PILOBOLUS Brings Rockers, Robots and More to The Joyce Theater 7/11-8/6

It wouldn't be summer in NYC without the annual four-week engagement of the wildly popular Pilobolus Dance Theatre at The Joyce, this year from July 11 - August 6. Renowned for its imaginative and ingeniously intricate and athletic exploration of creative collaboration, Pilobolus will present three programs, each containing a New York premiere; Seraph, a solo performed with two robots that was created with MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; a new project with the Japanese dancer / choreographer Takuya Muramatsu; and All is Not Lost, a musical, video and movement piece created by the Pilobolus dancers with rocker (and YouTube) sensation OK Go. Tickets for Pilobolus at The Joyce range from $10-$59 (subject to change) and can be purchased by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street).

Program 1: NEW COLLABORATION WITH TAKUYA MURAMATSU
Pilobolus collaborates with Takuya Muramatsu, principal dancer and choreographer of Dairakudakan, the Japanese company renowned for combining traditional elements of butoh with the more expressive possibilities of contemporary dance. Blending Pilobolus' signature partnering with Muramatsu's atmospheric styling, the company creates a world of surreal physicality that explores how heroes are made and unmade. This program also includes Untitled (contains nudity), Transformation, Walklyndon, Duet 92, and Megawatt.

Program 2: ALL IS NOT LOST
On one side: a Grammy award-winning band whose inventive self-directed, crazily ambitious music videos have been viewed by record numbers. On the other side: a modern dance company, 40-years in the making, that started "thinking outside the box" before it was cool, has since pushed that box into shapes never before imagined and undertaken unprecedented, brilliant collaborations. Indie rock group OK Go teams up with the playful and poetic artists of Pilobolus to create a new live-taped-streamed-projected-hi def-dance-music project that is sure to satisfy fans of both. As is typical of OK Go, little is known about this project, other than it is set to the group's hit All is Not Lost from the album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. Needless to say, the energy bursting out of the rehearsal studio is sparking a whole lot of excitement...
Also on this program: The Particle Zoo, Pseudopodia, Rushes and Day 2 (contains nudity).

Program 3: SERAPH
Perhaps the most unexpected collaboration on this season's program is the new work Seraph, created in partnership with the engineers, programmers, and pilots of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) under the direction of Daniela Rus. The work explores the relationship between human and machine in a pastoral fable involving a solo performer and two flying robots. Set to a Schubert piano trio, the work explores the expressive potential of the robots, in the process presenting a powerful commentary on the fundamental nature of movement. The program also includes Tsukutsu, Shizen (contains nudity at selected performances), Hapless Hooligan in "Still Moving," and Redline.

ABOUT PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
Pilobolus began in 1971, as an outsider dance company, and has evolved into a pioneering American arts organization of the 21st century. The company now revolves around three nuclei of activity: PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE, the umbrella for a series of radically innovative and globally acclaimed concert dance companies; THE PILOBOLUS INSTITUTE, unique educational programming for schools, colleges, and public arts organizations, as well as a series of classes and leadership workshops for corporate executives, employees, and business schools; and PILOBOLUS CREATIVE SERVICES, a division specializing in a wide range of movement services for film, advertising, publishing, commercial clients, and corporate events. The company is based in Washington Depot, Connecticut and performs for stage and television audiences all over the world. For more info, please visit www.Pilobolus.org.

ABOUT TAKUYA MURAMATSU
Takuya Muramatsu has been principal dancer and choreographer with the Japanese Butoh company Dairakukan since 1994, and head of the Dairakukan school. He founded his own dance company Butoh-ha Dattan in 2000. Since then, he has created/performed Gyudankin at the Fringe Dance Festival at Shinagawa Sphere Mex. In 2002, he performed Ushiro no Shomen at the Japan Society in New York. The following year, he was praised for his performance of Takara Jima (Treasure Island) at the American Dance Festival (ADF). In 2006, he stayed in the U.S. for 200 days as a trainee under the Japanese Government Overseas Programme for Artists, participated actively in workshops and ADF performances of the International Choreographers Commissioning Program (ICCP) and at various dance schools in New York. In 2007, back in Japan, he created Dobu at Theatre Tram in Setagaya, Tokyo, followed by a performance in Paris in 2009. That same year, he joined and collaborated with Australia's dance company "Zen Zen Zo."

ABOUT OK GO
OK Go has been called "the first post-internet band" and is at the forefront of an emerging class of independent creative entrepreneurs making art in both digital and physical spaces. The band's self-directed videos have been viewed over 150 million times on YouTube. Its critically acclaimed release, Of The Blue Colour of the Sky has garnered much praise, with a four-star review in People Magazine and Alternative Press declaring that the video "fills you with hope for the next decade¹s musical offerings." Their upcoming projects include a live album chronicling the 180 concerts that they played in 2010, performances at Glastonbury and Lollapalooza, and a collaboration with Ron Arad at London's Roundhouse. Damian Kulash, lead singer, has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, and testified before the U.S. Congress in support of net neutrality.

ABOUT THE COMPUTER SCIENCE & Artificial Intelligence LAB @ MIT
Many solutions to the most challenging problems of our lives, our work, and our world, therefore, are based in computation. MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) studies the vast, compelling field of computation in an effort to unlock the secrets of human intelligence, extend the functional capabilities of machines, and explore human/machine interactions. The department applies that knowledge with a long-term view of engineering innovative solutions with global impact. The engineers, programmers, and pilots of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) are under the direction of Daniela Rus.

Pilobolus will perform according to the following schedule at The Joyce Theater from July 11 - August 6: Monday - Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Friday at 8:00pm, and Saturday at 2:00pm and 8:00pm. Tickets for these performances start at $10, and can be arranged by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at Joyce.org. NOTE: Ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

PILOBOLUS Joyce Theater Schedule
Week 1
Monday, July 11 ?Special Opening Program* 7:30 PM
Tuesday, July 12 Program 1 / TAKUYA 7:30 PM
Wednesday, July 13 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 14 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 8:00 PM
Friday, July 15 Program 1 / TAKUYA 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 16 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 2:00 PM
Saturday, July 16 Program 1 / TAKUYA 8:00 PM
Week 2
Monday, July 18 Program 3 / SERAPH 7:30 PM
Tuesday, July 19 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 7:30 PM
Wednesday, July 20 Program 1 / TAKUYA 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 21 Program 3 / SERAPH?? 8:00 PM
Friday, July 22 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 23 Program 1 / TAKUYA 2:00 PM
Saturday, July 23 Program 3 / SERAPH 8:00 PM
Week 3
Monday, July 25 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 7:30 PM
Tuesday, July 26 Program 3 / SERAPH?? 7:30 PM
Wednesday, July 27 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 28 Program 1 / TAKUYA 8:00 PM
Friday, July 29 Program 3 / SERAPH 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 30 Program 3 / SERAPH?? 2:00 PM
Saturday, July 30 Program 1 / TAKUYA 8:00 PM
Week 4
Monday, August 1 Program 1 / TAKUYA 7:30 PM
Tuesday, August 2 Program 3 / SERAPH?? 7:30 PM
Wednesday, August 3 Program 3 / SERAPH 7:30 PM
Thursday, August 4 Program 1 / TAKUYA 8:00 PM
Friday, August 5 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 8:00 PM
Saturday, August 6 Program 3 / SERAPH?? 2:00 PM
Saturday, August 6 Program 2 / ALL IS NOT LOST 8:00 PM
?Special opening night program will feature Untitled, Transformation, Takuya, All is Not Lost and Day 2 (contains nudity).
??These performances have been modified to NOT contain nudity.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce's Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

Leadership support for The Joyce Theater's 2010-2011 season has been received from the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.
Lead support for accessible and inclusive programming provided by MetLife Foundation.
Additional support for this engagement was provided with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; and with private funds from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Endowment Fund to encourage the performances of out-of-town companies at The Joyce Theater.
Major support for The Joyce has been provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Alphawood Foundation, The Boeing Company, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, First Republic Bank, Fund for the City of New York, The Hearst Foundations, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.