Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Announces Week 8 Programming

For the first time in over 20 years, STREB Extreme Action Company returns to Jacob's Pillow from Aug. 18-22, bringing bravery and sheer athleticism to the Henry J. Leir Stage.

The company will revisit a number of its early works, including a collection of founder and artistic director Elizabeth Streb's classic solos from the 1970s-80s and several of her early equipment experiments from the 90s, placing them in direct contrast with the jaw-dropping extreme action opuses and large scale "action machines" the company has become known for in the 21st century.

Audiences can also experience the world premiere of zoe | juniper's The Other Shore, a virtual experience that radically reframes and repositions the relationship between performer and viewer. In advance of the premiere on Aug. 17, audiences will receive a limited edition custom performance box in the mail that includes Virtual Reality goggles to be paired with a smartphone, an art book, and other art objects designed to enhance the performance experience. The Other Shore began in a Pillow Lab residency at Jacob's Pillow in 2018, and it has become a multi-year project that includes an at-home experience, live performance, and video installation.

Also on site this week are members of The New England Soul Line Dance Network, who will offer a participatory and socially distant Soul Line Dance Party designed for every body and every dance ability on Sat., Aug. 21 at 12 p.m.

Additional on-site offerings include a Sunday Workshop in Elizabeth Streb's PopAction technique led by Cassandre Joseph, Associate Artistic Director of STREB on Sun., Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. Elizabeth Streb will also participate in a PillowTalk moderated by Maura Keefe, where she will discuss her ongoing quest to achieve human flight and how her work speaks of and to intrinsic human potential-to make all of us want to do more, go further.

Online this week are the digital premieres of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre's performance on the Henry J. Leir Stage on Thurs., Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and the digital premiere of PillowTalk: Dallas Black Dance Theatre on Fri., Aug. 20 at 4 p.m. Dance Education Laboratory will hold a virtual DELving Mini Workshop on Sun., Aug 22 from 3-5:30 p.m., featuring a guest artist from Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Participants of this two-and-a-half-hour embodied Zoom workshop will explore movement themes and choreographic structures from the Pillow-commissioned work LIKE WATER by choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie.

"I can't wait to welcome Elizabeth and STREB back to Jacob's Pillow," said Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, Pamela Tatge. "This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the spirit and spectacle of this legendary company set against the dramatic backdrop of the Berkshire hills. At a time when so many are doubting our capacity for change, it will be inspiring to see a company that takes risks and dares to go where bodies have not been before. For over four decades, STREB has defied the status quo and has shown us what's possible. Their program at the Pillow will showcase the journey they've been on to arrive at the remarkable company they are today."

STREB Extreme Action Company brings a robust and thrilling program to the Pillow that spans nearly three decades of work. Works that Streb has dubbed 'early experimentations' like Pole Vaults (1978) utilize abstracted sports equipment as props. In more recent pieces, the performers (billed as Action Heroes) take even more extreme physical risks. In Tip (2006), "a dancer inside a half-wheel who rocks it from side to side points her toes and gestures balletically while the others balance on top" (The New York Times). Though Streb's work is rooted in athleticism, it has little to do with the competitive nature of the sports from which she draws inspiration. She is more interested in the intrinsic potential of the human body and spirit and in imagining the ways in which art exists naturally in our physical world. "What's distinctive about Streb's choreography is not so much its athletic aspects, but the concentration and daring with which they are pursued. You see such qualities in athletes, but their goals have to do with competing or setting records. Streb is an artist, and she explores ultimate possibilities, physical and spiritual, for their own sake" (The Washington Post). This engagement was made possible by Gerry and Hank Alpert in memory and in honor of their friend, AT Nguyen.

Co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow and Carolina Performing Arts, The Other Shore by Seattle-based dance and visual artists Zoe Scofield and Juniper Shuey allows audiences to choose their own experience. Audiences will receive a box in the mail that contains Virtual Reality goggles, miniature set pieces, photos, an art book, and other items that allow for in-depth audience engagement of the virtual work. The Other Shore can happen anytime and anywhere as long as audience members have access to the internet and the book. This project is a continuation of a work that premiered at the end of a Pillow Lab residency (funded by the Princess Grace Foundation) in 2018 and developed in collaboration with MASS MoCA. All iterations of The Other Shore have sought to reframe the relationship between audience and performer, questioning and expanding notions of power and of how and where dance can exist in space and time. The Aug. 17 co-presence premiere launches the "at home" iteration of The Other Shore and the project will continue its evolution also as an installation and in person performance at other venues.

The New England Soul Line Dance Network believes Soul Line Dancing is empowering, evolving, and inspiring. With a mission to uplift the community by sharing the love of line dancing across the Greater Boston and New England area, the network hosts regular workshops, classes, and socials. The Pillow's first-ever Soul Line Dance Party is designed for every body and every dance ability and is a fun way to connect and groove to R&B and hip-hop music.

Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org, via phone 413.243.0745, and at the Jacob's Pillow Box Office at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.

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