Adam H. Weinert Stages Work of Jacob's Pillow Founder at the Tate Modern This Week

Dancer and choreographer Adam H. Weinert, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, previous Pillow Research Fellow, and Festival artist, brings the works of legendary modern dance pioneer and Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn to the Tate Modern museum in London, this week, May 13-16. Initially seen at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, 20 Dancers of the XXth Century is a living dance archive, including Weinert's remounted solo works by Shawn, along with 19 different performers' interpretations of works by other influential choreographers. Weinert will further refine the Ted Shawn material in a Creative Development Residency at Jacob's Pillow April 6-10, preceding his London engagement.

Weinert's long-standing relationship with Jacob's Pillow and the legacy of Ted Shawn began in 2003 when he was a participant of the Contemporary Program at The School at Jacob's Pillow. In 2010 and 2011, Weinert returned to perform with Festival artist and fellow alumnus of The School Jonah Bokaer in the Doris Duke Theatre. Weinert deepened his study of Shawn in 2013 through a Research Fellowship at the invitation of Jacob's Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen. During this time, Weinert worked with Owen and fellow Shawn scholar Paul Scolieri to rediscover, research, and remount solo works later performed in the MoMA exhibition. Following his participation in 20 Dancers of the XXth Century, Weinert expanded the project by creating The Reaccession of Ted Shawn, which utilized customized technologies to create a digital installation of films of Shawn's performances and his work within the MoMA galleries. In commemoration of the Denishawn Company centennial in 2014, Weinert performed interpretations of Shawn's work on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage as a part of the Pillow's Inside/Out series. Joined by Limón Dance Company member Logan Frances Kruger, Weinert's performance also included the work of two of Shawn's dance descendants, Doris Humphrey and José Limón.

"This is a proud moment for dance and for Jacob's Pillow," says Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff. "Through Adam's research, his performances in theaters and unconventional museum settings, and inventive technology, the important legacy of Ted Shawn and the Men Dancers is brought to a new, worldwide audience."

"The process of reconstructing these solos at Jacob's Pillow for MoMA was a singular, charged and ghostly experience," says Weinert. "Now as I prepare for upcoming performances of Shawn's early solos at the Tate Modern Museum, I want to open up this process to a diverse range of interpreters and explore the reconstruction process as a mode of creating new work."

A free-moving installation first presented by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), 20 Dancers of the XXth Century is a living archive of twenty dancers performing, interpreting, and transmitting solo works of significant modern and postmodern choreographers of the last century including Ted Shawn, Martha Graham, Yvonne Rainer, and Trisha Brown, among others. Conceived by French choreographer Boris Charmatz, the individual performances are scattered throughout the museum, as an "experimental answer to the modish question of the place of dance in museums" (Ruby Washington, The New York Times). The performers also give informal lectures, provide connections, and answer questions of audience members, providing differently sculpted responses to the project.

Prior to his engagement with the Tate in 20 Dancers of the XXth Century, Weinert will participate in a Jacob's Pillow Creative Development Residency April 6-10, refining his presentation of the works of Ted Shawn. Collaborating dance artists will join Weinert during this time, adding a renewed perspective on the works. Artists will include previous Trey McIntyre Project dancer Brett Perry, Logan Frances Kruger of Limón Dance Company, Manelich Minniefee of Pilobolus Dance Theater, and Davon Rainey of Azsure Barton & Artists. Brooklyn-based filmmaker Philippe Tremblay-Berberi and accomplished composer and musician Chris Garneau will also participate in Weinert's residency.

In a continuation of his relationship with the works of Shawn, Weinert will also present Shawn's choreography as a part of the Dig Dance Series at the 92nd Street Y (New York), April 24-26. In his first evening-length, full-cast production, Weinert's program will include historic works by Ted Shawn and Doris Humphrey, paired with a new work entitled MONUMENT, built parallel to the reconstruction process. In MONUMENT, Weinert investigates ideas of memory, mediation, and the archival impulse by charting the cast's personal narratives alongside this dance historical arc. Supported and guided conceptually by Jacob's Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen, Barnard College Professor and fellow Shawn scholar Paul Scolieri, and New York University faculty member André Lepecki, the work will be set to an original score by Hudson-based singer/songwriter Chris Garneau based on writings of Shawn's longtime composer and Music Director Jess Meeker.

ABOUT ADAM H. WEINERT

Adam H. Weinert is a performance-based artist born and raised in New York City. He began his training at The School of American Ballet, and continued on to Vassar College, The Juilliard School, and New York University, where he recently earned a Master's Degree under esteemed performance writer and curator André Lepecki. A performer who has been called "memorably vulnerable" (Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times) and "particularly thoughtful" (Claudia La Rocco, The New York Times), Weinert has danced for a number of companies including The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and Christopher Williams, in addition to serving as an Artistic Associate to Jonah Bokaer for six years. Weinert has produced and choreographed an award-winning collection of dance ?lm shorts, screened nationally and abroad, and his performance works have toured to four continents including a number of non-traditional dance venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Britain Museum, and The Tate Modern Museum. He was awarded Presidential Distinction and Scholastic Distinction from The Juilliard School, and in 2008 received the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Outstanding Choreography. Weinert is currently a faculty member of Barnard College.

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