Jacob's Pillow Opens Applications For 2018 INSIDE/OUT: Chance To Dance Viewers' Choice Contest

Jacob's Pillow invites dance artists across all genres to participate in the Inside/Out: Chance to Dance viewers' choice contest.

What: The Chance to Dance contest is a crowd-sourced online competition that gives dance fans from all around the world a say in who is invited to perform as part of Festival 2018's Inside/Out Performance Series. Last year over 91 artists representing 17 different states and 8 different countries submitted applications. This year, the Pillow is calling for submissions from all 50 states to showcase the range of dance found across the United States.

The free, outdoor Inside/Out Performance Series highlights both new and established dance companies in a variety of genres from across the United States and around the world. The series is a beloved tradition and an essential means to fulfill the Pillow's mission. Featuring dance styles ranging from classical ballet and hip-hop, to tap and folkloric dance, the venue is geared toward educating audiences about dance in a casual setting, giving an opportunity to all people, regardless of their financial means, to experience dance. The highly selective series receives hundreds of applications each year, offering approximately 30 engagements to artists. During Festival 2017, Inside/Out performances included the acrobatic shape-shifters Pilobolus; hip-hop and house movers Passion Fruit; traditional American Indian dance troupe Thunderbird American Indian Dancers; Tennessee-based ballet ensemble Collage Dance Collective, among others.

How: Applicants can submit a sample video of their work to the Jacob's Pillow website between February 13-25. Submissions will close on February 25 at 11:59pmEST. Video submissions must be no more than three minutes in length. Content of submissions must be family-friendly and suitable for an outdoor proscenium stage. All submissions will go through an internal selection process that will narrow applicants down to five finalists. The five finalists' videos will be posted on PillowTV, the Jacob's Pillow YouTube page, and will be open for public voting from March 26-April 1.

To learn more and apply visit: www.jacobspillow.org/chance-dance-contest

Who: U.S.-based artists and groups of all genres and sizes are encouraged to apply.

When: Submissions to the contest will be accepted from February 13-25. Five finalists will be announced March 26; voting is open to the public on PillowTV from March 26-April 1. The winner will be announced the on evening of April 2 and will perform on Friday August 3, 2018 as a part of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2018.

Where: Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.

ABOUT JACOB'S PILLOW: Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival. While celebrating its 85th Festival in 2017, the Pillow announced its transition to becoming a year-round center for dance through a five-year strategic plan titled Vision '22. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and over 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. 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, Contemporary, Musical Theatre Dance, Choreography, and an annual rotating program (Gaga in 2018). The Pillow also provides professional advancement opportunities across disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production through seasonal internships and a year-round Administrative Fellows program. With growing community engagement programs, the Pillow serves as a partner and active citizen in its local community. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public and online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, 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.

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