October 23, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center's ASC Kids' Club presents Pilobolus Dance Theatre for Kids at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $10; $7 for children. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more information.

In addition to their public performances at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Alys Stephens Center, Pilobolus Dance Theatre will give a special one-hour performance the next day just for children. During a Pilobolus youth show, some audience members get the rare opportunity to join the Pilobolus dancers on stage and explore the basics behind their creative process. It is a brief glimpse into the idea that movement is everywhere and is an important part of everyday life. There also will be an opportunity for the entire audience to play along from their seats.

Pilobolus (crystallinus) is a sun-loving fungus that grows in barnyards and pastures. A feisty little thing only 1/4 inch tall, it can throw its spores nearly eight feet - right over a cow. Pilobolus, the arts organism, germinated in the fertile soil of a Dartmouth College dance class in 1971. What emerged was a collaborative choreographic process and unique weight-sharing approach that gave the young company a nontraditional but powerful new set of skills with which to make dances.

The Pilobolus dancers are Matt Del Rosario, Andrew Herro, Jeffrey Huang, Jun Kuribayashi, Jenny Mendez, Annika Sheaff and Christopher Whitney. In addition to the interactive performance, the program includes "Walklyndon," "Pseudopodia" and "Lanterna Magica."

Sponsors for this show are the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Jane Stephens Comer, National Endowment for the Arts, Southern Arts Federation, Vulcan Materials Company Foundation, The Birmingham News, UAB and Viva Health.