Morning Classes to Kick Off Monday at Jacob's Pillow

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival kicks off the summer season by opening its historic grounds and studios to the community through morning dance classes beginning Monday, June 8. Weekday Morning Classes are taught by professional dance and movement practitioners and are open to all experience levels with no registration required, ages 16+.

Other opportunities to dance at the Pillow include a free all-ages class taught by New York Theatre Ballet on June 28, Sunday Classes with Festival Artists July 5-August 30, and the multigenerational Families Dance Together program held July-August, and Free Fun Friday events August 21.

As part of the Pillow's extensive audience engagement and education programming, Morning Classes are open to the public; participants often include Berkshire County community members and out-of-town visitors, plus Pillow staff, interns, and students. Taught by credentialed and distinguished instructors, the weekday class schedule includes Pilates, ballet, Zumba, and modern dance classes.

Morning Class instructors include master dance and movement instructors from the Berkshire community and beyond. Modern dance classes will be taught by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Adam H. Weinert, an alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow, previous Pillow Research Fellow, Festival artist, and Pillow Creative Development Residency participant. Pilates will be taught by Sean P. Gallagher, Director of The New York Pilates Studio, which continues the work of creator and founder Joseph Pilates, and Cynthia Khoury Badrak former faculty member at Baylor University, New York University, Mannes School of Music, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Ballet will be taught by Sharon MacDonald, founder of Stockbridge's American Dance Institute, and Zumba will be led by Ilana Siegal, director and owner of Lifeworks Studio in Great Barrington.

In addition to Morning Classes, Jacob's Pillow also hosts an array of other opportunities for those wanting to dance. For dancers of all ages and experience levels, company members of New York Theatre Ballet will lead a Cinderella-inspired community class on June 28. August 21 is Free Fun Friday at the Pillow, which includes an assortment of free activities such as hip-hop and swing dance classes taught by Inside/Out artists, dance games, kids tours, and a free family friendly Inside/Out performance on the outdoor stage. On select Thursdays in July and August, Pillow Artist Educator Jeff Bliss leads intergenerational dance classes for the Jacob's Pillow/Becket Arts Center collaborative Families Dance Together program, which encourages participants to discover how simple movements can create an exciting dance. Experienced dancers also have the opportunity to take class from world-renowned Festival Artists on Sunday mornings throughout the Festival season.

More details about community classes at Jacob's Pillow can be found on the Jacob's Pillow website www.jacobspillow.org/festival/events/dance-classes/ and below!

When: Morning classes, June 8-August 28, 8-9am

Monday: Pilates with Sean P. Gallagher

Tuesday: Ballet with Sharon MacDonald

Wednesday: Zumba with Ilana Siegal

Thursday: Modern Dance with Adam H. Weinert

Friday: Pilates with Cynthia Khoury Badrak,

Please bring your own mat or large towel to all Pilates classes.

Pricing: $8 per class or $40 for a 6-class card. No registration required. For more information on registration and pricing for other dancing opportunities, please visit the Jacob's Pillow website: www.jacobspillow.org/festival/events/dance-classes/.

Where: Ruth St. Denis Studio at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA.

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. The 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 Jazz/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 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 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. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, 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. Jacob's Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

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