Bearing the Weight

I saw a performance by the Pilobolus Dance Theatre the other night. As a dance fanatic, I love to see all forms of dance, but I found their particular form more than just amazing, beautiful, graceful, etc. It was profoundly moving. They incorporate what they call "weight bearing" into their pieces. All forms of dance require trust between partners, especially for lifts. But there is something very different about how Pilobolus dancers lift and are lifted. They seem to give themselves over completely to their partners, melting into each other, bearing the weight of each other without effort or strain, cradling each other in creative embrace. Women lift women, men lift men, women and men lift each other. For example, in their men's quartet entitled "Gnomen," there is a moment in which three of the men stand shoulder to shoulder while the fourth man lies at their feet. The three men then lift the fourth with their feet and rock him back and forth. The beauty of it took my breath away. And there were dozens of such moments during the show. While watching this performance, I thought a great deal about my own work as a director. This physical "weight bearing" became a metaphor for how I want my students to think of our productions - as ensemble work in which we carry each other and trust each other implicitly. In fact this can be a metaphor for any artistic collaboration. Because while we don't know what the off-stage relationships between the dancers are like, their on-stage relationships are about making each other look fluid and flawless in grace. One thing I often say to my students is "make each other look good. This show is not about you the individual it is about you the ensemble." And so this summer I plan to show my kids some Pilobilus and hold them up as an example of the trust I want the students to put in each other. To be trusting and trustworthy is what I wish for them.