Dallas Black Dance Theatre To Take Part In Jacob's Pillow International Dance Festival

Dallas Black Dance Theatre is honored to be a part of the full artist lineup for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2021. It will feature world premieres of commissioned works, and present new, site-specific performances created especially for the Pillow's 220-acre campus. The Festival will be in-person June 30-August 29, 2021, with Dallas Black Dance Theatre performing August 4-8, 2021, on the Henry J. Leir Outdoor Stage.

In a highly anticipated Jacob's Pillow debut, Dallas Black Dance Theatre performs a Pillow-commissioned world premiere of LIKE WATER by sought-after choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie, who is celebrated for his work with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. The new work was commissioned by Jacob's Pillow as the inaugural recipient of the Joan B. Hunter New Work Commission. Grand Moultrie says, "This work is created in celebration of our resilience. We've been through a lot, but we still take flight. We celebrate the ground we stand on and each second we're here. Like Water, we can't survive without love, compassion, and human connection."

Dallas Black Dance Theatre will also perform Face what's facing you! by Claude Alexander III and Night Run by Christopher L. Huggins. "The invitation to perform at the legendary Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival is an extraordinary honor," said Dallas Black Dance Theatre Artistic Director Melissa M. Young. "This opportunity will seal our place in the roots of American Modern Dance history, as well as amplify the work we do as a Black dance company in America in front of a global audience."

Founded in 1976 by Ann M. Williams and currently led by Artistic Director Melissa M. Young, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has captivated audiences in the Dallas Arts District and nationwide with contemporary modern dance from the nation's leading choreographers. The company celebrates its 45th anniversary during the 2021-2022 season.

As a result of COVID closures, Dallas Black Dance Theater's 44th season was entirely virtual, with many of its stage performances reimagined on film across the Dallas landscape. During the summer of 2020, Dallas Black Dance Theatre became the first professional dance company in the world to consistently present paid-only virtual performances as a new business model after the closing of live performances. Dallas Black Dance Theatre is the oldest and largest professional dance company in Dallas, the fourth largest African American dance company, and the tenth-largest arts organization of color in the United States. The company consists of 14 professional, multi-ethnic, full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, ethnic, and spiritual works by nationally and internationally known choreographers.

Jacob's Pillow is America's longest-running and largest international dance festival. Each summer, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival typically features leading national and international dance companies across genres, as well as free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. The 2021 Festival is also the first festival organized by an expanded curatorial team comprised of Artistic & Executive Director Pamela Tatge, and Associate Curators Melanie George and Ali Rosa-Salas.

Notable artists who have created or premiered dances at Jacob's 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 more.

Member Pre-Sale for onsite performances begins May 6, 2021. Tickets for onsite events and all online events go on sale to the public on June 1, 2021. For additional details and ticket information, visit www.jacobspillow.org or call 413-243-0745.

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