Jacob's Pillow Announces Dance Festival Week 1 Programming

Dorrance Dance and Paris Opéra Ballet will kick off Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2021 in its opening week later this month.

Dorrance Dance's performances mark the first live, in-person performances at the Pillow since 2019, while at the same time Paris Opéra Ballet will stream exclusively online for two weeks - a first for the Festival. Dorrance Dance, helmed by artistic leaders Michelle Dorrance, Josette Wiggan-Freund, and Nicholas Van Young, will appear outdoors on the Henry J. Leir Stage and in a roving site-specific performance around the Pillow campus from June 30-July 4, which will be streamed online for free July 15-29.

That week, Crystal Pite's Body and Soul, performed by Paris Opéra Ballet, will be premiering virtually on July 1 at 7 p.m. and will be available on-demand through July 15. Streaming exclusively by Jacob's Pillow for the U.S. premiere, Body and Soul was originally filmed with 36 dancers in Paris at the Palais Garnier with jaw-dropping costumes, set design, and staging.

In addition to these onsite and online performances, there will also be both onsite and online PillowTalks offered free of charge including a conversation with South African artist William Kentridge (Friday, July 2).

"Dorrance Dance was set to 'play the Pillow' in 2020, but that was not to be because of the pandemic, so this extravaganza is long-awaited," said Jacob's Pillow Executive & Artistic Director Pamela Tatge. "Audiences will have the chance to experience two separate Dorrance programs, one on the Henry J. Leir stage that features excerpts of works the company has created during the past year, including one developed during their December bubble residency in the Pillow Lab. At the same time, we're thrilled to present the U.S. Premiere of Crystal Pite's Body and Soul to online audiences."

During July 4th week, celebrate at the Pillow with a uniquely American dance form-a tap dance takeover with dance and live music from Michelle Dorrance, Josette Wiggan-Freund, Nicholas Van Young, special guests, and the remarkable dancers and musicians of Dorrance Dance.

On the Pillow's outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, Dorrance Dance premieres a world premiere full-company work by Nicholas Van Young with new original live music by Dorrance Dance musicians including Donovan Dorrance, Aaron Marcellus, and Gregory Richardson. Developed during a COVID-compliant residency at the Pillow Lab this past winter, the work is inspired by this past year's global experience of isolation and the concept of chaos and order. This piece is framed by a tantalizing excerpt from ...Praise: The Inevitable Fruit of Gratitude, created by Josette Wiggan-Freund and features the music of jazz trumpeter extraordinaire Keyon Harrold, who will also perform live. The phenomenal company dancers and musicians embark on a journey that explores a rhythmical expression of the innermost yearnings of gratitude and praise.

In a site-specific world premiere, Dorrance Dance will also explore the unique and enchanting environment of the Pillow grounds. These special daytime matinee performances will take audiences on a roving journey that showcases the Pillow's 220-acre campus in a never-before-seen, or heard, way.

Crystal Pite's Body and Soul articulates Pite's ongoing fascination with conflict, connectedness and the embodiment of the human spirit. Performed in three distinct parts, with fluidity, generosity, and a rare intensity, the performance begins with a voice-over text that describes a scene of conflict between two individuals. As the performance progresses, the script's meaning morphs and deepens at each iteration, creating compelling tension between individuals, groups, and species. Body and Soul is a timeless, vast, and heartbreakingly intimate portrait of the human condition. Known for drawing from the languages of William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián and Mats Ek, Crystal Pite is a Vancouver-based choreographer whose work has been recognized by the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award and many other honors. This exclusive U.S. Premiere is co-sponsored by the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet.

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