The life cycle of fungi unfolds through dancing bodies in a wondrous site-specific work.
Mushrooms occupy every superlative in the known universe yearbook; they're the biggest, smallest, most resilient, most adaptive, most diverse, deadliest, liveliest, arguably tastiest organism in existence. Heginbotham dancers, and the venue, embody the essence of these astonishing organisms, morphing into new versions of themselves. The mycelial dance is coupled with an environmental score inspired by the pioneering composer John Cage, in a multi-sensorial work that responds to the interconnectedness of nature.
You Look Like A Fun Guy follows the life cycle of fungi: from the delicate emergence of spores and the rhythmic pulsations of mycelial networks to the majestic rise of the mushroom's fruiting body and the graceful dance of decay and renewal.
The work is set in the golf course, and scored with music by Colin Jacobsen and an original audio installation created by Omar Zubair. The forest's ambient sounds are be recorded, layered and broadcasted on top of the natural sonic environment to create a singular audio experience. The sounds of trees rustling, twigs snapping, dancers breathing, footsteps falling create a constantly evolving score that twists our perception of reality.
A longtime Hop collaborator, Dance Heginbotham (DH) founder John Heginbotham is the director of the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble and a lecturer in the college's theater department. John was in residence at Dartmouth this spring expanding his work Fun Guy. In 2019, the Hop presented a selection of DH's works in collaboration with music band Alarm Will Sound.
Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth
Dartmouth Golf Course
Hanover, NH 03755
United States