Unconventional hardly does justice to the type of interpretive dance that the troupe Pilobolus performed before an at the Silver Center for the Arts.

The world famous modern dance company performed for a packed house at Plymouth State University's arts venue on Saturday night.

Dance teacher at PSU, Lisa Travis, said, "We are incredibly lucky to have Pilobolus here tonight. I think it's wonderful when our dance students get to see professional groups perform on the same stage that they do."

What is Pilobolus? The official definition is a feisty sun-loving fungus that lives in cow dung and can throw it's spores right over a full grown cow.

The name fits well for the dance company that mixes art with humor and has thrived for nearly four decades. Pilobolus started as an experimental troupe of Dartmouth students back in 1971, and they've broken all the rules, with great success, ever since. They call themselves "the dance company for those who don't like dance ... and for those who do."

The group has introduced a new, nontraditional way of creating dance, using a unique weight-sharing approach to partnering and an exclusive use of the body to create shapes and illusions.

The crowd at PSU was sometimes silent and sometimes laughing at the hilarity of characters and crazy stunts. The limited use of props in the five separate segments as well as the limited use of clothing in the last two pieces, allowed for the dancing to be the main focus of the performance.

During the question and answer period at the end of the show, one audience member asked the dancers if they ever felt uncomfortable dancing in clothes, since two of their pieces were performed in nothing but thong-style nude colored dance belts and leotards. One dancer, Matt Del Rosario, joked said yes and then joked, "I don't like wool very much, it makes me feel uncomfortable."

The six dancers in the troupe spent their time on stage entangling their bodies to create a sort of living sculpture, sometimes moving quickly, and sometimes moving so slowly and fluidly, it felt as if you were watching it happen under water.

Pilobolus seems to defy the laws of physics with some of the stunts and lifts performed. During one segment, a man carried two other men, one solely by his feet, and another by his arms, but did it so gracefully and with such ease, you'd think you could do it yourself.

The five segments in the performance were so different from one another, it was as if the dancers took the audience on a journey from one end of the earth to another in less than two hours. The opening segment, Laterna Magica, immersed the audience in a nighttime world of the supernatural with playful sprites and fairies.

Another segment, Razor: Mirror, was the company's response to the question "What is safe?" This piece featured the dancers each as a character fit to be holed up in a mental health wing. This wickedly funny and macabre use of theater dance seemed to answer the question posed by showing the audience that even paranoid skizophrenics can count on friends to get them through the day.

Finally, on a completely different note, the segment named Day Two, a classic Pilobolus dance piece created in 1980, portrayed a carnal and tribal image of what seemed like a drug induced play in the rain. This piece was passionate and sexual depicting ideas of war, religion, and the supernatural.

Of the older pieces, one audience member asked the dancers how close the revised edition is to the original piece. Dance captain, Andrew Herro mentioned, "We really try to maintain the original intention."

The box office sold out the performance far in advance, and the audience roared because they loved the show. Fourth year theater major at PSU, Erik Barry said, "That was awesome, I've never seen a show like it in my life. It was like watching a moving optical illusion!"

Travis said, "This show was incredible, amazing." She mentioned that the professional dancers offered a master class for the teachers and students of PSU's dance program earlier in the day.

This performance of Pilobolus was sponsored by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), Ninth State Dance Studio, and NH Public Radio.

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO Dancers, Matt Del Rosario, Andrew Herro Jeffery Huang, Jun Kuribayashi, Jenny Menez, Annika Seaff and Christopher with the dance company Pilobolus perform at the Silver Center for the Arts Saturday evening. * Order a print of this photo

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO MEMBERS OF PILOBOLUS dance troupe depict nighttime spirits as they perform one of the opening scenes of their program Saturday evening at Silver Center for the Arts in Plymouth. * Order a print of this photo

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO DANCERS MATT DEL ROSARIO, Andrew Herro Jeffery Huang, Jun Kuribayashi, Jenny Menez, Annika Seaff and Christopher with the dance company Pilobolus, perform at the Silver Center for the Arts Saturday evening. * Order a print of this photo

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO PILOBOLUS DANCERS mix art with humor as they perform before a packed house at Silver Center for the Arts at Plymouth State University Saturday evening.

RAY MONGEAU/CITIZEN PHOTO DANCERS MATT DEL ROSARIO, Andrew Herro Jeffery Huang, Jun Kuribayashi, Jenny Menez, Annika Seaff and Christopher perform with the dance company Pilobolus at the Silver Center for the Arts Saturday evening. * Order a print of this photo