Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak at ADF

Last year, I wrote about Inbal Pinto's choreography for Pilobolus, but this year, I had the opportunity to see work for her own company.  The Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company performed "Oyster" at ADF June 17-19.  It was a surreal, whimsical work, truly strange and haunting.

Here's an excerpt from my review for World Dance Reviews:

"On Friday night, I happened upon a strange, sad carnival that was somehow part of the 2010 American Dance Festival. The wind whistled, a bell jingled, and a cast of knobby-kneed men, human marionettes, an organ grinder, wind-up ballerinas, armless dancers, and a two-headed man hobbled, slouched, and tiptoed through. The Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak Dance Company performed the evening-length work "Oyster' (1999) at the Durham Performing Arts Center (June 17-June 19). Inspired by a short story by Tim Burton, this darkly comic and touching performance also had a touch of Edward Gorey in its dimly lit and grotesque aesthetic.

Pinto's and Pollak's whimsical choreography takes the form of a series of vignettes that feature ballet, mime, modern dance, physical comedy and acrobatics. The twelve dancers appear as multiple characters, clothed in extravagant and fanciful costumes; their faces are painted white, with doll-like make-up, and their hair stands on end. Strings of lights frame the stage and the performers' door to the "circus tent", which is built into the back of the stage. Despite the carnival atmosphere of "Oyster," there is a quietness to the performance, as if these characters might always communicate without saying a word."

Read the rest of the review here.  And don't pass up a chance to see something by this group.