Jacob's Pillow to Kick Off 2015 Festival with Performances, Classes, Exhibits, & More, 6/13
By: Matt Smith May. 27, 2015
May 26, 2015 - (Becket, MA) Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking attendance of Festival 2014, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival opens its 2015 season in June. Highlights of Festival 2015 include Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, a special dance and radio stage production starring Ira Glass, host of This American Life; the return of Nederlands Dans Theater 2; the world premiere of American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO; Cuban contemporary ensemble Malpaso Dance Company, performing with GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble; and the launch of Martha Graham Dance Company's 90th Anniversary, including a world premiere by eminent choreographer Mats Ek.
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. This season, dance companies from across the U.S. and around the globe travel to Becket, Massachusetts to take part in the 83rd annual Festival. Festival 2015 international companies include Ballet BC and La Otra Orilla from Canada, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 from the Netherlands, Malpaso Dance Company from Cuba, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart from Germany, and Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang from France. American companies hail from Los Angeles (L.A. Dance Project and BODYTRAFFIC), San Francisco (Alonzo King LINES Ballet), Sarasota, FL (The Sarasota Ballet), and New York City (Martha Graham Dance Company, Liz Gerring Dance Company, Dorrance Dance, New York Theatre Ballet, and others).
Live music is prevalent throughout the season and will be featured in performances by Jessica Lang Dance, Dorrance Dance, Daniel Ulbricht & Stars of American Ballet, Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO, La Otra Orilla, and Malpaso Dance Company. In line with Jacob's Pillow's commitment to commissioning and presenting new work, Festival 2015 features many world premiere engagements including Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO and Martha Graham Dance Company in AXE by Mats Ek, plus premiere works by La Otra Orilla and Ricardo Graziano of The Sarasota Ballet. Many Festival 2015 artists have developed work during Creative Development Residencies at Jacob's Pillow, including Jessica Lang, Michelle Dorrance, Annie-B Parson, and Jonathan Campbell and Austin Diaz of MADBOOTS DANCE.
The artist faculty members of The School at Jacob's Pillow are equally international and diversely experienced. The 2015 Program Directors include esteemed ballet luminary Anna-Marie Holmes; Ailey School and Juilliard faculty member Milton Myers; Broadway veteran, choreographer, and director Chet Walker; and New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award-winning choreographer and artistic director Camille A. Brown, with scholar and artist E. Moncell Durden.
The Program Directors will be joined by dance artists, choreographers, and artistic directors from across the globe. The Ballet Program roster includes Ballet BC Artistic Director Emily Molnar; BalletX co-founder and co-Artistic Director Matthew Neenan (who will create a new work on the dancers of the Ballet Program); and Hungarian National Ballet Director, ballet master, and dancer Tamás Solymosi. Contemporary Program Director Milton Myers brings a celebrated range of guest choreographers including 2013 MacArthur Fellow and Jacob's Pillow Dance Award-winner Kyle Abraham; 2013 Guggenheim Fellow Brian Brooks; and Emily Molnar. Myers will also lead a diversely talented faculty, including LeeSaar The Company Artistic Director Saar Harari; former Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Hamburg Ballet soloist Peter Brandenhoff; former choreographer for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Pamela Pribisco; 2007 Princess Grace Award recipient Meredith Webster; and Juilliard School faculty member Alphonse Poulin.
A major expansion of Blake's Barn, home of the Jacob's Pillow Archives, will be completed by June of 2015, adding more than 700 square feet to the Reading Room and effectively tripling space for both public access and climate-controlled storage. The expansion coincides with the 20th anniversary of public access to the Archives, which houses one of the most significant collections in the dance field, including books, letters, costumes, photographs, and films from as early as 1894 through the Pillow's most recent Festival. On average, 22,000 visitors attend talks and exhibitions in Blake's Barn each summer, and additional visits by scholars, artists, and the general public take place throughout the year. The new Reading Room features additional space for the extensive dance library and new visitor reading areas, additional HD video viewing stations, and a dedicated area for small groups to gather for communal video viewing. The lower floor of Blake's Barn will increase by 1,200 square feet to accommodate additional archival storage and documentation workspace. Jacob's Pillow will celebrate the re-opening of Blake's Barn with a ribbon cutting and other festivities on June 23.
Another resource that is expanding access to dance, the newly reimagined and redesigned Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive website launched in May of this year. An ever-growing collection of dance video clips filmed at Jacob's Pillow from the 1930s to today, Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive allows its users to freely browse the extensive content, explore video playlists curated by Director of Preservation Norton Owen, or challenge friends to the endlessly fresh "Guess Game" to test their dance knowledge. With enhanced search features and mobile optimization, this site serves as a valuable resource for scholars, students, artists, and dance enthusiasts across the globe.
A full schedule of all ticketed and free events is below.
83rd FESTIVAL FREE EXHIBITS - ON VIEW JUNE 20-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.
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
FESTIVAL 2015 SCHEDULE
Artist dates and descriptions follow. Select Festival artist descriptions include links to supplemental video clips within Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive, featuring past Jacob's Pillow performances.
Member Event - Blake's Barn Re-Opening
Tuesday, June 23 at 5pm, Blake's Barn
Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host
June 13 at 8pm and 14 at 2pm, Ted Shawn Theatre
The venerable Ira Glass, host of public radio's This American Life, hosts this new stage production which will appear at Jacob's Pillow for two special pre-Festival performances. Glass is joined by dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass of contemporary dance ensemble Monica Bill Barnes & Company in a show that combines two art forms that -- as Glass puts it -- "have no business being together - dance and radio." The result is a funny, lively, completely unique evening of dance and storytelling.
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Monica Bill Barnes in 2010 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/monica-bill-barnes-company?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/a-b
PillowTalk with Monica Bill Barnes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H43I8cdLQfI
Season Opening Gala
June 20 at 5:30pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
The exclusive Gala performance will include American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Daniil Simkin, New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns and soloist Russell Janzen, the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company, and the dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow Ballet Program in a world premiere by BalletX co-founder and co-Artistic Director Matthew Neenan. This signature fundraising event also includes the presentation of the 2015 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award to Liz Gerring, dinner by The Old Inn on the Green, a live auction, and dancing with DJ BFG. Tables and tickets are available via 413.243.9919x123 or online at jacobspillow.org.
Ballet BC
June 24-28, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
From Vancouver, Canada, Artistic Director Emily Molnar and the dynamic dancers of Ballet BC work with top contemporary choreographers from across the globe. They open the Festival with William Forsythe's intricate workwithinwork; Cayetano Soto's Twenty Eight Thousand Waves with music by David Lang and Bryce Dessner; and the U.S. premiere of Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's Consagración, an interpretation of The Rite of Spring with the iconic score by Igor Stravinsky. Tickets $39-$75.
New York Theatre Ballet in Cinderella
June 24-28, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: New York Theatre Ballet in 2007 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/new-york-theatre-ballet?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/c-d
Free Inside/Out Performance: Kùlú Mèlé Dance & Drum Ensemble
Wednesday, June 24, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Infusing African dance with urban American flair, Philadelphia-based Kùlú Mèlé boasts a rich repertoire of authentic, folkloric dance from Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, and Cuba. Founded in 1969 by Baba Robert Crowder and led by Artistic Director Dorothy Wilkie, the company's high-energy performances get adults and children up on their feet and dancing in the aisles, distinguishing itself with beautiful costumes, a thrilling percussion battery, and dynamic choreography. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Summation Dance Company
Thursday, June 25, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Brooklyn-based and all-female, Summation Dance Company finds beauty in struggle and humor in the mundane. Led by NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduates Sumi Clements and Taryn Vander Hoop, the modern dance company is "full of energy and creativity" (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), performing highly physical work since its formation in 2010. Summation presents an excerpt from Shift (2013) which explores the notion of planes of existence, and Updating Route, Please Standby (2014), a reflection on the relationship between expectation and reality. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Every Little Movement
Friday, June 26, 5pm
Blake's Barn
A key influence on Pillow founder Ted Shawn was the 19th-century French movement theorist François Delsarte, and his principles are explored and discussed by California-based dance writer Sasha Anawalt in this presentation illustrated with film clips and live demonstrations. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Company Danzante Contemporary Dance
Friday, June 26, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
A contemporary repertory company based in Arlington, VA, Company Danzante is led by Arturo Garcia and Katherine Horrigan, an alumna of the School at Jacob's Pillow. The company presents Horrigan's Collected Remnants (2013) and Garcia's Here and Now, commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Blake's Barn's Best: Exhibitions
Saturday, June 27, 4pm
Blake's Barn
Complementing this year's retrospective exhibition in greater depth, videos and themes are re-explored by resident curator and Director of Preservation Norton Owen, sharing previously-untold stores, behind-the-scenes challenges, and triumphs from the past twenty years. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Ballet Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow
Saturday, June 27, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Dancers from the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow present a work choreographed by BalletX founder Matthew Neenan, originally created on the dancers only four days prior to their performance at the Pillow's Season Opening Gala. The students will also perform classical variations coached by program director Anna-Marie Holmes. FREE
Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely in The Blues Project
July 1-5, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
Following two sold-out engagements in 2013 and 2014, tap star and Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner Michelle Dorrance and Dorrance Dance return with The Blues Project. After its 2013 premiere in the Doris Duke Theatre, the production now moves to the larger Ted Shawn Theatre. The Blues Project cast includes co-choreographers and soloists Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, and the production features music composed by renowned singer-songwriter Toshi Reagon, performed live by Reagon and her band BIGLovely. Tickets $39-$69; $10 Youth Tickets available for Saturday and Sunday matinees.
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Dorrance Dance in 2013 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/dorrance-dance?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/c-d
BODYTRAFFIC
July 1-5, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
Based in Los Angeles, BODYTRAFFIC was founded in 2007 by dancers and co-directors Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett. Following its 2013 Pillow debut, the company returns to the Festival with a program featuring the dramatic, gripping work Dust by Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter; Once again, before you go by Victor Quijada of RUBBERBANDance Group; and The New 45, a jazzy duet by Richard Siegal. Tickets $35-$45,
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: BODYTRAFFIC in 2013 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/bodytraffic?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/a-b
Lift Ev'ry Voice Festival
Ongoing
In celebration of African-American culture and the heritage in the Berkshires, Jacob's Pillow participates with performances of Dorrance Dance and Toshi Reagon's BIGLovely (July 1-5), the free performances of Kùlú Mèlé Dance & Drum Ensemble (June 24) and Williams College Department of Dance in the Inside/Out series (July 2), the free A Gateway to Freedom PillowTalk (July 10), and more.
Free Inside/Out Performance: Schoen Movement Company
Wednesday, July 1, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Resonating with dance and non-dance audiences alike, founder Emily Schoen approaches dance as a humanized, heartening, and highly technical form of physical art. The work of Schoen Movement Company is compellingly musical, set to rich scores that vary from classical and rhythmic, to modern-day and playful. The company brings two world premieres to the Inside/Out series, both set to original sound collaborations with New York-based musicians. FREE.
Free Inside/Out Performance: Williams College Dance Department
Thursday, July 2, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Members of Williams College dance companies Kusika and Sankofa perform diverse works along with the Zambezi Marimba Band. 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.This performance is a part of the Berkshire County-wideLift Ev'ry Voice festival. FREE
WEEKEND OUT at the Pillow
Friday, July 3 - Sunday, July 5
Jacob's Pillow celebrates its LGBTQ connections, history, and community in a weekend especially packed with free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, and events of particular interest. Highlights include the free Kyle Froman: Bodies/Buildings exhibit and related PillowTalk Kyle Froman: Dancer to Photographer(Saturday, 4pm), a July 4th late night Dance Party with DJ BFG, performances of Dorrance Dance with Toshi Reagon's BIGLovely in The Blues Project (Friday and Saturday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2pm), a film event showing Elizabeth Streb's Born to Fly (Sunday, 4:30pm), and a one-of-a-kind Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers tour led by Director of Preservation Norton Owen.
Free PillowTalk: Shall We Dance?
Friday, July 3, 5pm
Blake's Barn
Faculty from the current Social Dances: Jazz to Hip-Hop Program in The School at Jacob's Pillow share their extensive knowledge of everything from authentic jazz to hip-hop, offering insight into dances of today. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: SoundMovement Dance Company
Friday, July 3, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Led by New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award winner and Dorrance Dance collaborator Nicholas Van Young, SoundMovement Dance Company is an ensemble of rhythmically trained dancers exploring movement and music as a combined medium. Through tap, body percussion, and other familiar forms, the company creates soundscapes and sound design through dance in excerpts of Environments.
Free PillowTalk: Kyle Froman: Dancer to Photographer
Friday, July 4, 4pm
Blake's Barn
Featured in an exclusive Pillow exhibit in the Ted Shawn Theatre lobby this season, Kyle Froman's photographs reveal his years of specialized access as a New York City Ballet dancer, now branching out to theatre, fashion, and publications. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Social Dances: Jazz to Hip-Hop Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow
Saturday, July 4, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Dancers from The School's new Cultural Traditions program, Social Dance: Jazz to Hip-Hop Program present a variety of dances, coached by program director and New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award winner Camille A. Brown, fellow program director, artist, and dance scholar E. Moncell Durden, and faculty member, award-winning choreographer, and Broadway performer Adesola Osakalumi. FREE
Sunday Film Event: Born to Fly
Sunday, July 5, 4:30pm
Blake's Barn
Tracing the journey of avant-garde and daredevil choreographer Elizabeth Streb, Born to Fly challenges the assumptions of art, age, and human possibility. Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times states that "it's all joy and motion in this dazzled and breathless documentary." Tickets $10, available at jacobspillow.org or via phone 413.243.0745.
Nederlands Dans Theater 2
July 8-12, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
Returning to Jacob's Pillow for the first time since 2007, NDT2 is the outstandingly talented second company of Nederlands Dans Theater. This powerful contemporary program includes Sara by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar of Israel, and Schubert, Some Other Time, and Shutters Shut by prolific Spanish-British choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. Plus I New Then by Swedish dancemaker Johan Inger, bursting with youthful exuberance and danced to songs by Van Morrison. Tickets $39-$75.
Big Dance Theater in Alan Smithee Directed This Play: Triple Feature
July 8-12, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
In 2007, Big Dance Theater co-directors Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar were the inaugural recipients of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, given to visionary dancemakers. Their work consistently defies boundaries, marrying movement, theater, spoken word, music, and brilliant scenic design. In Big Dance Theater's latest work Alan Smithee Directed This Play: Triple Feature the company samples creative content from iconic films and novels including Doctor Zhivago, the film Terms of Endearment, and the 1970 French thriller Le Cercle Rouge, creating new worlds of unexpected meaning through seemingly paradoxical connections. Tickets $25-$35.
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Big Dance Theater in 2011 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/big-dance-theater?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/a-b
Free Inside/Out Performance: Trainor Dance
Wednesday, July 8, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Known for physicality and intelligence, Trainor Dance addresses wide-ranging topics with curiosity, humor, and verve. The company focuses on interdisciplinary work through dance in visual art, poetry, music, and film. Performing excerpts from Faux Pas, Sand Painting, and Alphabet Soup, their program is a celebration of movement through rhythmic virtuosity and audience interaction. FREE.
Free Inside/Out Performance: The Union Project Dance Company
Thursday, July 9, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
The Union Project Dance Company is a Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company founded in 2009 by Artistic Director and choreographer Mariana Oliveira. Blending gestures, emotional drama, and athleticism, the company's program will include three of their latest works: Fearing the Unknown (2013), W.S.(2014), and Mirror in a Mirror (2015). FREE.
Free PillowTalk: Gateway to Freedom
Saturday, July 10, 5pm
Blake's Barn
A Lift Ev'ry Voice event celebrating the Pillow's notable past, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner discusses and signs his latest book, Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet
Friday, July 10, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Making their third appearance as part of the Inside/Out series, CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet is a New York City-based company comprised of classically trained dancers with contemporary artistic voices. CONTINUUM's program features the vibrant A Prismatic Abstraction, by founder Donna Salgado and performed to a score by Jazz musician Jon Batiste. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Another Telepathic Thing
Saturday, July 11, 4pm
Blake's Barn
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme has dipped his toe into the dance world to document Big Dance Theater'sAnother Telepathic Thing, and choreographer Annie-B Parson hosts this screening to discuss the results. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Social Dances: Jazz to Hip-Hop Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow
Saturday, July 11, 6:15pm
Dancers from The School's new Cultural Traditions program, Social Dance: Jazz to Hip-Hop Program present a variety of dances, coached by program director and New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award winner Camille A. Brown, fellow program director, artist, and dance scholar E. Moncell Durden, and faculty member, Camille A. Brown and Dancers rehearsal director and Ott/The Walk Artistic Director Francine E. Ott. FREE
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
July 15-19, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
Artistic Director Alonzo King is a ballet visionary and his San Francisco- based company astonishes with classical elegance and bold new ideas. The Pillow program features King's Concerto for Two Violins, Men's Quintet, and the East Coast premiere of a collaboration with famed natural soundscape artist Dr. Bernie Krause, author of The Great Animal Orchestra, and composer Richard Blackford. Tickets $39-$75.
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Alonzo King LINES Ballet in 2008 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/alonzo-kings-lines-ballet?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/k-l
Company Wang Ramirez in Monchichi
July 15-19, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
Sébastien Ramirez is a French dancer of Spanish origin who started out as a virtuosic b-boy. Honji Wang is a German dancer of Korean descent, with a rich background in ballet, contemporary, and urban dance styles. This outstanding dance duo, now based in France, questions interculturality within a couple in Monchichi, a touching, theatrical show that combines hip-hop, contemporary dance, and unique set design. Tickets $25-$35; $10 Youth Tickets available Friday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees.
Free Inside/Out Performance: New Generation Dance Company
Wednesday, July 15, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Founded in 2003, New Generation Dance Company exhibits a unique fusion of Argentine tango and contemporary dance technique. Performing Bach-Piazzolla, performers explore the concept of "contrapunto" (counterpoint) and the facets of physical, mental, and spiritual expression. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Darrah Carr Dance
Thursday, July 16, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Specializing in a blend of traditional Irish step and contemporary modern dance, New York-based Darrah Carr Dance creates high-energy, rhythmically based works. The "immensely likable and skillful dancers" (The New York Times) have performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and MASS MoCA, as well as NBC's "Today" show, among others. The company's program will include traditional Irish step works as well as a solo performed by Trent Kowalick, who played the role of "Billy" in Broadway's Billy Elliot.
Free PillowTalk: Al Hirschfeld's Dance Lines
Friday, July 17, 5pm
Blake's Barn
A new book and current exhibition at the New York Historical Society celebrates the artistry of caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, and curator/author David Leopold shows and discusses Hirschfeld's most notable dance images. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Pantos ProjectFriday, July 17, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Boston-based contemporary dance company Pantos Project is committed to creating and performing the athletic, honest, and innovative work of Artistic Director Kat Pantos. Following a passionate vision to entertain and inspire, the company's program includes electrifying movement to a diverse score includingPerspective, the pulsating She Said, She Said, and the duet Off the Down.
Free PillowTalk: Where Women Don't Dance
Saturday, July 18, 4pm
Born in Berlin to Turkish parents, choreographer Nejla Y. Yatkin defies cultural expectations in her career choice, and filmmaker Nel Shelby explores the conflicts in this half-hour documentary, mirroring the intercultural differences seen in Monchichi. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow
Saturday, July 18, 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 esteemed faculty member and 2013 Guggenheim Fellow Brian Brooks. FREE
Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO
July 22-26, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
In this much-anticipated world premiere and Jacob's Pillow co-commission, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Daniil Simkin is joined by fellow dancers of ABT Isabella Boylston, Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Hee Seo, Calvin Royal III, and James Whiteside, plus special guest Céline Cassone of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. In INTENSIO, they perform four innovative world premieres by international choreographers: Nederlands Dans Theater 2 associate choreographer Alexander Ekman of Sweden, American dancemaker Gregory Dolbashian, resident Boston Ballet choreographer Jorma Elo of Finland, and Colombo-Belgian artist Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, currently based in Amsterdam. INTENSIO is a JOYCE PRODUCTIONS project. Tickets $39-$75.
Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart
July 22-26, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
From Stuttgart, Germany in its first full engagement in the U.S., Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart presents an energetic program of original and entertaining dances. The program includes the bravura male trio PACOPEPEPLUTO by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, Alexander Ekman's clever duet Two Become Three, the humorously instructive solo Ballet 101 by Artistic Director Eric Gauthier, and other dances. Tickets $25-$35.
Free Inside/Out Performance: Jacob Jonas The Company
Wednesday, July 22, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Los Angeles-based Jacob Jonas The Company (JJTC) is committed to building a community of likeminded artists who, through their work, reveal the importance and relevance of dance in contemporary society. In A Room On Broad St. utilizes breakdancing, contemporary ballet, and acrobatic techniques to provide commentary on society's competitive nature. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Manuel Vignoulle - M/motions
Thursday, July 23, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Free PillowTalk: Dancing Online
Friday, July 24, 5pm
Blake's Barn
Choreographer Lucinda Childs has a new website celebrating her iconic early works, while Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive has been completely redesigned, and Childs participates in this demonstration of both projects. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Nimble Arts presents an excerpt from RUCKUS
Friday, July 24, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space
Founded by identical twin aerialists Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion, Nimble Arts is a traveling circus arts company presenting a cast of performers whose resumes include Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize, and the Big Apple Circus. The family-friendly RUCKUS features breathtaking, high flying acrobatics inspired by dance, poetry, and vaudeville in a stunning display of circus arts. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Mia, A Dancer's JourneySaturday, July 25, 4pm
Blake's Barn
Maria Ramas introduces her documentary on celebrated Ballet Russes ballerina Mia Slavenska, fulfilling a promise to tell her mother's story. Co-directed by Kate Johnson, this moving film features rare Pillow footage. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow
Saturday, July 25, 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 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner and 2013 MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham. FREE
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
Jessica Lang Dance in The Wanderer
July 29 - August 9, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre
Prolific choreographer and recent New York Dance and Performance ("Bessie") Award winner Jessica Lang returns for a two-week run of a new evening-length ballet. The sweeping, romantic contemporary story ballet The Wanderer was created in part during a Creative Development Residency at the Pillow. The ballet is set to Franz Schubert's famous song cycle Die schöne Müllerin, which will be performed live at the Festival. With a striking, interactive set designed by Mimi Lien, costumes by fashion designer and former Mark Morris Dance Group company member Bradon McDonald, and lighting by Nicole Pearce, The Wanderer is a feast for the senses. Tickets $35-$45.
Related video in Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: Jessica Lang in 2012 http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/jessica-lang-dance?ref=artist&refcar=/artist/i-j
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. Despedidatakes 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 Flame
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