“to seek refuge within chaos – find the human within the crowd.” – South Philly Review

Fueled by the energy, power, and sounds of the city, Pitch Black searches for human connection among skyscrapers and sidewalks. The PRISM saxophone quartet provides the four dancers with live music, performing the work of celebrated Dutch composer JacobTV (Jacob ter Veldhuis). The work incorporates a saxophone quartet and an 80’s style boombox, sampling both urban alienation and beauty – from the vocals of jazz singer Billie Holiday, to the strained sermons of religious fanatics in Times Square.

Premiere Date: 05/02/2007  Whitney Live, Whitney Museum of American Art’s Altria Gallery, New York, NY

Commissioned by: PRISM Saxophone Quartet
Concept and Direction: Amanda Miller and Tobin Rothlein
Choreography: Amanda Miller
Video: Tobin Rothlein
Music: Jacob ter Veldhuis
Lighting: James Clotfelter
Set and Costume: James Clotfelter, Tobin Rothlein, and Amanda Miller
Scenic painting: courtesy of Nell Stifel
Dramaturgy: Tobin Rothlein
Original Cast: Rick Callender, Amanda Miller, Jil Stifel, Paul Struck

Pitch Black was commissioned by New Sounds Music, Inc., the nonprofit organization of the PRISM Quartet, with support from the William Penn Foundation.

“Eclectic… one Miller moment might suggest tai chi next to another that jitterbugged.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“The company directors… combin[e] visuals and movement to make a third, poetically expressive form. Their new dance, ‘Pitch Black,’ addresses human connections and disconnections in urban life.” – The New York Times

Press
• Shapes, sights & sounds: A local company that fuses movement with visuals and music… : South Philly Review
• Provocative, eclectic ‘Pitch Black,’ with dance and sax
• Miro Dance, PRISM Quartet Debut Urban Fusion : The Bulletin 
• Prism and Miro set to brighten MCCC with innovative ‘Pitch Black’ : Montgomery Ticket