THINGS TO DO
Step Afrika! is coming to the Zeiterion
STEPS in MARCH by Steven Froias
As Rosemary Gill, Executive Director of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford notes, among cultural organizations in the city, “We were the first to close and the last to reopen.”
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erhaps that’s why now that we’re emerging from the pandemic, the Z is embracing performances that demand your attention in the present moment. Maybe it’s why, during the month of March, it is embracing the often neglected discipline of dance. There’s arguably no performance that requires your devotion in the moment like dance on stage. It’s an art form that’s meant to be experienced as a viewer and even as a participant. And the Z’s March lineup offers both to audiences. The Z is branding March as “Dance Discovery Month” at the venue. They write that, “whether an expert or simply
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a spectator, engage with fellow dance fans as you experience the art form through a variety of fun and inspiring events.” In fact, each of two highlighted special live dance events offer secondary opportunities to learn more, and even get into your own groove. On Sunday, March 20, the acclaimed dance company Pilobolus brings their tour of “The Big Five-Oh!” to New Bedford. It distills 50 years of the dance company into this one special performance featuring five “fantasy-like” sequences. Each illustrates the values of the company, or as they put it, “a half century of radical creativity and
March 2022 | The South Coast Insider
boundary-pushing… as we question our own givens and turn traditions sideways.” Pilobolus began at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire in 1971. Moses Pendleton, an English literature major and cross-country skier; Jonathan Wolken, a philosophy science major and fencer; and Steve Johnson, a pre-med student and pole vaulter were enrolled in a dance composition class taught by Alison Becker Chase. In that class, they created their first dance, which they titled “Pilobolus” – and a legacy of movement and magic was born. Current Artistic Co-directors Renee Jaworski and Matt Kent say to this day, Pilobolus retains the revolutionary spirit of the Vietnam War-era social protest movement. Since 1971, Pilobolus has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies. Patrons can ask them their own questions when they and the dancers participate in a pre-show talk. Also, as part of Dance Discovery, and marking the special appearance of Pilobolus at the Z to celebrate their 50th anniversary, South Coast photographer Denn Santoro
