well as floating vampires in well-utilized capes was most entertaining. The lighting was also dark, mysterious and superb. Costumes were excellent in the symbolic depiction of characters such as the engagement party sequence of all the women wearing white dresses except Lucy in a dark, blood red and black dress with wild flowing hair. The dissonant and disturbing music also helped to create a dramatic, startling and excellent performance.

Flying Karamazov Brothers

October 25, 2008

Sheldon Concert Hall

By Lucy Moorman

The name of this show is "4 Play" although you quickly learn that the names mean nothing with the crazy antics of this foursome. First of all they don’t fly and they’re not brothers. They dress in kilts and combat boots but there’s no reason why. Sometimes they are reminiscent of the Marx Brothers. Sometimes they are chaotic all talking at once. I didn’t get all the jokes. There is lots of improvisation. Zany, crazy, silly and goofy would be words that describe them.

They do juggle. Sometimes they juggle amazingly well and sometimes they do drop things but they make it seem like its all part of the act. Their contention is that "errors make us human but by working together we approach the divine. For us, juggling is dropping." At one point, one of the brothers juggles while another holds a drum behind him that he manages to play with the juggling pen. All the while the drum keeps changing position but the timing is on the mark.

They make up various skits combining music, juggling, comedy and even some dancing.

They perform a mock ballet wearing tutus. Three of the "brothers" come on stage wearing glasses with a fake moustache and nose. The fourth one comes out and although he looks like the other three, his moustache and nose isn’t fake. They pull on it and it doesn’t come off. This is especially funny because Dmitri bears a resemblance to Groucho Marx. During another skit, they each play an instrument with one hand and with arms intertwined play on the instrument of the next guy with the brothers on the end continuing to juggle. This is really hard to describe. Go see it. You’ll understand.

Each of the performers has his own area of expertise. Rod Kimball (Pavel) is the master juggler. Mark Ettinger (Alexei) is the main musician, composer and conductor. Paul Magid (Dmitri) is the writer, director, and founder. Stephen Bent (Zossima) is a musician and exceptionally tall.

The "brothers" picked the name of their group from the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov because they see similarities between themselves and the characters of the novel. Although I have no idea what the similarites are. Was anyone wearing kilts?

Spring to Dance Festival

Dancestl

Touhill Performing Arts Center

May 22-24, 2008

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

Dancestl undertook and accomplished the impossible. Thirty different dance companies from various Midwestern states kept us enthralled in our seats for many different performances on 2 different stages. The talent was remarkable, the organization was flawless—just a few minutes wait in between each performance—and all this for only $10 a night??? Incredible!

I couldn’t attend the Thursday performances but was fortunate to see both Friday and Saturday. I was very impressed. Because there were so many, I’ll just mention a few. In the Lee Theatre, Dance Kaleidoscope was excellent with their use of shapes, patterns, and lighting to the music of Philip Glass. Eisenhower Dance Ensemble featured 6 people sleeping on a loveseat with bodies draped in various positions over each other. They did the entire "dance" with their eyes closed. It was very clever.

On the Anheuser-Busch stage we were treated to the St. Louis Ballet in an elegant, flowing choreography of graceful dancers. "The Dancing Wheels Company" featured stand-up and two sit-down dancers in wheelchairs. They incorporated physically challenged people into the dance. This brought a standing ovation from the audience. Also amazing was "River North Chicago Dance Company" with a high energy, beautiful Cuban style of dance with smooth, flowing colors to wonderful Cuban music. Although I liked the short clips of each dance (most were under 20 minutes long), I could have watched "River North Chicago" longer. So good! And that was all just on Friday night.

Saturday, I wasn’t able to come to the earlier performance in Lee Theatre which is unfortunate because I really enjoyed it the night before. On the bigger stage, we enjoyed

Madco with a dance that reminded me of speeded up cartoon characters. Then the "Cincinnati Ballet" showed us a very graceful Romeo and Juliet in classical style. "Luna Negra Dance Theatre" performed contemporary dance by Latino and Afro-Caribbean influences. "Ballet Memphis" dazzled us with creative choreography to Roy Orbison’s music. Then we had a little taste (pun intended) of "Dracula" from "BalletMet Columbus" of the Count partaking of the beautiful damsels’ neck. I was enthralled by "Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet" and their first dance in a half circle of folding chairs. How many times did that last dancer fling himself onto the floor at the end of the exceptionally well-timed leaps from the chairs as the dancers disrobed?

I can’t say enough good things about this program. Every single dance was wonderful. The program was flawless getting all those dancers and companies on and off the right stages. How could anyone keep track of all the different lighting needs for each company? Kudos to all the technical support and everyone who pulled this off. Let’s have more of this in St. Louis. A round of applause….please!

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

Fox Theatre

Reviewed by Lucy Moorman

The Alvin Ailey Company danced for a mostly packed Fox Theatre on April 11 & 12, 2008 and was received with enormous enthusiasm. And rightly so because this company always delivers very high energy, powerful beautiful and meaningful performances. Incredible strength, stamina and passion are words that hardly describe the impact of the choreography and performances.

The night started off with a short video of how much Alvin Ailey has done for the world of dance with education, camps, and opportunities for young dancers. Then the dance began with "The Winter in Lisbon", a bright, fast moving very colorful dance to Dizzy Gillespie’s music. The energy builds and builds and keeps going even higher. It reminded me of the classic dance scene in "West Side Story" when the Jets and Sharks go toe to toe and the Sharks out-dance the Jets. It was like being invited to a wonderful, vibrant dance party.

Two more dances were equally wonderful—"Solo" was reminiscent of a relay race as one dancer handed off his dance to the next soloist. This dance featured St. Louis native, Antonio Douthit (there was much applause and excitement from the audience every time he was on the stage), followed by "Vespers" an intense dance with powerful women interacting with each other and chairs.

This was all pretty wonderful but the highest point was Ailey’s classic dance "Revelations," a dance I have seen so many times I can practically dance it myself and still I love it each time. The audience applauded from the opening moves of a group of dancers clustered together with their hands in the air. In the "I Wanna Be Ready" sequence is where Antonio Douthit really showed off his talent with incredible abs and control.

We loved every moment of it. The show ended with standing ovations and many, many curtain bows. Alvin Ailey delivers the best every time.

January 23 & 24, 2009

Touhill Performing Arts Center

By Lucy Moorman

Great gobs of gargantuan muscles and tossed about tumbling, tumblers rolled and moved across the stage in various creative ways. It’s beyond dance, beyond ballet, beyond modern dance--it is performance art by Pilobolus (named after a sun-loving fungus). Founded in 1971 at Dartmouth College by Moses Pendleton and Jonathan Wolken, a few dancers were just playing around with balance and movement and Pilobolus was born. A lot of the dance still is about "creative play and improvisation" using a great deal of leverage. Can you imagine dancer 1 standing on the quads of dancer 2 while dancer 2 does a back-bend to the floor? How is that possible? Are they making boneless humans these days?

The first dance called "Lanterna Magica" started out with frogs croaking amid gathering fog creating a mood of mystery. Fireflies light up the night and become the light inside the lantern. Two female dancers are seen in seemingly childlike movements carrying a lantern that is revered upon in every possible way. Dancers stand on things like each other’s shoulders, legs, or wooden rods suspended between them. The dance has a circus-like quality and dreamlike tones conveying a magical story that is danced mostly off the floor.

One of the dances "Darkness and Light" was unusual because it didn’t show the dancers except briefly at the beginning and end. The dancers are standing on the stage holding various lights, a screen is lowered and then we see all kinds of shapes projected onto the screen from behind in shadowy, dreamlike figures. There’s an aquarium with floating jellyfish-like creatures, large scary faces that morph into shapes and bear down on the cowering figure below, amoebas that drop down over smaller versions and become bigger and bigger. And finally a version of "oneness with all that is" with a figure sitting in a meditation posture while swirling lights encompass him. Although this was spell-binding, it seemed a little heavy on technique and not enough dance.

"Ocellus" was very up close and personal with four men changing shapes by rolling over each other in ways that makes it hard to tell whose arms or legs you are seeing. You’d have to not have any hang-ups about your body or anyone else’s to dance with Pilobolus.

"Megawatt," the grand finale was aptly named because of the ample "wattage" or high energy. The dancers enter the stage on their backs like inch-worms. They tumble and jiggle over and around each other doing somersaults repeatedly. I was glad they were wearing knee braces. The music was by Primus, Radiohead and Squarepusher, a driving punk-rock rhythm and the energy was incredible. It left the audience breathless. This was more light-hearted then the other dances and a great high-note to end the evening.

Pilobolus is famous from TV commercials and from being on the Academy Awards where they made shapes of cars or shoes or elephants or Oprah’s cocker spaniel. The audience was expecting these sorts of antics from the show but the show was more serious in tone. I heard comments expressing disappointment about that. I have seen Pilobolus and Momix (an offspring) perform many times and I found this show a little darker and lacking in humor but still an amazing and entertaining performance.

Thanks to DANCEstl and Emerson for bringing St. Louis another great show.