MONUMENT at Jacob's Pillow this August

Following the critically acclaimed "reaccession" of pioneering modernist choreographer Ted Shawn at The Museum of Modern Art, and recent performances at Tate Modern Museum as part of "20 Dancers of the 20th Century", Adam H Weinert returns with MONUMENT, an imaginative and dynamic new dance piece exploring legacy and identity. While others seek to turn museums into theatrical spaces, Weinert transforms the proscenium stage into an archive with stunning scenic design by Paul Tate DePoo III and lighting by JAX Messenger . The program includes historic choreography by Ted Shawn, Doris Humphrey and José Limón dating back to the early 20th century as well as creative re-imaginings of these events by Weinert and others - effectively transfiguring the site into a living archive, investigating ideas of mediation, memory and space. According to Weinert:

"Ted Shawn has no company in existence today, so the process of reconstructing his works has been very unusual. I spent my research fellowship at Jacob's Pillow dancing in the studios they built, reconstructing the movement from books, photographs, video and rumor. It felt at times as if I were dancing with ghosts."

With a cast of seven phenomenal performers, choreography spanning eight decades and original score performed live by Chris Garneau, MONUMENT offers the convergence of the here and now, and the placeless and the ghostly.

Adam H Weinert is a performance-based artist born and raised in New York City. He began his training at The School of American Ballet, and continued on to Vassar College, The Juilliard School, and New York University, where he recently earned a Master's Degree under the tutelage of André Lepecki. Adam has danced with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company, The Mark Morris Dance Group, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and Christopher Williams, and for six years served as the Artistic Associate to Jonah Bokaer. In addition to his performance work, Adam has been published in The New York Times, the Juilliard Journal, and as a featured profile in Dance Magazine. He produced and choreographed an award-winning collection of dance film shorts screened nationally and abroad, and his performance works have toured to four continents including a number of non-traditional dance venues such as the Museum of Modern Art, The Tate Britain Museum, and The Tate Modern Museum. Weinert was awarded the Léo Bronstein Award for Artistic Scholarship from New York University in 2014, Presidential Distinction and Scholastic Distinction from the Juilliard School, and in 2008 received the Hector Zaraspe Prize for Outstanding Choreography. He is currently Visiting Artist in Residence Faculty at Bard College and Artist in Residence at Interactive Media Culture Laboratory and Gallery in New York City.

Shawn is one of the first notable male pioneers of modern dance. In 1915, he cofounded The Denishawn School whose notable pupils include Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. He is also the founder of The Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts and the well-known all-male modern Dance Company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers. Since a relationship to land, labor, and body was so crucial to that body of work, Weinert endeavored to recreate Shawn's physical practice as authentically as possible by reconstructing Shawn's technique class, engaging with farm work, and even the daily practice of nude sunbathing.

MONUMENT at Doris Duke Theatre runs Wednesday, August 10-Saturday, August 13, 8:15pm Saturday, August 13 & Sunday, August 14, 2:15pm.

Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Nancy Wozny are offered in Blake's Barn 30 minutes before each performance.

Free Post-Show Talk with artists from MONUMENT will take place immediately following the performance on Thursday, August 11 at the Doris Duke Theatre.

Tickets start at $39. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacob's Pillow Box Office. $10 Youth Tickets are available for all performances. Box Office hours: Wednesday- Saturday, 11am-8pm; Sun, noon-5pm; Tues, 11am-5pm Pillow Members receive exclusive benefits. To become a Member, call 413.243.9919x125.

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.

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