Listen "Episode 594 - Robert Pranzatelli"
Episode Synopsis
Author, publicist and partially involved narrator Robert Pranzatelli joins the show to celebrate his amazing new book, PILOBOLUS: A Story of Dance and Life (University Press of Florida). We talk about the origins of the legendary Pilobolus dance company, his transformational first experience seeing them in 1997, the workshops he took with them and the friendships they engendered, and the "itchy fingers" moment when he realized he had to write their history. We also get into Pilobolus' unique melding of improvisation and dance technique, the joyful challenge of describing their dance pieces on the page, the importance of capturing the time capsule of Pilobolus' '70s roots (and covering All The Affairs, along with the friendships and fallings-out), how Pilobolus was taken seriously by dance critics long after audiences flocked to them, the company's through-line in its 50+-year history and how they managed to continue the tradition of something that was based on overthrowing tradition. Plus we discuss Robert's history as a writer, how Metal Hurlant & Moebius blew his mind as a teen, how he became a book publicist at Yale University Press, his narrow-focus mode of reading, his greatest eBay score, why he got choked up while reading a text he sent Pilobolus' artistic directors after a performance, and more. More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal and via our e-newsletter
More episodes of the podcast The Virtual Memories Show
Episode 668 - The Guest List 2025
23/12/2025
Episode 667 - Jonathan Sandler
16/12/2025
Episode 666 - Morten Hoi Jensen
09/12/2025
Episode 665 - Prue Shaw
02/12/2025
Episode 664 - Glenn Kurtz
18/11/2025
Episode 663 - Jennifer Hayden
11/11/2025
Episode 662 - Rian Hughes
05/11/2025
Episode 661 - Josh Neufeld
28/10/2025
Episode 659 - Ron Rosenbaum
21/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.