Connor Chaparro, a graduate of the UofM’s Department of Theatre and Dance, recently signed a contract to join the dance company Pilobolus.

It began at Dartmouth College in 1971, Pilobolus has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies, according to its website.

Connor says he was first introduced to dancing through his brother who showed him the art of stepping. His formal training began at the Nashville School of the Arts, then he came to Memphis to join the university’s theatre and dance department. While at the UofM, Connor received a double concentration in both Dance and Dance Science.

Pilobolus has created and toured over 120 pieces of repertory in more than 65 countries. Over the years it has performed for millions of people across the U.S. and around the world. It’s been featured on CBS This Morning, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, NBC’s TODAY Show, MTV’s Video Music Awards, The Harry Connick Show, ABC’s The Chew, and the CW Network’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

According to the Pilobolus website, Pilobolus crystallinus is a phototropic (light-loving) fungus. Commonly known as “Hat Thrower,” its spores accelerate 0–45 mph in the first millimeter of their flight and adhere to wherever they land. The father of Jonathan Wolken was studying pilobolus in his biology lab when the group first formed. The name was apt and stuck.