Jacob's Pillow Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop with HIP HOP ACROSS THE PILLOW

In Week 6 of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Pillow celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip hop—the diverse culture and art movement catalyzed in the Bronx in August 1973—with a “festival within the Festival.” From Aug. 2-6 in the Ted Shawn Theatre, the one-of-a-kind program “Hip Hop Across the Pillow” will feature dance artists including Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater, Rokafella and Kwikstep, and d. Sabela grimes and the Ladies of Hip-Hop. Week 6 of the festival will also feature several one-night-only performances on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, featuring tap dancer and vocalist Brinae Ali on Aug. 2, and additional performers in “Hip Hop Across the Pillow”: Nefer Global Movement on Aug. 3, and KR3TS Dance Company and The Hood Lockers on Aug. 4. Performances on the Leir Stage are available on a Choose What You Pay model. Tickets for all performances are now on sale. 

In addition to these onsite and online performances, an All Styles Dance Battle will take place on Fri., Aug. 4. Audiences will watch dancers representing a wide range of styles, and cheer on contestants. On Saturday, a free PillowTalk will be held in Blake’s Barn at 4pm, with a panel of illustrious artists to discuss the 50th anniversary of hip hop. Also on Saturday is a tribute To Chet Walker (1954-2022) on the Leir Stage at 6pm, celebrating the award-winning director/choreographer and former Program Director of the Musical Theatre Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Rounding out the mini-festival is a hip hop workshop on Sunday morning with Rennie Harris Puremovement dancers for intermediate/advanced dancers, ages 16+. 

“Our Associate Curators Melanie George and Ali Rosa-Salas have curated a hip hop take-over of Jacob’s Pillow in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop,” said Pamela Tatge, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow.  “Audiences will experience the breadth and richness of hip hop in this country today including two world premieres in the Shawn and an all-styles dance battle designed to highlight the vibrancy of this form and culture that has embedded itself around the world. This week, we also pay tribute to the late Chet Walker, renowned jazz director/choreographer who served as Director of the Musical Theatre Dance Program at Jacob’s Pillow for over twenty years.”

A uniquely curated performance, “Hip Hop Across the Pillow” features a performance by Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theatre, returning to the Pillow after 13 years. Harris has been celebrated as a pioneer of hip hop dance theater, who has “literally embodied the history of hip hop dance” (The London Times). This year, Rennie Harris Puremovement will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. 

Joining Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theatre is the world premiere of two works commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow specifically for the Festival: a new duet by breakdance icons Rokafella and Kwikstep, whose work was supported with a Pillow Lab residency earlier this year; and a new group work by Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artists d. Sabela grimes and the Ladies of Hip-Hop. Conceived by grimes, this piece is made possible by the Joan B. Hunter New Work commission.

Opening the week of one-night-only Choose What You Pay performances on the outdoor Leir Stage is tap dancer and choreographer Brinae Ali on Wednesday. An interdisciplinary artist and vocalist, Ali will perform alongside her band members in an evening of dance with live music. Ali will lead the audience on a journey through the rich sound textures of jazz and tap culture in her performance. 

On Thursday, all-women’s dance collective Nefer Global Movement will perform on the outdoor stage. The wide-ranging collective of empowering dancers, representing multiple street and club dance styles, gather to create a passionate shared platform and celebrate women and girls of color within dance, music, art and fashion. 

KR3TS Dance Company (Keep Rising to the Top), based in New York City, and The Hood Lockers, based in Philadelphia, will take the Leir Stage on Friday. KR3TS Dance Company promotes the preservation of cultural dances based in Spanish Harlem, and strives to broaden the notion of what a dancer is – opening the door to many in the Spanish Harlem community to learn dance. The Hood Lockers are a group devoted to the cultural preservation and progression of Locking, the iconic early 1970s street dance created by Don “Campbellock” Campbell. 

Photo Credit: Mark Horning

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