Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Announces the Full 2014 Schedule, 6/14-8/24

Following the record-breaking attendance of Festival 2013, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival announces the full 2014 Festival free and ticketed event schedule. Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Noted dance writer Jennifer Dunning has called the Pillow "the dance center of the nation, possibly the world."

The 82nd Festival season will feature more than 52 companies performing on three stages: the historic Ted Shawn Theatre; the intimate Doris Duke Theatre; and the open-air Henry J. Leir Stage, home to the Pillow's free Inside/Out Performance Series, which served a record-breaking 21,000+ community members last season. More than 350 free and ticketed dance performances, talks, tours, exhibits, films, classes, and community events will be offered June 14-August 24, 2014.

The 2014 Festival companies hail from Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, and across the U.S. Festival 2014 world premieres include As I Remember It by legendary performer Carmen de Lavallade; a new show by tap artist and 2013 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner Michelle Dorrance; and Chalk and Soot, a collaboration between choreographer John Heginbotham and composer Colin Jacobsen, with live music performed by superstar string quartet Brooklyn Rider, the vocal stylings of Shara Worden (lead singer of My Brightest Diamond), and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane on harmonium.

Exclusive presentations include Unreal Hip-Hop, a mixed bill of some of today's most innovative hip-hop artists including Decadancetheatre, Ephrat Asherie, and The Wondertwins; Ballet 2014, directed by Daniel Ulbricht and featuring principal dancers and soloists of New York City Ballet; and a weeklong "festival within the Festival" honoring choreographer Mark Morris and his company.

Other special engagements include Compagnia T.P.O. from Italy, with the family-friendly interactive production Bleu!; the Pacific Northwest Ballet in a rare East Coast engagement; and Trey McIntyre Project performing Mercury Half-Life, set entirely to the music of rock band Queen and The Vinegar Works: Four Dances of Moral Instruction, inspired by the work of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey. This engagement marks the final performances of Trey McIntyre Project as a full-time dance company. Trey McIntyre comments, "There is a great poetry to TMP having its final performance as a full-time dance company at Jacob's Pillow. Ella was one of the very first presenters to take a chance on us." The group made its official full-time company debut at the Pillow in 2008, following two previous Pillow engagements as a pickup-style troupe.

A significant milestone in dance history, this year marks the centennial of the marriage of Ruth St. Denis and Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn, which in turn led to the founding of the Denishawn company. The Pillow honors this milestone with a special exhibit in the Ted Shawn Theatre lobby, a PillowTalk on August 22, and an Inside/Out presentation by Adam H. Weinert/In Situ Arts of early dances by Ted Shawn.

Ella Baff, Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, comments, "This Festival, in addition to some of the great and better known American companies such as Mark Morris Dance Group, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pillow audiences will discover less familiar, yet no less important, dance companies such as David Roussève /REALITY, Dorrance Dance, Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, and Dance Heginbotham. The 2014 season also features the work of choreographers from the U.S. and abroad, including Lee Sher and Saar Harari (Israel), Jorma Elo (Finland), Nacho Duato (Spain), Alejandro Cerrudo (Spain), Ji?í Kylián (The Netherlands), David Dawson (U.K.), Krzysztof Pastor (Poland), Fei Bo (China), Sonia Destri Lie (Brazil), Yaron Lifschitz (Australia), and others. The international mix is an important part of the Jacob's Pillow experience, meant to show audiences the remarkable range of possibilities in dance."

The 2014 Festival offers over 200 free performances, talks, exhibits, and events. Following record-breaking attendance at the Inside/Out performance series in 2013, the 2014 Inside/Out series includes theatrical contemporary dance from Buglisi Dance Theatre (June 27), acclaimed contemporary ballet choreographer Emery LeCrone's company (July 17), distinguished modern choreographer Marta Renzi with her Project Co. (July 24), a Pacific Northwest Ballet soloist in Molissa Fenley's State of Darkness (August 7), students of The School at Jacob's Pillow (every Saturday evening), and many other dance companies.

The School at Jacob's Pillow is equally international and varied in scope in 2014, with pre-professional dancers from around the world selected by audition for rigorous, often career-changing programs in Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance. Artist faculty and program directors include esteemed ballet master teacher and coach Anna-Marie Holmes; former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Maxim Beloserkovsky; Madeleine Onne, former principal dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet and current Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet; top tap artists Michelle Dorrance, Jason Samuels Smith, and Dianne Walker; master teacher Milton Myers; Broadway choreographer and director Chet Walker, and many others.

Free PillowTalks feature directors, choreographers, visual artists, authors and filmmakers Fridays at 5pm and Saturdays at 4pm. This year's schedule includes talks with ballet stars Misty Copeland and Virginia Johnson (July 12), celebrated dancemaker Mark Morris (July 25), choreographer John Heginbotham and composer Colin Jacobsen (August 2), Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne (August 23), and other noted figures, as well as screenings of Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun (July 19) and Jaclyn Paré's Tap or Die (July 5) with the filmmakers participating. In addition, four screenings of notable recent dance films will be presented on selected Sunday afternoons at 4:30pm.

Pre-Show Briefings are given by Pillow Scholars-in-Residence 30 minutes before every performance; Post-Show Talks are held Thursdays in the Doris Duke Theatre and Fridays in the Ted Shawn Theatre; and public tours are held Thursdays and Saturdays at 5:30pm. Free photography and art exhibits are open to the public throughout the Festival, including Gotta Dance!, an extraordinary collection of vintage dance movie posters; Denishawn Centennial, honoring 100 years since the marriage of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn and the founding of the Denishawn company; and 104 Work Weeks: On Tour With Merce Cunningham Dance Company, a collection of Kenneth E. Parris's drawings and paintings of the Cunningham Company's final Legacy Tour. Community dance activities take place throughout the summer including Free Fun Friday on July 4th, and Weekend OUT, a weekend of welcome for LGBT families, friends, and individuals, will take place August 8-10.

This summer marks the second year of Seeing Dance, Talking Dance, a series of engagement activities including essays, talks and discussion groups, and digital materials. Festival 2014 activities will include informal audience chats following performances by Dance Theater of Harlem, Companhia Urbana de Dança, Dance Heginbotham, and David Rousséve/REALITY, and discussion prompts tucked across the Pillow's historic grounds. Seeing Dance, Talking Dance is funded by Engaging Dance Audiences, a project of Dance/USA.

A full schedule of all ticketed and free events is below.

82nd FESTIVAL FREE EXHIBITS - ON VIEW JUNE 14-AUGUST 24

Gotta Dance!

Blake's Barn

Open Tues through Sun, noon through final curtain.

The art of the dance movie poster is celebrated in this extraordinary group of vintage posters from throughout the world, selected from the personal collection of one of the genre's foremost experts, Mike Kaplan, an award winning campaign designer and producer. Among the star dancers featured are Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, and Astaire & Rogers, with a special salute to Marge Champion on the occasion of her 95th birthday.

Denishawn Centennial

Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby

Open 60 minutes pre-performance

One hundred years ago this summer, the iconic dance soloist Ruth St. Denis married Pillow founder Ted Shawn and formed a company that spawned American modern dance. Their union was celebrated here with a lavish 50th Anniversary celebration in 1964 (despite their formal separation in 1930), and now their partnership is explored through treasures from the Jacob's Pillow Archives.

104 Work Weeks: On Tour With Merce Cunningham Dance Company

Doris Duke Theatre Lobby

Open 60 minutes pre-performance

Visual artist Kenneth E. Parris III documented the Merce Cunningham Dance Company's final tour in a series of drawings and paintings focusing on the dancers' backstage life, displayed here on the five-year anniversary of the company's last Pillow performances and Merce Cunningham's death that same week.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Archives

Blake's Barn

Open Tues-Sun, noon to approximately 9pm

This 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. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s. Visitors may also sample videos from other Dance Heritage Coalition archives and companies throughout the country. FREE

FESTIVAL 2014 SCHEDULE

Additional Festival 2014 artist information and preview videos can be found at jacobspillow.org.

Member Appreciation Film

Sunday, June 8, 3pm

Jacob's Pillow Members of all levels are invited to a free, exclusive screening of The Fabulous Ice Age, a new documentary about ice dancing, with special appearances by the film's director and prominent participants. Membership starts at $60; visit jacobspillow.org to learn more about becoming a member.

Season Opening Gala

Saturday, June 14, 5:30pm

Honorary Co-Chairs of the 2014 Gala include Bill and Camille Cosby, and Carmen de Lavallade, who will dance as part of the evening's performance. The Gala program also features members of Trey McIntyre Project in McIntyre's Bad Winter, set to music by The Cinematic Orchestra, and The Hong Kong Ballet performing a duet from The Frog Prince, choreographed by Yuri Ng. Dancers of the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow will present a world premiere created on them in four days by Jessica Lang, whose company, Jessica Lang Dance, made its official company debut at the Pillow in 2012. This signature fundraising event also includes the presentation of the 2014 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award to an artist who has made significant contributions to the field, dinner, a live auction, and dancing. Tickets and tables available for purchase at jacobspillow.org/gala

The Hong Kong Ballet

Wednesday, June 18 - Saturday, June 21, 8pm

Saturday, June 21 & Sunday, June 22, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

CHINA

Following its 2012 American debut at Jacob's Pillow, The Hong Kong Ballet returns with sleek elegance, technical precision, and a range of contemporary ballets. Directed by Madeleine Onne, former Artistic Director of The Royal Swedish Ballet, the company performs a varied program that includes Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor's In Light and Shadow, set to Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations" and "Orchestral Suite in D Major No. 3". The company's male dancers will present Nacho Duato's commanding 2002 work Castrati, which explores themes of masculinity and sacrifice to the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Karl Jenkins. A poetic trio from A Room of Her Own, by National Ballet of China resident choreographer Fei Bo, closes the program. Tickets $39-69, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

Carmen de Lavallade in As I Remember It

Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21 8:15pm

Sunday, June 22, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

WORLD PREMIERE

Carmen de Lavallade's unparalleled career as a dancer, choreographer, and stage and film actress spans more than six decades working with luminaries such as Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Alvin Ailey, and many others. She holds the distinction of the longest Pillow performing career on record, having made her Jacob's Pillow debut with Lester Horton Dance Theatre in 1953 and performing at the Festival as recently as 2004 (with Paradigm). In the world premiere of her new solo show, As I Remember It, de Lavallade combines poignant movement and storytelling to weave a theatrical memoir about her venerable life on stage. Limited engagement, only three performances. Tickets $22-38, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Harvard Dance Project

Wednesday, June 18, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Students from Harvard University perform contemporary work by Jill Johnson, director of the dance program. The Harvard Dance Project is a for-credit course for undergraduate students, which Johnson calls a "chance to dive into performance research and what it means to be an artist in 2014." FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: New Generation Dance Company

Thursday, June 19, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dardo Galletto, a former dancer with Julio Bocca's company, founded New Generation Dance Company with his wife, Karina Romero, after moving to New York from their native Buenos Aires. NGDC has appeared over several New York seasons in programs of traditional tango alongside Galletto's signature tango/ballet fusion. FREE

Free PillowTalk: The Evolution of Institutions

Friday, June 20, 5pm

Blake's Barn

This summer's grand reopening of the expanded Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts offers an opportunity for Director Michael Conforti to sit down with the Pillow's Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff for a discussion on how their institutions have evolved. Conforti celebrates twenty years as director of the Clark this year; Baff has been leading the Pillow for more than fifteen years. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: American Dance Guild

Friday, June 20, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

A sampling of contemporary choreography. The American Dance Guild is committed to preserving the living history of modern dance, while promoting new works. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Carmen & Geoffrey

Saturday, June 21, 4pm

Blake's Barn

The one-and-only Carmen de Lavallade makes a special personal appearance following the screening of a stellar documentary about her life and career alongside artist/director husband Geoffrey Holder. Extended 90-minute program. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Ballet Program, The School at Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, June 21, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present a work created on them in only four days by acclaimed choreographer Jessica Lang, as well as classical variations coached by program director Anna-Marie Holmes. FREE

Trey McIntyre Project

Wednesday, June 25 - Saturday, June 28, 8pm

Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

FINAL FAREWELL PERFORMANCES

LIVE MUSIC

Called "engaging and provocative" by Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe, Trey McIntyre's dances overflow with fresh intelligence, unabashed physicality, and sprit. His company first appeared at the Pillow in 2005 and has since performed during four other Festivals, including its official full-time company debut in 2008. This summer's engagement marks the final performances of the current Trey McIntyre Project, which will broaden its focus to include other new artistic projects. TMP's Festival 2014 program features The Vinegar Works: Four Dances of Moral Instruction, a new work inspired by the surreal imagination of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey and his characteristic pen-and-ink drawings. The Vinegar Works will be performed with live music by Trio Solaris, a prestigious group comprised of the Music Institute of Chicago's top Fellow Laureates. Other works include the East Coast premiere of Mercury Half-Life, set entirely to the music of legendary rock band Queen, including beloved ballads "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" as well as lesser-known songs such as "Love of My Life" and "Millionaire Waltz." Tickets $39-75, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

Unreal Hip-Hop

Wednesday, June 25 - Saturday, June 28, 8:15pm

Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff brings together some of hip-hop's most innovative dancemakers for this new, Pillow-exclusive production. Unreal Hip-Hop features the diverse styles of all-female crew Decadancetheatre, b-girl Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie, and freestyle and pop 'n' lock duo The Wondertwins. Directed by Jennifer Weber, Brooklyn-based Decadancetheatre performs 4, its interpretation of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." Boston-based identical twin brothers Billy and Bobby McClain, a.k.a. The Wondertwins, have toured the world with the likes of Bobby Brown, won Amateur Night at The Apollo six times, and performed at numerous international festivals and conventions with their rapid-fire pop 'n' lock style. Asherie, called "fiercely talented" by Siobhan Burke of The New York Times, performs a selection of acclaimed solos and duets. Tickets $22-42, $10 Youth Tickets for select shows, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745. Due to scheduling conflicts, hip-hop artist Storyboard P will not perform as part of Unreal Hip-Hop.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Sayat Nova Dance Company

Wednesday, June 25, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

The Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston (SNDC) was formed in 1986 as an independent, non-profit dance ensemble, under the direction of Apo Ashjian. SNDC performs traditional Armenian folk dance, which is recognized as a celebration and reflection of the life and legacy of the Armenian people. Each dance symbolizes livelihood, aspirations, legends, and an appreciation of beauty. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Thursday, June 26, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Choreographer Nai-Ni Chen fuses dynamic modern dance with traditional Asian forms to create "endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy" (The New York Times). Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has toured internationally to Mexico, China, Korea, and Poland, presenting mesmerizing and dramatic works that defy cultural boundaries. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Gotta Collect!

Friday, June 27, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Mike Kaplan, award-winning poster art director (A Clockwork Orange) and producer (The Whales of August) talks about poster design and his monumental collection highlighted in GOTTA DANCE!, an exclusive Blake's Barn exhibition at the Pillow this summer. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Buglisi Dance Theatre

Friday, June 27, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Artistic Director and former Martha Graham Dance Company member Jacqulyn Buglisi creates theatrical, emotional contemporary dances with multidisciplinary inspirations, saying: "using images, literature, poetry, heroic archetypes and a consuming physicality, I craft dances that explore human relationships revealing the bold visceral strengths, humor and exquisite vulnerabilities of the individual." Buglisi Dance Theatre celebrated its 20th anniversary season last year. Since 2011, the company has presented an annual concert in commemoration of the 9/11 attacks called "The Table of Silence" at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Trey McIntyre's Best Moves

Saturday, June 28, 4pm

Blake's Barn

In this final week of performances by Trey McIntyre Project, a panel of friends and fans pay homage and show clips from some of their favorite McIntyre dances. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Tap Program, The School at Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, June 28, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Tap Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present variations coached by program director Michelle Dorrance. Dorrance is a recipient of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award (2013), and her troupe Dorrance Dance performs for two weeks in the Doris Duke Theatre, July 16-27. FREE

Sunday Film Event: Never Stand Still

Sunday, June 29, 4:30pm

Blake's Barn

Never Stand Still is Ron Honsa's award-winning documentary about Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, featuring interviews with legendary dancemakers and behind-the-scenes footage. This is the only opportunity to see this remarkable film onsite during Festival 2014. Tickets $10, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Wednesday, July 2-Saturday, July 5, 8pm

Thursday, July 3, Saturday, July 5 & Sunday, July 6, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

The popular Chicago-based contemporary company returns to the Festival for the first time since 2010, bringing a sensational varied?program. Directed by Glenn Edgerton, the 16-member company performs the dramatic Mediterranean-inspired work Gnawa, choreographed by Nacho Duato. The program also includes Ji?í Kylián's vivid Falling Angels, a stark all-female work created for Nederlands Dans Theatre in 1989 and danced to "Drumming" by contemporary composer Steve Reich. The company's production of Falling Angels earlier this year was called "a gorgeous combination of energetic and hypnotic, a celebration of what the body can do" by Lauren Whalen of Chicago Theater Beat. PACOPEPEPLUTO, by Hubbard Street company member and resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, closes the show with a trio for three male dancers set to the sweet songs of Dean Martin, "rich in circular turns, jumps and dashing Olympian form" (Sid Smith of The Chicago Tribune). Seven show engagement. Tickets $39-75, available online at jacobspillow.organd via phone 413.243.0745

Compagnia T.P.O. in Bleu!

July 2-6

Wednesday, July 2, Thursday, July 3, & Friday, July 4, 4:15pm, 8:15pm

Saturday, July 5, 11:15am, 3:15pm, 8:15pm

Sunday, July 6, 11:15am, 3:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

ITALY

Based in the Tuscany region of Italy, the innovative theatre company Compagnia T.P.O. presents Bleu!, a wondrous interactive production for children and the young at heart. Directed by David Venturini and Francesco Gandi, T.P.O. invites audiences to a journey under the sea with this spectacle of light, animation, and movement. Through immersive technology and imaginative set design, Bleu! explores a mythical world of sea creatures and ancient legends. Audiences of all ages are invited onstage to engage with the dancers and the motion-sensored set, or they can choose to just sit back and enjoy the adventure.Expanded ten-show engagement. $28 General admission, $10 Youth Tickets for all shows (must be accompanied by an adult ticket). Tickets available online at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745

Free Inside/Out Performance: Patricia Kenny Dance Collection

Wednesday, July 2, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

This New York-based group performs lush and lyrical contemporary choreography. The company's repertory includes works by Robert Battle, Katarzyna Skarpetowska?, Orion Duckstein, and artistic director Patricia Kenny Reilly, a former member of Parsons Dance. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Amalgamate Dance Company

Thursday, July 3, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Contemporary dance, fearless partnering, and silky virtuosity - with a social purpose. Founded in 2005, Amalgamate Dance Company's mission is to raise awareness around significant topics and events that affect human development through authentic storytelling. Artistic Director Alana Marie Urda creates dance events that educate audiences, involve communities, and provide opportunities for dancers. FREE

July 4th at the Pillow

Friday, July 4, all day

The Pillow hosts Free Fun Friday, supported by the Highland Street Foundation, with free daytime activities, Kids Corners, a themed PillowTalk, guided tour of the historic grounds, performance on the Inside/Out stage with stunning views of the Berkshire Hills, and a late-night event with DJ BFG.

Free PillowTalk: Dancing Fourth at the Pillow

Friday, July 4, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Jacob's Pillow typically celebrates Independence Day with dance of all kinds, from all around the world. Some themed video highlights and special memories from years past help illustrate that every day is a holiday here at this world-renowned center for dance. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Yin Yue Dance Company

Friday, July 4, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded by choreographer Yin Yue, Yin Yue Dance is a New York City-based contemporary dance company. Yin's work entertains the contrast between fluidity and explosive strength, sensuality and power. Yin Yue Dance returns to Jacob's Pillow with works exemplifying virtuosity and grace. FREE

Free PillowTalk Film: Tap or Die

Saturday, July 5, 4pm

Blake's Barn

Loaded with terrific dance sequences and rare Pillow footage, this documentary film focuses on both the triumphs and the challenges faced by today's tap artists. The screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Jaclyn Paré. This event coincides with the Tap Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow, directed this summer by 2013 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award recipient Michelle Dorrance, who appears in the film. Extended 90-minute program. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Tap Program, The School at Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, July 5, 6:15pm

Dancers from the Tap Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present variations coached by program director Michelle Dorrance. Dorrance is a recipient of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award (2013), and her troupe Dorrance Dance performs for two weeks in the Doris Duke Theatre, July 16-27. FREE

Dance Theatre of Harlem

Wednesday, July 9 - Saturday, July 12, 8pm

Thursday, July 10, Saturday, July 12, & Sunday, July 13, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

Since the company gave its first professional performance at Jacob's Pillow in 1970, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Pillow have enjoyed a deep artistic relationship. Following a successful opening week of Festival 2013, DTH returns with an all-new program, led by Artistic Director and founding company member Virginia Johnson. The company performs Past-Carry-Forward, created for DTH by Tanya Wideman and Thaddeus Davis, which captures the design, significance, and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. Donald Byrd's contemporary ballet Contested Space features a plethora of solos and duets packed with smooth shape shifting and flexibility. The centerpiece of this dynamic evening is the late choreographer Ulysses Dove's moving, elegiac ballet Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, danced to "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten" by Arvo Pärt. Seven show engagement. Tickets $39-75, $10 Youth tickets for select shows, available online at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group in Moses(es)

Wednesday, July 9 - Saturday, July 12, 8:15pm

Saturday, July 12 & Sunday, July 13, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

Inspired by Zora Neale Hurston's book Moses, Man of the Mountain as well as cultural explorations in Israel, Egypt, and Turkey, choreographer Reggie Wilson's latest work Moses(es) takes audiences on a captivating journey. Wilson's precise, energetic fusion of modern and African dance is remarkable; Brian Seibert of The New York Times comments, "The dance vocabulary is rich: wide squats, jumps that spin and kick, Egyptian poses, arms rippling like bulrushes, heavy steps." The choreography is married to a diverse score, arranged by Wilson, which includes music by Louis Armstrong, The Klezmatics, Amahlokohloko, Ngqoko Women's Ensemble, MaZarher, Aly-Us, Tiger, Bi Kidude, Southern Sons, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and traditional African-American spirituals "Wade In the Water" and "Eli, Eli (Somebody Call Eli)" sung live by the artists of Fist & Heel Performance Group. Tickets $22-38, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Ryan P. Casey & Dancers

Wednesday, July 9, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Ryan P. Casey, a founding company member of Michelle Dorrance's Dorrance Dance, presents exciting tap dance. Originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, Casey has studied at The School at Jacob's Pillow and appeared on So You Think You Can Dance. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Abarukas

Thursday, July 10, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Abarukas was founded in 2009 by Yoshito Sakuraba, who came to New York from his native Japan at the age of 19 and studied at the Martha Graham School. Sakuraba's choreography layers precise detail, intricate patterns, and emotionally evocative sound scores to create theatrical contemporary dance. The dancers of Abarukas hail from across the United States, Chile, Spain, Taiwan, and China. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Talking About Dance

Friday, July 11, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Ever-increasing audiences nationwide are attending public talks to enhance their performance experiences, and here a dynamic panel discusses this trend. The Pillow has long held informational pre-show talks and post-show discussions, while the new Seeing Dance, Talking Dance project incorporates essays, videos, and informal audience chats, and this discussion offers insight into these efforts. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Williams College Dance Department

Friday, July 11, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Members of student groups CoDa, Kusika, Sankofa, and the Zambezi Marimba Band of the department of dance at Williams College perform diverse works. Alumni of the Williams College Dance Department have gone on to dance with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Sarah Skaggs, Ben Munisteri, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and David Neumann/advanced beginner group, among others. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Black Ballerinas: What's New?

Saturday, July 12, 4pm

Blake's Barn

Misty Copeland has written a new book about her life as American Ballet Theatre's only black soloist, while Virginia Johnson now directs Dance Theatre of Harlem. Here they discuss both achievements and challenges for ballet dancers of color. FREE

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

Saturday, July 12, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present contemporary variations coached by program director Milton Myers and faculty members including Stijn Celis, Mark Morris, and Marguerite Donlon. FREE

BALLET 2014

Wednesday, July 16 - Saturday, July 19, 8pm

Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

This exclusive presentation offers a rare opportunity to experience some of today's most elite ballet dancers in the intimate 620-seat Ted Shawn Theatre. New York City Ballet Principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Russell Janzen, Emily Kikta, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, Teresa Reichlen, and others. The program is equally impressive, including Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy, danced to Arvo Pärt's "Fratres;" Two Hearts, a collaboration between Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly; Furiant, created by NYCB Soloist Justin Peck; Sunshine, a solo for Ulbricht by Larry Keigwin; a world premiere duet by critically acclaimed young choreographer Emery LeCrone; and the classic Fancy Free, the first ballet created by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein in 1944, which subsequently inspired the full-length musical On The Town. Cast subject to change. Tickets $45-75 available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Dorrance Dance

Wednesday, July 16 - Saturday, July 19 & Wednesday, July 23 - Saturday, July 26, 8:15pm

Saturday, July 19, Sunday, July 20, Saturday, July 26, & Sunday, July 27, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

WORLD PREMIERE

Michelle Dorrance, widely acknowledged as one of today's most accomplished tap artists, is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, musician, and director. In 2013 she was honored with the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, performed at the Pillow's Season Opening Gala, and, along with composer and musician Toshi Reagon, presented the world premiere of The Blues Project to sold-out houses. This season, Dorrance Dance premieres a collaborative new show featuring b-girl Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie; innovative tap dance instruments created by STOMP and Dorrance Dance member Nicholas Young, whose work is featured in the new documentary Tap or Die; and live music by the sensational vocalist Aaron Marcellus, a former American Idol contestant who appeared at Jacob's Pillow last year as part of the Season Opening Gala. This new work was created in part during a Creative Development Residency at the Pillow. (Dorrance will also serve as director for The School at Jacob's Pillow's 2014 Tap Program, June 23-July 6.) Two-week run. Tickets $22-45 available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Free Inside/Out Performance: DANCE IQUAIL

Wednesday, July 16, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dance Iquail was founded by Iquail Shaheed, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, with the mission to use the art of dance as a conduit for combating issues of social injustice. The highly trained members of Dance Iquail have performed with MOMIX, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, the National Ballet Company, and David Dorfman Dance. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Emery LeCrone Dance

Thursday, July 17, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Critically acclaimed choreographer Emery LeCrone-a prominent alumna of The School at Jacob's Pillow-presents contemporary ballet works. LeCrone's work will also be performed this week in the Ted Shawn Theatre as part of BALLET 2014. Called "one to watch" by Marina Harss (The Faster Times) and praised for her "genuine choreographic gifts" by Roslyn Sulcas (The New York Times), LeCrone has worked with dancers from New York City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theater, and Ballet West, among others. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Legacies of Robbins and Balanchine

Friday, July 18, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Commemorating this week's BALLET 2014 performances of Fancy Free-the first Jerome Robbins ballet to be performed at Jacob's Pillow since 1949- Ellen Sorrin discusses her role in safeguarding the legacies of both Robbins and George Balanchine. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: OUI Danse

Friday, July 18, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers fuse commercial expertise with technical virtuosity and expressive theatricality in engaging, propulsive works. Oui Danse was founded in 2013 by French artist Brice Mousset, whose international credits include works for the stage, the runway, the screen, and fashion spreads. FREE

Free PillowTalk Film: Afternoon of a Faun

Saturday July 19, 4pm

Blake's Barn

The subject of Nancy Buirski's poetic new film is Tanaquil LeClercq, the iconic Balanchine ballerina (and last of his wives) who was tragically struck by polio at the height of her fame. The filmmaker will be on hand to discuss her film, which features rare Pillow footage. Extended 90-minute program. FREE

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

Saturday, July 19, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present contemporary variations coached by program director Milton Myers and faculty members including Stijn Celis, Mark Morris, and Marguerite Donlon. FREE

Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble

Wednesday, July 23-Saturday, July 26, 8pm

Thursday, July 24, Saturday, July 26 & Sunday, July 27, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

Mark Morris is celebrated for his deep, witty, poetic, brazen, joyful dances and an abiding commitment to live music. The Pillow celebrates Morris and his company with a weeklong "festival within the Festival", featuring talks, a concert by the MMDG Music Ensemble, music seminars and Mark Morris repertory taught in The School at Jacob's Pillow, and an exclusive seven-show engagement. Each performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre includes Festival Dance, which prompted Robert Gottlieb of The New York Observer to proclaim, "it's charming, it's exhilarating, it's unexpected"; A Wooden Tree, set to words and music by Ivor Cutler; Crosswalk, one of Morris's newest works; and the gorgeous duet Jenn and Spencer, all accompanied by live music. Seven show engagement. Tickets $45-75 available at jacobspillow.org or via phone413.243.0745

Free Inside/Out Performance: LehrerDance

Wednesday, July 23, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Artistic Director Jon Lehrer fuses modern and jazz dance to create LehrerDance, an expressive and energetic style. Lehrer, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, draws on his eclectic background as a professional dancer with modern legends such as Anna Sokolow and the Erick Hawkins Dance Company as well as Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and Merv Griffin's "Funderful," a musical variety show in Atlantic City. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Marta Renzi & The Project Co.

Thursday, July 24, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Distinguished choreographer Marta Renzi has made over 75 dances for her Project Company, as well as creating work for groups across the U.S. and abroad and self-producing multiple dances for camera. Renzi was an inaugural artist in the "Inside/Out" performance series at Jacob's Pillow in 1983; she returns with her company, which will perform The Book of Breath and The Great World Spins. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Mark Morris on Music

Friday, July 25, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Critics often single out Mark Morris for his musicality, and this conversation with the choreographer himself delves into his musical influences and his working relationships with both dancers and musicians. The Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble perform this week in the Ted Shawn Theatre. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: SIMERSON & CO.

Friday, July 24, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Adventurous works by Brian Simerson, formerly of MOMIX. Simerson celebrated his 20th anniversary with MOMIX in 2013; in recent years he has also taught internationally in over 20 countries and served as resident choreographer for the Nutmeg Ballet. FREE

Free PillowTalk: A Chat with Chet

Saturday, July 25, 4pm

Blake's Barn

Celebrating fifteen years as director of The School at Jacob's Pillow's Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program, Broadway choreographer Chet Walker (Pippin, Fosse) talks about his busy professional life and working with young dancers. FREE

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

Saturday, July 26, 6:15

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present contemporary variations coached by program director Milton Myers. Members of the Mark Morris Dance Group serve on faculty this week and will teach company repertory, including excerpts from Grand Duo. 2014 Contemporary Program faculty include Stijn Celis, Mark Morris, and Marguerite Donlon. FREE

Mark Morris Music Ensemble Concert

Sunday, July 27, 11am

Ted Shawn Theatre

The Mark Morris Dance Group Music Ensemble, formed in 1996, performs with the dance group at home and on tour and has become integral to the company's creative life. The core ensemble, supplemented by musicians from a large roster of regular guests, has helped the dance company achieve an unprecedented streak of nearly 800 performances with live music. The ensemble's repertory ranges from 17th-century works by John Wilson and Henry Purcell to more recent scores by Lou Harrison and Henry Cowell. Tickets $15, general admission, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Sunday Film Event: Paul Taylor: Creative Domain

Sunday, July 27, 4:30pm

Kate Geis's revealing documentary about acclaimed dancemaker Paul Taylor includes rare footage of Taylor in the studio, offering a fascinating look at his creative process. The filmmaker will be on hand to answer questions after the screening, which will be introduced by Taylor biographer Suzanne Carbonneau. Tickets $10, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Circa in "S"

Wednesday, July 30-Saturday, August 2, 8pm

Sunday, August 3, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

AUSTRALIA

Bringing circus arts into the 21st century, the astonishing performers of the Australian company Circa communicate the power of the human body through acrobatics, aerial work, and mind-bending feats of strength. Directed by Yaron Lifschitz, its new production S is sensual, sinuous, sophisticated, and spectacular. Seven performers including gymnasts, physical theatre and circus artists, and contortionists are accompanied by intoxicating music from Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, percussionist Samuli Kosminen, and The Kronos Quartet. Kelli Rogers of The Australian comments "S will test any preconceived ideas you may have about the physical limitations of the human body." Tickets $39-59, $10 Youth tickets for select shows, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Dance Heginbotham and Brooklyn Rider in Chalk and Soot

Wednesday, July 30-Saturday, August 2, 8:15pm

Saturday, August 2 & Sunday, August 3, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

WORLD PREMIERE

In the world premiere of Chalk and Soot, choreographer John Heginbotham, the Artistic Director of Dance Heginbotham and alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, and violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen,"one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene" (Washington Post), combine their unique artistic forces. Inspired by Vasily Kandinsky's book of poems entitled Sounds, this evening-length premiere features imaginative, theatrical choreography; live music performed by superstar string quartet Brooklyn Rider; the vocal styling of Shara Worden, the acclaimed singer-songwriter and founder of indie-pop group My Brightest Diamond; and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane on harmonium. Chalk and Soot was created in part through a Jacob's Pillow Creative Development Residency, Heginbotham's second. Tickets $22-42, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Free Inside/Out Performance: New York Celtic Dancers

Wednesday, July 30, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

New York Celtic Dancers (NYCD) brings a program of Scottish dance with live music. While based in tradition, NYCD encourages innovation; in the past, the company has set traditional steps to rock music and created an unusual jig in collaboration with a percussionist. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Rukmini Vijayakumar

Thursday, July 31, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Rukmini Vijayakumar performs a style of classical Indian dance called Bharatanatyam. In addition to Indian forms, Vijayakumar is trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, African, choreography, and Laban movement analysis, and has appeared in two Tamil films. In 2013, she spoke at the TEDx Hindustan University conference, discussing the significance of classical Indian dance. FREE

Free PillowTalk: How Like An Angel

Friday, August 1, 5pm

Blake's Barn

This unusual film combines the daredevil physicality of the circus-arts group CIRCA with a live performance of baroque music in the breathtaking beauty of several historic English cathedrals. A performer from CIRCA introduces the film. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Dawn Lane

Friday, August 1, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon performance Space

Choreographer, performer, and educator Dawn Lane presents interactive dance for all ages. Lane is the Artistic Director of Community Access to the Arts, a Berkshire County organization nurturing and celebrating the creative abilities of people with disabilities. Her work has been performed at Jacob's Pillow, The Egg, the Unicorn Theater, and The Harman Center for the Arts, among others. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Chalk and Soot: Composing & Choreographing

Saturday, August 2, 4pm

Blake's Barn

Choreographer John Heginbotham and composer Colin Jacobsen premiere Chalk and Soot this week in the Doris Duke Theatre. Heginbotham studied dance composition at Jacob's Pillow in 1991 with the legendary Bessie Schönberg, and has returned many times since as a dancer with Mark Morris and other companies. The choreographer and composer discuss their inspirations, their working process, and the journey thus far. FREE

Alumni Reception

Saturday, August 2, 5pm

Blake's Barn

Alumni of The School at Jacob's Pillow and Intern Program are invited to a reception, where they can meet and mingle with fellow students, staff, interns, and board members from decades past. The School at Jacob's Pillow encompasses professional training programs in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as the Intern Program which offers hands-on arts administration experience during the summer Festival and year-round. RSVP to info@jacobspillow.org.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, The School at Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, August 2, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Students from the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance program of The School at Jacob's Pillow perform repertory works coached by guest faculty and program director Chet Walker, who celebrates fifteen years at Jacob's Pillow this summer. FREE

Sunday Film Event - Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter

Sunday, August 3, 4:30pm

Greg Vander Veer's new documentary, Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter, tells the inspiring and largely unknown story of Martha Hill, whose life was defined by her love for dance. Through archival footage, lively interviews with friends and intimates, and rare footage of the spirited subject, the film explores Hills's arduous path from her Ohio childhood to faculty posts at New York University and Bennington College, ultimately leading to a position of power and influence as Juilliard's founding director of dance (1952-1985). The filmmaker will be present to introduce and discuss his film. Tickets $10, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Wednesday, August 6-Saturday, August 9, 8pm

Saturday, August 9 & Sunday, August 10, 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

Under the direction of former New York City Ballet principal Peter Boal, one of America's top ballet companies makes a rare East Coast appearance. The company's program includes British choreographer David Dawson's exuberant A Million Kisses to My Skin; Tony-award-winning choreographer Susan Stroman's jazzy TAKE FIVE...More or Less, set to music by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond; Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Before After, a duet created in 2002 for the Dutch National Ballet with music by Marc van Roon; and Nacho Duato's Rassemblement, inspired by and danced to the music of Haitian singer Toto Bissainthe. Tickets $45-75, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745

David Roussève/REALITY in Stardust

Wednesday, August 6-Saturday, August 9, 8:15pm

Saturday, August 9 & Sunday, August 10, 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

WEEKEND OUT

Victoria Looseleaf of The Los Angeles Times calls choreographer David Roussève's latest contemporary dance-theatre work Stardust, "a transcendent coming of age tale." In this 80-minute work, the exceptional performers of David Roussève/REALITY explore the world of a young, gay, African-American man through arresting choreography; video projections including unanswered texts; original music by composer d. Sabela grimes; and classic songs interpreted by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Mathis. Poignant, riveting, and challenging, Stardust depicts a moving portrait of the struggle for love and acceptance. Patrons are invited to stay for an informal Audience Chat following the Sunday matinee performance. Tickets $22-38, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745

WEEKEND OUT at the Pillow

Friday, August 8 -Sunday, August 10

While Jacob's Pillow welcomes LGBT

To post a comment, you must register and login.