Jacob's Pillow Announces Four Artists Of Festival 2019

In advance of the full Festival announcement in mid-December, Jacob's Pillow announces four companies that will be presented in 2019. Following the record-breaking ticket sales of Festival 2018 and amidst a robust season of artist residencies in the Pillow Lab and new programming which serves Berkshire County's year-round population, America's longest-running dance festival gears up for its 87th consecutive summer, June 19-August 25. Compañía Irene Rodríguez brings a particular vision of flamenco that is both Spanish and Cuban, featuring a world premiere; Caleb Teicher & Company presents More Forever, a highly anticipated new collaboration with innovative composer/pianist Conrad Tao; the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates female power with Graham classics, a suite of Lamentation Variations, and a new work by Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene Smith; and Boston Ballet returns for the first time in over a decade with works by William Forsythe, resident choreographer Jorma Elo, and twentieth century Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson.

"We're thrilled to give audiences this sneak peek and know this is just a taste of what's in store for Festival 2019. We have a season of great breadth and depth planned, including many audience favorites alongside artists who will be new to the Pillow this summer," says Director Pamela Tatge.

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Compañía Irene Rodríguez

June 26-30, Ted Shawn Theatre

Compañía Irene Rodríguez is a revered voice in the emerging contemporary Cuban dance scene, known for a contemporary and particular vision of flamenco that is both Spanish and Cuban. Rodríguez, praised as "intense" and "exacting" by The New York Times, created her company in 2012 and has since "succeeded in positioning itself among the best of the Spanish genre in Cuba" (Granma, Cuba). After a sold-out Pillow debut in 2017, this fiery ensemble of dancers and live musicians returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre with a world premiere and audience favorites. Among many accolades, Rodríguez was recently awarded the Order Isabel la Católica from the King of Spain and the Spanish government. The presentation coincides with a two-week Professional Advancement program in the current and historic traditions of flamenco and Spanish dance, directed by Rodríguez and offered by The School at Jacob's Pillow.

Explore past Pillow performances on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive:

Compañía Irene Rodríguez in Pena Negra in 2017:

danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/compania-irene-rodriguez/pena-negra/

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Caleb Teicher & Company with Conrad Tao

July 24-28, Doris Duke Theatre

"One of the brightest lights in tap today" (The New Yorker) Caleb Teicher and innovative pianist and composer Conrad Tao collaborate in More Forever, a new evening-length work. On a stage filled with a thin layer of sand, dancers explore American dance forms such as tap, vernacular jazz, and Lindy Hop, set to Tao's new contemporary score for piano and electronics. Led by Dance Magazine's "Best Emerging Choreographer," Caleb Teicher & Company is known for a unique style of theatricality, humor, emotional expression, and aesthetic exploration. Performing live, Tao is a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist regarded as "shaping the future of classical music" (New York Magazine). This highly-anticipated ensemble work was developed in part at the Pillow Lab.

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Martha Graham Dance Company

August 14-17, Ted Shawn Theatre

Imbued with the legacy of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham, this acclaimed American company returns to Jacob's Pillow with The EVE Project, in celebration of female power and the upcoming 100th Anniversary of the 19th amendment. This two-year project presents a comprehensive range of Graham's classics alongside new commissions by some of today's leading female voices, providing entree into today's most pressing conversations. Featured works on the program include Graham's iconic Appalachian Spring and all-female Chronicle, as well as a suite of Lamentation Variations and a new work by Sleep No More's choreographer Maxine Doyle and former Batsheva Dance Company member Bobbi Jene Smith.

Explore past Pillow performances on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive:

Martha Graham Dance Company in AXE in 2015:

danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/martha-graham-dance-company/axe/

Martha Graham Dance Company in Night Journey in 1994:

danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/martha-graham-dance-company/night-journey/

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Boston Ballet

August 21-25, Ted Shawn Theatre

"Nothing less than brilliant" (The Boston Globe), Boston Ballet returns to Jacob's Pillow for the first time in over a decade, performing work by choreographic and visual artist William Forsythe, currently in a five-year artistic partnership with the Company, classics by Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson, and resident choreographer Jorma Elo's Bach Cello Suites. Under the artistic directorship of Mikko Nissinen since 2001, Boston Ballet is recognized worldwide for repertoire that is "one of the most eclectic in the country" (The New York Times). As New England's first professional ballet company, Boston Ballet has mesmerized audiences for over five decades, presenting classical evening-length ballets as well as innovative contemporary works.

Explore past Pillow performances on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive:

Boston Ballet in Plan to B in 2004:

danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/boston-ballet/plan-to-b/

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival opens on June 19, 2019. The full festival will be announced on December 12. VIP Ticket Pre-Sale begins February 11, 2019. Public Ticket Sale begins on April 1.

Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival, currently in the midst of its transition to becoming a year-round center for dance through a five-year strategic plan titled Vision '22. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and over 500 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. The School at Jacob's Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Photography, Choreography, and an annual rotating program (Flamenco in 2019). The Pillow also provides professional advancement opportunities across disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production through seasonal internships and a year-round Administrative Fellows program. With growing community engagement programs, the Pillow serves as a partner and active citizen in its local community. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public and online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Notable artists who have created or premiered dances at the Pillow include choreographers Antony Tudor, Agnes De Mille, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Kevin Mckenzie, Twyla Tharp, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Trisha Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Wally Cardona, Andrea Miller, and Trey McIntyre; performed by artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen De Lavallade, Mark Morris, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, Rasta Thomas, and hundreds of others. On March 2, 2011, President Barack Obama honored Jacob's Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

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