Post-Show Talk: Ilya Vidrin

This Post-Show Talk is moderated by Scholar-in-Residence Laura Quinton in conversation with Ilya Vidrin, Mel Hsu, Eric Seligman, and Steven Geofrey. Recorded on July 4, 2026, following the company's performance in the Doris Duke Theatre Ilya Vidrin made his Pillow debut with "Proxies," a rigorously imagined work at the intersection of dance and technology that explores what happens to human relationships when movements are translated into data. Developed during Pillow Lab residencies in 2018 and 2023, "Proxies" draws on research into loneliness, data privacy, and the ethics of care. Vidrin invites the audience to consider what technology can and cannot capture about how we relate to ourselves, one another, and the world around us. Dancers wear custom-designed sensors on their hands and feet—technology that tracks and surfaces the subtle and often invisible give-and-take of physical connection. The data flows in real time to musicians, who use material from Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 5" to respond to the movement they see, creating a continuous loop of responsiveness. In a world where connection is increasingly mediated by screens and sensors, "Proxies" puts bodies front and center—exploring what technology reveals and what slips through. Video by Nel Shelby Productions.