What does the Nick show Spong Bob Square Pants and Pilobolus have in common? Its writer. After its shadow theater performance on the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Pilobolus embarked on the creation of an evening-length movement-theater piece titled Shadowland. It was created in collaboration with 
Steven Banks, head writer for the hit Nickelodeon show “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and singer-songwriter David Poe, who wrote the score. It has since been upated for this weekend's performance at Jones Hall.
It was in 2009, Pilobolus created Shadowland, the first show of its kind, which has since performed in 32 countries, for over a million people. Now Pilobolus is proud to present an all-new Shadow adventure.
Shadowland: The New Adventure uses Pilobolus’ exploration of mixed media to tell a love story about two people and their quest to save a magical bird. The performance group uses animation, video and live shadow theater, this madcap adventure dips its toe into the genres of science fiction, film noir and romantic comedy.
Pilobolus performances can be described by the physical interaction between the bodies of the performers and exaggerations or contortions of the human form (or other anthropomorphic forms), requiring extreme strength, flexibility and athleticism. From early on, the company "made a specialty of playful topsy-turvy entanglements that defied anatomical logic" and which sometimes "gave rise to 
bizarre imagery." This approach broke new ground, and soon "even choreographers who did not consciously borrow from the group enjoyed new license in bringing bodies (especially men) into closer physical contact" than previously.
The late Johnny Carson host of NBC's Tonight Show would have the group perform on his late night show with the audiences reacting to the wonder of how they did stuff with their extreme contortions.