Jacob's Pillow Presents Jessica Lang Dance in THE WANDERER, July 29-August 9

Contemporary ballet company Jessica Lang Dance, led by founder, choreographer, and Artistic Director Jessica Lang, returns to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival for an extended two-week run of The Wanderer, July 29-August 9 in the Doris Duke Theatre.

Lang, whose prolific choreographic career began in 1999, has "a gift for conveying emotion with exquisite simplicity" (Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post). The Wanderer, Lang's first full-length contemporary story ballet, is set to Franz Schubert's famous song cycle "Die schöne Müllerin," which will be performed live by baritones Steven LaBrie and John Boehr and pianist Tyson Deaton. Sweeping choreography paired with imaginative sets created by award-winning designer Mimi Lien, costumes by fashion designer and former Mark Morris Dance Group company member Bradon McDonald, and lighting by Nicole Pearce bring The Wanderer's romantic narrative to life. The Wanderer was created in part during a Creative Development Residency at the Pillow in 2014.

The Wanderer, "which translates Schubert's song cycle 'Die schöne Müllerin' into dance, is a work of high craftsmanship" (Brian Seibert, The New York Times). Schubert's musical score of poems by 19th century Romantic poet Wilhelm Müller depicts the story of a young wanderer who explores the countryside, following a brook until he arrives at a mill. He falls in love with a miller's daughter, but his love is unrequited, as the girl is instead wooed by a hunter. The heartbroken wanderer finally drowns himself in the brook out of despair. The wanderer, girl, hunter, and brook are each characters in Lang's work, along with a small ensemble of four dancers that acts as the chorus. Mimi Lien's inventive set design for The Wanderer features 2,700 yards of white string trees attached to the theater ceiling, creating a forest through which the dancers move, interact, and transform as the narrative progresses. Clifton Brown, noted for "the lyrical grace and translucent inwardness of his performances" (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times), will dance the role of the Wanderer, along with Kirk Henning; both are founding members of Jessica Lang Dance. Other members of Lang's accomplished cast have trained at The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, The Ailey School/Fordham University, New World School of the Arts, and the University of Oklahoma School of Dance, and performed with Kansas City Ballet, L.A. Dance Project, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, among others.

Lang, a graduate of The Juilliard School and former company member in Twyla Tharp's company THARP!, has created more than 85 ballets for companies across the U.S. and abroad. Praised for her expert visual constructions, "it's easy to imagine her sketching as she choreographs, or carefully arranging her dancers one by one, like a photographer or still-life painter" (Tresca Weinstein, Dance Magazine). Just three years after founding Jessica Lang Dance, Lang received the Outstanding Emerging Choreographer Award at the 30th Annual New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") awards in 2014, and she became a New York City Center fellow shortly after in 2015. In addition to Jacob's Pillow, her company has performed at renowned festivals and venues across the U.S., including BAM's Next Wave Festival, New York City Center's Fall for Dance Festival, and the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, among others.

PILLOW CONNECTIONS

This year marks Jessica Lang Dance's third Pillow season since the company's debut in 2012 in the Doris Duke Theatre. The company most recently performed Within the Space I Hold, A Solo in Nine Parts, Aria, White (film), and i.n.k as part of the 2013 season, after which Lang participated in a September 2014 Creative Development Residency when she created The Wanderer. She has also served as a guest choreographer in the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow in 2014, creating a work for the dancers which premiered at the 2014 Season Opening Gala in the Ted Shawn Theatre.

ABOUT JESSICA LANG DANCE
Founded in 2011, Jessica Lang Dance (JLD) is a New York City-based company dedicated to creating and performing the work of Jessica Lang. Hailed by Tresca Weinstein as "a master of visual composition" (Dance Magazine), Lang incorporates design elements and transforms classical ballet language into artfully crafted, emotionally engaging contemporary works. Since the company's inception, marked by Lang receiving a Joyce Theater Residency supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, JLD has garnered significant attention and acclaim at major venues throughout the country including the full company debut at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival's 80th Anniversary Season in 2012. JLD has received support from the Jerome Robbins Foundation, The O'Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Japan Foundation New York, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.

ABOUT JESSICA LANG

Jessica Lang, described as having "established a reputation for concocting ingenious choreographic interactions between dancing bodies and the movements of striking set and costume pieces" (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Kansas City Star), has worked with numerous companies including The National Ballet of Japan, Ailey II, Colorado Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet, among others. American Ballet Theatre presented her work at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2008 and 2011 while her ballet Lyric Pieces, commissioned and performed by Birmingham Royal Ballet, earned a nomination for a coveted 2013 Manchester Theatre Award in the United Kingdom. She has received commissions from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum for Works and Process. Lang's work has been performed by numerous educational institutions throughout the country. She is on faculty at American Ballet Theatre's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School as well as a teaching artist for the Make A Ballet program. Lang recently developed her own methodology called LANGuage, a unique creative curriculum that teaches individuals from all populations to cultivate the habit of creative thinking through exercise.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION
Jessica Lang Dance in The Wanderer
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 29 through Saturday, August 1 at 8:15pm
Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2 at 2:15pm
Wednesday, August 5 through Saturday, August 8 at 8:15pm
Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9 at 2:15pm

· Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in Residence Brian Schaefer (July 29-August 2) and Nancy Wozny (August 5-9) are offered on the porch of the Doris Duke Theatre 30 minutes before every performance.

· A Post-Show Q&A with Jessica Lang Dance Artistic Personnel will take place onstage on Thursday, July 30 (with Scholar-in-Residence Brain Schaefer) and Thursday, August 6 (with Scholar-in-Residence Nancy Wozny).

· Tickets $35-$45, A limited number of $19 Under 35 Friday tickets are available for July 31 and August 7; limit 2 per person, must be between the ages of 18 and 35.

· Box Office Hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 11am-5pm, Wednesday through Saturday 11am-8pm.

· Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob's Pillow campus and theaters are handicapped-accessible.

ALSO THIS WEEK:
Daniel Ulbricht & Stars of American Ballet
July 29-August 2, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre

Following last season's BALLET 2014 engagement, Jacob's Pillow audiences were clamoring for the return of New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht and fellow dancers. He's back-with an all-new program, live music, and a brilliant cast of principals, soloists, and corps members from New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet. The program includes work In the Night by legendary choreographer Jerome Robbins, Distractions and Sea Change by New York City Ballet's Justin Peck, Les Lutins by Johan Kobborg, and Christopher Wheeldon's acclaimed After the Rain. Tickets $45-$75.

Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Daniel Ulbricht in 2014 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/daniel-ulbricht-ballet-2014?ref=era&refcar=/era/2010--%40

Free Inside/Out Performance: Visceral Dance Chicago

Wednesday, July 29, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" of 2015, Visceral Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company dedicated to a bold and progressive world of movement.

"Expertly devised and stylish" (The Chicago Tribune), the company's Inside/Out performance includes work from their diverse repertory including Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin's Duet Mabul, Changes by Spanish choreographer Mónica Cervantes, and Artistic Director Nick Pupillo's Impetere. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Mettin Movement

Thursday, July 30, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Sarah Mettin, Mettin Movement is a contemporary dance company based in New York City and fiscally sponsored by New York Live Arts. Consisting of twelve culturally diverse dancers, the company blurs the boundaries of classical and modern technique. Mettin Movement will perform a range of works, including their first work as a company, In Dividing, to their most recent piece, Allegory : Aeon. FREE .

Free PillowTalk: Preserving Balanchine on Video
Friday, July 31, 5pm

Nancy Reynolds conceived a wide-reaching program to preserve the choreography of George Balanchine on video with coaching sessions by original cast members. During this PillowTalk, Reynolds shares excerpts from these unique films. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Post:Ballet

Friday, July 31, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Hailed as "among the finest on the West Coast" (San Francisco Chronicle), San Francisco's Post:Ballet is led by Artistic Director Robert Dekkers, one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2011. Founded in 2009 and comprised of classically trained dancers, the company explores traditional ballet themes with a widely conceptual edge. The program is danced to a score of works by ever-popular composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich, as well as original compositions by rising composer Jonathan Pfeffer. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Irina Baronova & The Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo
Saturday, August 1, 4pm
Blake's Barn

Tracing her mother's roots from Imperial Russia to the ballet, Broadway, and Hollywood, with a notable summer at Jacob's Pillow, actress/author Victoria Tennant discusses and signs her lavish new book. FREE

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

Saturday, August 1, 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 and faculty member and Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar. FREE

Sunday Film Event: BALLET 422
Sunday, August 2, 4:30pm

Award-winning filmmaker Jody Lee Lipes offers a backstage view of New York City Ballet, profiling young, up-and-coming choreographer Justin Peck in the creation of Paz de La Jolla. A Variety critic found it "exhilarating" while The New York Times called it "short, vigorous, and charming." Tickets $10, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.

Malpaso Dance Company with Arturo O'Farrill and Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble
August 5-9, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre

From Havana, Cuba, contemporary dance ensemble Malpaso Dance Company delivers power, passion, and spotless technique in two new works. Despedida, choreographed by Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, is a new work for ten dancers with an original score composed by pianist/composer Arturo O'Farrill and performed live by GRAMMY Award winners O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble. The Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble is the resident ensemble of the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance, founded by O'Farrill to preserve and promote Afro Latin Jazz through performance, education, recordings and cultural diplomacy. Despedida takes inspiration from the eponymous poem by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. The second work on the program, co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow and The Joyce Theater, will be created by ever-popular contemporary ballet choreographer Trey McIntyre, whose dance ensemble Trey McIntyre Project gave its final performances at the Pillow last season. Tickets $39-$75.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Dark Circles Contemporary Dance

Wednesday, August 5, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded in 2010 in Seoul, South Korea and with an American branch based in North Texas, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (DCCD) explores the depth of human connection within a multicultural framework. Led by Dance Magazine's 2015 "25 to Watch" choreographer Joshua L. Peugh, DCCD features innovative combinations of classical technique and modern movement styles with a dynamic company of performers. The program will include the quirky duet Critics of the Morning Song, the theatrical ensemble work Slump, as well as the beautifully meditative White Day. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Brian Sanders' JUNK

Thursday, August 6, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon performance Space

Based in Philadelphia, Brian Sanders' JUNK is known for its ingenious use of found objects and clever inventions that bridge the gap between dance and physical theater. The troupe's performances are an exhilarating feast of exciting physicality and creativity, comedy served with beauty and intellect. The company presents a preview of new work American Standard, set to traditional bluegrass music. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Blake's Barn's Best: PillowTalks
Friday, August 7, 5pm
Blake's Barn

Nearly two decades of fascinating discussions will be screened and celebrated by resident scholars, featuring video clips of Twyla Tharp, Peter Yarrow, Jacques d'Amboise, Rachel Maddow, and many others. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater

Friday, August 7, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Celebrating their 40th anniversary season, Chicago's Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater brings a fusion of folkloric, classical, Flamenco, and contemporary dance imbued the music traditions of Spain. Founded by Dame Libby Komaiko and led by Artistic Director Irma Suarez Ruiz, the company represents a mosaic of cultures, comprised of forty dancers, singers, and musicians from around the world. With live musical accompaniment, the company will present Sur, a classical ballet and contemporary flamenco work, as well as the world premiere of Nuestro Camino, a Flamenco Alegrias duet from southern Spain's Andalucia. Ensemble Español is in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago. FREE

Free PillowTalk: It's Happening in Havana
Saturday, August 8, 4pm
Blake's Barn

The new Cuban ensemble Malpaso Dance Company represents a collaborative experiment in contemporary dancemaking. Co-founder Fernando Sáez talks about the challenges and the triumphs of this exciting troupe's first three years. FREE

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

Saturday, August 8, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

The international students from the Musical Theatre Dance program of The School at Jacob's Pillow perform repertory works to live music coached by program director, Tony Award winner, and Broadway veteran Chet Walker in preparation for the annual benefit for The School at Jacob's Pillow, A Jazz Happening. FREE

83rd FESTIVAL FREE EXHIBITS - ON VIEW THROUGH AUGUST 30

Blake's Barn's Best
Blake's Barn
Open daily, noon to 10pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5pm Sundays-Tuesdays.

Highlights of landmark photography and art exhibits by Annie Leibovitz, Jules Feiffer, Lois Greenfield, Al Hirschfeld, and more are shown together for the first time, heralding the coexistence of past and present in the Pillow's future. The new Reading Room features treasures from the Stephan Driscoll Collection, an ongoing gift to the Pillow.

Kyle Froman: Bodies/Buildings
Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

Former New York City Ballet dancer Kyle Froman is now a photographer, capturing performers on Broadway and in leading dance companies worldwide. In this exclusive exhibition he juxtaposes dancers with architecture in highly original and surprising ways, revealing new facets in both bodies and structures.

Ivan Chermayeff Designs
Doris Duke Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

A celebrated designer, illustrator, and artist, Ivan Chermayeff has created familiarly iconic images for prominent clients such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian, and won numerous awards, and his designs for Jacob's Pillow in the 1980s and 90s are remembered for their bold vision and originality. Highlights are shown here along with brand-new artwork.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Archives
Blake's Barn
Open daily, noon to 10pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5pm Sundays-Tuesdays

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. Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive, available on the popular touch-screen kiosk in the Reading Room, 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

ABOUT THE PILLOW

Jacob's Pillow, celebrating its 83rd Festival in 2015, 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. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and an extensive schedule of free public events. Through Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, Artist Educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President 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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