Paul Taylor Dance Company and the U.S. Debut of Roy Assaf Dance at Jacob's Pillow

Based in Israel, Roy Assaf Dance makes its U.S. debut with a program of clever and heartfelt works in the Doris Duke Theatre July 12-16. A rising choreographic star, Assaf has been commissioned by companies across the globe including Batsheva Dance Company, The Royal Swedish Ballet, National Dance Company Wales, and LA Dance Project. The program opens with Assaf's embracing duet Six Years Later which is praised for its "beauty, nuances, and intricate, astute movements" (Ora Brafman, Jerusalem Post), and closes with his powerful all-male trio The Hill, inspired by veterans' experiences and based on the Hebrew song "Givat Hatachmoshet".

The rich history of Israeli dance at Jacob's Pillow dates back to 1951 with the Jerusalem-born soloist Hadassah, and since then has included work by Pearl Lang (1970 and 1974), Batsheva de Rothschild with Martha Graham (1956), and the U.S. company debuts of Inbal Pinto in 2001 and Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar's L-E-V in 2013.

"I'm so excited to introduce this company to the United States and to Jacob's Pillow" commented Pillow Director Pamela Tatge. "Roy Assaf brings a gorgeous duet that takes us into a relationship six years in the making, followed by a work that draws us into the power and meaning of a band of brothers at war."

In 2011 Roy Assaf created and danced in Six Years Later, which was awarded first prize in choreography at the 5th International Choreography Competition in Copenhagen. An entrancing duet for a man and a woman, this work is filled with gesture, subtlety, and fluid movement that keeps the dancers in constant and close proximity. As momentum builds, the hushed intimacy allows the audience into their world and prompts questions about the duo's relationship. Assaf plays with choreographic virtuosity, inspired by the love affair theme and the score, which includes music by Beethoven and Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Ora Brafman of The Jerusalem Post says the work "creates unparalleled intimacy between two people, sharing equal amounts of fortitude and vulnerability."

Assaf created the trio The Hill the following year; its title is in reference to the song "Ammunition Hill," written to commemorate a traumatic battle in 1967 in which 36 paratroopers were killed by Jordanian soldiers. The song is written from the perspective of a soldier fighting in the famous battle at Jerusalem's Givat Hatachmoshet, Ammunition Hill. The Hill won first prize in the 27th International Competition For Choreographers Hanover (Germany) and was awarded first prize of both the jury and audience at [re]connaissance danse contemporaine (France). This strikingly different piece is a highly-crafted, sculptural trio full of partnering, play, and the hubris and sacrifice of war. The dance starts with three young men in colorful garb, dancing to military music. The score is joyful and enthusiastic, but as the work climaxes the dancers reach exhaustion.

This engagement marks the U.S. Debut of the company. Roy Assaf performed at Jacob's Pillow with Emanuel Gat Dance in 2006, dancing Winter Voyage and Rite of Spring. L.A. Dance Project performed Assaf's II Acts for the Blind at Festival 2015. Artists of the company will teach a master class on Sunday, July 16; details below.

About Roy Assaf

Roy Assaf was born in 1982 in the rural community of Sde Moshe in southern Israel. Though he does not have formal dance training, Assaf has been dancing and creating since childhood. He danced with Emanuel Gat for seven years (2003-2010); working as assistant choreographer from 2006-2010, developing new works and re-staging existing repertoire throughout the world.

In 2005, Assaf created his first work, We Came for the Wings, Stayed Because We Couldn't Fly, as part of the Shades In Dance competition in Tel Aviv; the work won the Judges Choice and Audience Favorite awards. In 2010, he was appointed Artistic Associate at the Noord Nederlandse Dans company in Groningen, The Netherlands. In 2014 he created II Acts for the Blind for L.A. Dance Project under the direction of Benjamin Millepied, which premiered in the Biennale de Lyon, and Ballader (2015) a collaboration with the Swedish pianist and composer Roland Peter Pöntinen, for the Royal Swedish Ballet. In 2016 Assaf created new works for National Dance Company Wales and for the Batsheva Dance Company.

Related Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive Videos

Emmanuel Gat Dance in Rite of Spring (2006): https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/emanuel-gat-dance/the-rite-of-spring/

Performance & Ticket Details

Roy Assaf Dance at Jacob's Pillow

Doris Duke Theatre, July 12-16

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:15pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2:15pm

$45, $35, $25

A limited number of $20 Under 35 tickets are available; adults ages 18-35 are eligible. One ticket per person; each guest must show valid I.D. when picking up tickets at Will Call.

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

ALSO THIS WEEK

Paul Taylor Dance Company
Ted Shawn Theatre, July 12-16

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm

Thursday, Saturday, Sunday at 2pm (added Thursday matinee)

Often lauded for its "youth, vitality, good cheer and a sense of adventure" (Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post), Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to the Pillow for a special 85th Anniversary Season engagement. Led by the vision of renowned modern dance choreographer Paul Taylor, the company continues to be a Berkshires audience favorite since their 1964 Pillow debut and annual performances at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in nearby Great Barrington. The company's program will feature a roster of classic works, including Airs, Syzygy, and the exuberant and romantic Esplanade, set to two Johann Sebastian Bach concertos. Tickets start at $45.

Related video on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Paul Taylor Dance Company in Company B in 2000:

http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/paul-taylor-dance-company/company-b/

Inside/Out Performance Series: Adam H. Weinert

Wednesday, July 12 at 6:15pm

Free Event

Following the critically-acclaimed premiere of MONUMENT at Festival 2016, dancer/choreographer Adam H. Weinert returns with Dance of The Ages, an epic ensemble work created by Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn in 1938 and not seen since his company's final season nearly 80 years ago. Shawn considered Dance of the Ages to be the summit of his achievements as a choreographer; it was the first evening-length modern dance ever presented, and one of the last creations he built for The Men Dancers. Weinert, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow and former Pillow research fellow, and his ensemble will present a work-in-progress showing of Dance of the Ages, reconstructed for the Inside/Out Stage in honor of the Pillow's 85th anniversary.

Class with Inside/Out Artist: Isadora Duncan Technique with Catherine Gallant

Thursday, July 13, 4pm

Ruth St. Denis Studio

Catherine Gallant, the director and co-founder of Dances by Isadora, shares Duncan technique. Open to all experience levels, ages 12+; $10 per person. Pre-registration is required at jacobspillow.org.

Inside/Out Performance Series: Dances by Isadora

Thursday, July 13 at 6:15pm

Free Event

Dances by Isadora (based in NYC and Boston) has been sharing the work of modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan since 1986. As no films or notation of her dances were made until long after her death in 1927, Duncan's choreography has been preserved through the teaching of one generation of Duncan dancers to the next. Duncan, considered the "mother of modern dance," was a revolutionary. Her free and natural movement style was in direct opposition to the rigid ballet technique of her time; she felt that nature was the source of movement and was inspired by the ancient Greeks, the music of classical composers, the wind, and the sea. This program will feature historic work by Duncan including Nocturne and Bacchanal as well as Allegretto, with choreography by Catherine Gallant, the director and co-founder of Dances by Isadora, inspired by Duncan's 1908 work to the music of Beethoven.

PillowTalk: Anniversary Celebration

Friday, July 14 at 5pm

Blake's Barn

Free Event

The Pillow presented its first performance 84 years ago today; an occasion marked in this talk by individuals furthering the work of Festival founder Ted Shawn: dancer/choreographer Adam Weinert, author and educator Paul Scolieri, and Jacob's Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen.

Inside/Out Performance Series: The New York Korean Performing Arts Center, Inc.

Friday, July 14 at 6:15pm

Free Event

Live Music

Sounds of Korea is part of the New York-based Korean Performing Arts Center (KPAC), consisting of a dance troupe, an instrumental chamber ensemble, and a percussion ensemble. Korean performance tradition includes a wide range of styles and settings, such as classical court music, theatrical masked dance, popular storytelling songs, narrative vocal arts, percussion, and solo instrumental folk genres. The group's artistic emphasis is on the subtle grace and beauty found in Korean traditional dances in which the dancers with powerful, yet delicate, gestures and movements reveal a unique aesthetic beauty. The dance troupe was founded by Sue Yeon Park in 1993, and has maintained an active schedule over the past 20 years, performing prestigious national museums and festival stages, including Lincoln Center, introducing Korean music and dance to a wide array of audiences of diverse cultural backgrounds.

PillowTalk: Paul Taylor at the Pillow

Saturday, July 15 at 4pm

Blake's Barn

Free Event

Modern dance legend Paul Taylor made his Pillow debut in 1954 and his company returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre July 12-16 for its 17th engagement. In this PillowTalk, critics and longtime observers reflect on his colorful past and new directions.

Inside/Out Performance Series: The School at Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Program

Saturday, July 15 at 6:15pm

Free Event

Dancers of the Contemporary Program present a work-in-progress created on them during their first week of study at The School at Jacob's Pillow. Guest choreographer Marguerite Donlon, critically acclaimed worldwide for her innovative works, is artistic director of the international dance festival n.o.w. dance saar and the youth project "iMove." Under the direction of master teacher and choreographer Milton Myers, program dancers also study with ballet mentor Charla Genn, School alumna Aya Kaneko, former Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and NDT dancer Mario Alberto Zambrano, and longtime Music Director John Levis. Dancers attend all Festival events, including weekly career-building interactions with Festival Ted Shawn Theatre and Doris Duke Theatre performers.

Sunday Master Class with Festival Artist: Roy Assaf Dance

Sunday, July 16, 10am

Doris Duke Theatre

Artists of Roy Assaf Dance teach a 90-minute master class open to all intermediate and advanced dancers ages 16 and over. Pre-registration is required at jacobspillow.org. Quiet observation is welcome; $15 per class or $80 for a 6-class card.

Delicious Movement Workshops with Eiko Otake

Tuesday, July 18 at 6pm and Sunday, July 23 at 4pm

Festival artist Eiko Otake hosts two two-hour workshops for all people who love to move or who want to love to move with delicious feelings. Open to all experience levels ages 16+, $15/class. Pre-registration required at jacobspillow.org.

FESTIVAL 2017 EXHIBITS & ARCHIVES - ONGOING

The following exhibits and offerings are free and open to the public June 19 through August 27, 2017.

JACOB'S PILLOW JUMPS

Blake's Barn

Open Wednesday-Saturday noon to final curtain (approx. 10pm) and Sunday-Tuesday noon to 5pm

Free Offering

Celebrating 85 Jacob's Pillow seasons, this exclusive new collection of original images connects today's artists with the pioneering dancers of yesteryear. From John Lindquist's iconic photos of the Men Dancers to Christopher Duggan's current season image of Camille A. Brown-with scores of others in between-these dancers truly soar.

INSIDE THE DANCER'S ART

Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby

Open Wednesday-Sunday, noon to final curtain (approx. 10pm)

Free Offering

In her thirty-year career of photographing and interviewing veteran and emerging dancers, Rose Eichenbaum has elicited eloquent, poetic, and insightful descriptions of the inner world of the dancer's life and art. This exhibit encompasses highlights from her new book for Wesleyan University Press, Inside the Dancer's Art, including many Jacob's Pillow images.

MAIRA KALMAN'S PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY

Doris Duke Theatre Lobby

Open Wednesday-Sunday, noon to final curtain (approx. 10pm)

Free Offering

In tandem with her Dance Heginbotham collaboration, The Principles of Uncertainty, premiering at the Pillow August 23-27, one-of-a-kind artist and author Maira Kalman shares some favorite images in this exhibition, created especially for Jacob's Pillow. Both whimsical and brilliant, Kalman's work explores the intersections of dance, life, and art in unexpected ways.

A BODY IN FUKUSHIMA

Doris Duke Theatre Porch

Open July 5-30

Free Offering

Historian/photographer William Johnston captured these unforgettably powerful images of Eiko Otake, in Fukushima, Japan, in 2014 and 2016 after an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns hit the area. The photographs capture Eiko's response to these events as well as the evolving landscape over their three visits.

JACOB'S PILLOW ARCHIVES/NORTON OWEN READING ROOM

Blake's Barn

Open daily, Wednesday-Saturday noon to final curtain (approx. 10pm) and Sunday-Tuesday noon to 5pm

Free Offering

This newly-expanded informal library and reading room allows impromptu visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse Permanent Collections of Pillow programs and photographs from the Pillow's Archives. The Norton Owen Reading Room also features recent donations and more archival treasures from the Stephan Driscoll Collection. Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive, available on a popular touch-screen kiosk in the Reading Room, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s.

ONLINE EXHIBIT: JACOB'S PILLOW DANCE INTERACTIVE

danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org

This ever-expanding website allows new dance lovers and aficionados to enjoy highlights from the past 84 seasons of Pillow performances, anytime and anywhere. Discover video excerpts from artists including Savion Glover, Martha Graham Dance Company, Carmen De Lavallade, Trisha Brown, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Michelle Dorrance, and Pillow founder Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers, among countless others. A recent expansion features a series of multimedia essays from renowned dance scholars on three distinct themes: Tap, Women in Dance, and Dance of the African Diaspora. This newly-launched editorial platform features more than 30 essays on topics richly archived and relevant to conversations surrounding today's dance field. Each essay includes archival materials of various media, including video interviews with artists, scans of original printed programs, photographs, and rare performance excerpts, resulting in an expert-led tour through the extensive Archives.

FESTIVAL 2017 COMMUNITY CLASSES - ONGOING

Morning Classes

Ruth St. Denis Studio

June 5-August 25, Monday-Friday at 8am

Open to all experience levels, Jacob's Pillow Morning Classes take place each weekday morning in the historic Ruth St. Denis Studio on the Jacob's Pillow grounds. The class schedule includes Pilates with Pilates Certified instructor Sean P. Gallagher on Mondays; African Dance with Marilyn Sylla and live drumming by Jamemurrell Stanley on Tuesdays; Ballet with Ian Spencer Bell and Sharon MacDonald on Wednesdays; Zumba with Ilana Siegal on Thursdays; and Modern with varied Guest Artists including Paul Dennis, Ryoko Kudo, and Adam H. Weinert on Fridays. Other guest artists to be announced. All participants must be age 16 and over; $10 per class or $55 for a 6-class card. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent/guardian signature on a liability waiver.

Families Dance Together

Bakalar Studio

July 7-August 18, Fridays at 5pm

Led by Pillow Artist-Educator Jeff Bliss, this intergenerational class is a unique opportunity for children and adults to experience the joy of creating simple dances together. Families Dance Together is for children ages 5-18, accompanied by an adult. Participants under 18 years require a parent/guardian signature on liability waiver. Classes are $5 per adult and $1 per child. Families Dance Together is a Jacob's Pillow/Becket Arts Center collaboration. Call 413.623.6635 to pre-register.

TALKS, TOURS, OBSERVATION - ONGOING

Pre-Show Talks

30 minutes prior to every performance

Free Offering

Pillow Scholars offer helpful insight prior to every performance; located in Blake's Barn for Ted Shawn Theatre shows and on the Doris Duke Theatre porch for Duke shows.

Post-Show Talks

Thursday and Friday, immediately following the performance

Free Offering

Pillow Scholars moderate entertaining and informative discussions with dancers, directors, and choreographers; offered Fridays for Ted Shawn Theatre performances and Thursdays for Doris Duke Theatre performances.

Observe Dancers of The School

Monday-Saturday, check jacobspillow.org or onsite signage for specific times

Sommers Studio

Free Offering

Festival visitors are welcome to observe dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow in classes and rehearsals.

Guided Tours

Thursday and Saturday at 5:30pm

Free Offering

Visitors can learn about the history and legends of Jacob's Pillow, a National Historic Landmark, on guided tours of the grounds. Self-guided tour maps are also available in the Welcome Center.

Jacob's Pillow Year Round
Beyond its summer festival, Jacob's Pillow is an active year-round organization. Through Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, Artist Educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12 to transform curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. 2016-2017 Curriculum in Motion residencies are taking place at Conte Community School, Becket Washington Elementary, and Monument Mountain Regional High School. Creative Development Residencies take place at the Pillow throughout the year. Dance artists are invited to live and work at Jacob's Pillow for one to three-week residencies and during that time they are given a stipend, housing, and unlimited access to rehearsal space, the Archives, and staff support. During the 2016-2017 season, Netta Yerushalmy, Ephrat Asherie & Ehud Asherie, Marsha Parrilla, Ronald K. Brown & Arturo O'Farrill, David Dorfman, dendy/Donovan projects, Camille A. Brown, Joanna Kotze, and John Heginbotham & Maira Kalman have all participated in Pillow Creative Development Residencies. The annual $25,000 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award supports visionary dance artists and choreographers with a residency, performance at the Season Opening Gala, among other engagements. Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive (http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/) is the Pillow's online platform for videos and digital dance resources and remains active every day of the year, encompassing a wide range of Festival artists and video content from the 1930s to 2016 with new content added each month. The Jacob's Pillow Intern Program is also active year-round, offering hands-on work experience to college students and recent graduates seeking a deeper education within arts administration and production. At the same time, The School at Jacob's Pillow hosts international auditions and workshops. The School at Jacob's Pillow is a leading center for professional advancement; each year thousands of dancers audition and apply and only 100 are selected to participate in one of four programs in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, and Musical Theatre Dance. The international students of The School are immersed in Festival life as they take class, attend seminars, and learn classic and new dance work from today's greatest choreographers, mentors, directors, musicians, and Broadway performers.

ABOUT JACOB'S PILLOW: Jacob's Pillow, celebrating its 85th Festival in 2017, 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. 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.

To post a comment, you must register and login.