Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Presents SOME OF A THOUSAND WORDS and ARIAS Company next week

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2016 presents the second artistic collaboration of Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks with live music by string quartet Brooklyn Rider in Some of a Thousand Words, July 27-31.

Beloved former New York City Ballet principal Whelan and award-winning choreographer Brooks bring a masterful suite of intimate solos and duets to the historic Ted Shawn Theatre stage, promising a remarkable evening of superb grace and artistry. "We all witnessed the power of Wendy and Brian's collaboration for in Restless Creature," says Jacob's Pillow Director Pamela Tatge. "They have taken their electrifying dialog to a new level in Some of a Thousand Words-and to have one of this country's most innovative string quartets play live is a thrill."

Some of a Thousand Words plays at the Ted Shawn Theatre Wednesday, July 27-Saturday, July 30, 8pm Saturday, July 30 & Sunday, July 31, 2pm. Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe are offered in Blake's Barn 30 minutes before each performance. Free Post-Show Talk with artists from Some of a Thousand Words will take place immediately following the performance on Friday, July 29 at the Ted Shawn Theatre. Tickets start at $45. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacob's Pillow Box Office.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Arias Company July 27-31, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm Doris Duke Theatre Bryan Arias is a veteran of high-profile dance companies including Crystal Pite's Kidd Pivot and Nederlands Dans Theater. Now with his own ensemble, he premieres a rather lovely thing, a contemporary work that challenges notions of identity, bias, and stereotype, danced to music ranging from Frédéric Chopin to Nico Muhly and Max Richter. The stellar cast of dancers includes Arias himself as well as Jermaine Spivey of The Forsythe Company and Kidd Pivot; Spenser Theberge of The Forsythe Company and Nederlands Dans Theater; Ana-Maria Lucaciu formerly of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet; and others. Tickets start at $25.

ABOUT JACOB'S PILLOW: Jacob's Pillow, celebrating its 84th Festival in 2016, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacob's Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and an extensive schedule of free public events. Through Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion®, a nationally recognized program, Artist Educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. During Creative Development Residencies, artists are invited to spend one to three weeks at the Pillow creating or rehearsing new work, with free housing for the company, unlimited use of studio space, and access to the Pillow's rare and extensive Archives and other Pillow resources. In the beautiful, retreat-like atmosphere of the Pillow, the Creative Development Residencies are rare opportunities for artists to focus on the creative process without distraction. 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. The Pillow's digital initiatives are aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. An important part of the Pillow's digital presence, Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1933 to today. On March 2, 2011, President 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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