Jacob's Pillow 2014
Schedule for Summer Season
By: Pillow - Jan 06, 2014
Following the record-breaking attendance of Festival 2013, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival announces the 2014 Festival schedule. Jacob’s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America’s longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Noted dance writer Jennifer Dunning has called the Pillow “the dance center of the nation, possibly the world.”
The 82nd Festival season will feature more than 52 companies performing on three stages: the historic Ted Shawn Theatre; the intimate Doris Duke Theatre; and the open-air Henry J. Leir Stage, home to the Pillow’s free Inside/Out Performance Series, which served more than 21,000 community members last season. More than 350 free and ticketed dance performances, talks, tours, exhibits, films, classes, and community events will be offered June 14-August 24, 2014.
The 2014 Festival companies hail from Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, and across the U.S. Festival 2014 world premieres include As I Remember It by legendary performer Carmen de Lavallade; a new show by tap artist and 2013 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner Michelle Dorrance; and Chalk and Soot, a collaboration between choreographer John Heginbotham and composer Colin Jacobsen, with live music performed by Brooklyn Rider.
Exclusive presentations include Unreal Hip-Hop, a mixed bill of some of today’s most innovative hip-hop artists including Storyboard P, Decadancetheatre, Ephrat Asherie, and The Wondertwins; Ballet 2014, featuring principal dancers and soloists of New York City Ballet, directed by Daniel Ulbricht; and a weeklong “festival within the Festival” honoring choreographer Mark Morris and his company.
Other special engagements include Compagnia T.P.O., from Italy, with the family-friendly interactive production Bleu!; Trey McIntyre Project performing Mercury Half-Life, set entirely to the music of rock band Queen and a new work inspired by the work of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey; and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Ella Baff, Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, comments, “This Festival, in addition to some of the great and better known American companies such as Mark Morris Dance Group, Trey McIntyre Project, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, Pillow audiences will discover less familiar, yet no less important, dance companies such as David Roussève /REALITY, Dorrance Dance, Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, and Dance Heginbotham. The 2014 season also features the work of choreographers from the U.S. and abroad, including Lee Sher and Saar Harari (Israel), Jorma Elo (Finland), Nacho Duato (Spain), Alejandro Cerrudo (Spain), JiÅ™í Kylián (The Netherlands), David Dawson (U.K.), Norbert De La Cruz III (Philippines), Krzysztof Pastor (Poland), Fei Bo (China), Sonia Destri Lie (Brazil), Yaron Lifschitz (Australia), and others. The international mix is an important part of the Jacob’s Pillow experience and is meant to show that dance has a remarkable range of possibilities.”
The School at Jacob’s Pillow is equally international and varied in scope in 2014. Pre-professional dancers from around the world will audition for rigorous, often career-changing programs in Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance. Artist faculty and program directors include esteemed ballet master teacher and coach Anna-Marie Holmes;principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Maxim Beloserkovsky; Madeleine Onne, former dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet and current Artistic Director of The Hong Kong Ballet; top tap artists Michelle Dorrance, Jason Samuels Smith, and Dianne Walker;master teacher Milton Myers; Broadway choreographer and director Chet Walker, and many others.
Prior to the Festival, Jacob’s Pillow and MASS MoCA will co-present David Neumann: Solo Works on April 26 at MASS MoCA. Crossing the lines between dance and theatre, performer and audience, Neumann will present a series of wry, witty works that span his 20-year career. Tickets available at massmoca.org.
FESTIVAL 2014 SCHEDULE
Select Festival artist descriptions include links to supplemental video clips within Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, featuring past Jacob’s Pillow performances.
Additional Festival 2014 artist information and preview videos can be found at jacobspillow.org.
Season Opening Gala
June 14
Carmen de Lavallade serves as Honorary Co-Chair for the 2014 Gala and will dance as part of the Gala performance. Members of The Hong Kong Ballet will also perform at the Gala. Dancers of the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow will present a world premiere created on them in four days by Jessica Lang, whose company Jessica Lang Dance made its official company debut at the Pillow in 2012. Additional performers will be announced. This signature fundraising event also includes the presentation of the 2014 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, dinner by The Old Inn & Moore, a live auction, and dancing.
The Hong Kong Ballet
June 18-22
Ted Shawn Theatre
Following its 2012 American debut at Jacob’s Pillow, The Hong Kong Ballet returns with sleek elegance, technical precision, and a range of contemporary ballets. Directed by Madeleine Onne, former Artistic Director of The Royal Swedish Ballet, the company performs a varied program that includes Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light and Shadow, set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” and “Orchestral Suite in D Major No. 3”. The company’s male dancers will present Nacho Duato’s commanding 2002 work Castrati, which explores themes of masculinity and sacrifice to the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Karl Jenkins. A poetic trio from A Room of Her Own, by National Ballet of China resident choreographer Fei Bo, closes the program.
Carmen de Lavallade in As I Remember It
June 20-22
Doris Duke Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE
Carmen de Lavallade’s unparalleled career as a dancer, choreographer, and stage and film actress spans six-decades working with luminaries such as Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Alvin Ailey, and many others. She holds the distinction of the longest Pillow performing career on record, having made her Jacob's Pillow debut with Lester Horton Dance Theatre in 1953 and performing at the Festival as recently as 2004 (with Paradigm). In the world premiere of her new solo show, As I Remember It, de Lavallade combines poignant movement and storytelling to weave a theatrical memoir about her venerable life on stage. Limited engagement, only three performances.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Carmen de Lavallade (1992) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/carmen-de-lavallade
Trey McIntyre Project
June 25-29
Ted Shawn Theatre
Called “engaging and provocative” by Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe, Trey McInytre’s dances overflow with fresh intelligence, unabashed physicality, and sprit. His company first appeared at the Pillow in 2005 and has since performed at the Festival six times, including its official full-time company debut in 2008. TMP’s Festival 2014 program features a new work inspired by the surreal imagination of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey and his characteristic pen-and-ink drawings. Performances also include the East Coast premiere of Mercury Half-Life, which is set entirely to the music of the legendary rock band Queen and includes beloved ballads “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” as well as lesser known songs such as “Love of My Life” and “Millionaire Waltz.”
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Trey McIntyre Project (2010) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/trey-mcintyre-project
Trey McIntyre Project (2012) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/trey-mcintyre-project-0
Unreal Hip-Hop
June 25-29
Doris Duke Theatre
Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff brings together some of hip-hop’s most innovative dancemakers for this new, Pillow-exclusive production. Unreal Hip-Hop features the diverse styles of all-female crew Decadancetheatre, b-girl Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, freestyle and pop ‘n’ lock duo The Wondertwins, and street dancer turned international star Storyboard P. Directed by Jennifer Weber, Brooklyn-based Decadancetheatre performs “4”, its interpretation of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” Boston-based identical twin brothers Billy and Bobby McClain, The Wondertwins, have toured the world with the likes of Bobby Brown, won Amateur Night at The Apollo six times, and performed at numerous international festivals and conventions with their rapid-fire pop ‘n’ lock style. Asherie, called “fiercely talented” by Siobhan Burke of The New York Times, performs a selection of acclaimed solos, including one set to the signature James Brown song “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” The astounding Storyboard P has worked with Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Marina Abramovic, and in a recent profile in The New Yorker Jonah Weiner describes him as “a star of flex, a form of street dance characterized by jarring feats of contortion, pantomime, and footwork that simulates levitation”. These artists come together for an exclusive show, to be seen only at the Pillow.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
July 2-6
Ted Shawn Theatre
The popular Chicago-based contemporary company returns to the Festival for the first time since 2010, bringing a sensational varied
program.Directed by Glenn Edgerton, the 16-member company performs the dramatic Mediterranean-inspired work Gnawa, choreographed by Nacho Duato. The program also includes JiÅ™í Kylián’s vivid Falling Angels, a stark all-female work created for Nederlands Dans Theatre in 1989 and danced to “Drumming” by contemporary composer Steve Reich. PACOPEPEPLUTO, by Hubbard Street company member and resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, closes the show with a trio for three male dancers set to the sweet songs of Dean Martin and “rich in circular turns, jumps and dashing Olympian form” (Sid Smith of The Chicago Tribune). Seven show engagement.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (2010) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/hubbard-street-dance-chicago
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (1993) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/hubbard-street-dance-chicago
Compagnia T.P.O. in Bleu!
July 2-6
Doris Duke Theatre
From Italy, the innovative theatre company Compagnia T.P.O. presents Bleu!, a wondrous interactive productionfor children and the young at heart. Directed by David Venturini and Francesco Gandi, T.P.O. invites audiences to a journey under the sea with this spectacle of light, animation, and movement. Through immersive technology and imaginative set design, Bleu! explores a mythical world of sea creatures and ancient legends. Audiences of all ages are invited onstage to engage with the dancers and the motion-sensored set, or they can choose to sit back and enjoy the adventure. Expanded ten-show engagement, $10 Youth Tickets for all shows (must be accompanied by an adult ticket). General admission.
Dance Theatre of Harlem
July 9-13
Ted Shawn Theatre
Since the company gave its first professional performance at Jacob’s Pillow in 1970, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Pillow have enjoyed a deep artistic relationship. Following a successful opening week of Festival 2013, DTH returns with an all-new program, led by Artistic Director and founding company member Virginia Johnson. The company performs Past-Cary-Forward, created for DTH by Tanya Wideman and Thaddeus Davis, which captures the design, significance, and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. Donald Byrd’s contemporary ballet Contested Space features a plethora of solos and duets packed with smooth shape shifting and flexibility. The centerpiece of this dynamic evening is the late choreographer Ulysses Dove’s moving, elegiac ballet Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, danced to “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten” by Arvo Pärt. Seven show engagement.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Dance Theatre of Harlem (2013) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/dance-theatre-harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble (2010) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/dance-theatre-harlem-ensemble
Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group in Moses(es)
July 9-13
Doris Duke Theatre
Inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s book Moses, Man of the Mountain as well as cultural explorations in Israel, Egypt, and Turkey, choreographer Reggie Wilson’s latest work Moses(es) takes audiences ona captivating journey. Wilson’s precise, energetic fusion of modern and African dance is remarkable; Brian Seibert of The New York Times comments, “The dance vocabulary is rich: wide squats, jumps that spin and kick, Egyptian poses, arms rippling like bulrushes, heavy steps.” The choreography is married to a diverse score, arranged by Wilson, which includes music by Louis Armstrong, The Klezmatics, Amahlokohloko, Ngqoko Women's Ensemble, MaZarher, Aly-Us, Tiger, Bi Kidude, Southern Sons, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and traditional African-American spirituals “Wade In the Water” and “Eli, Eli (Somebody Call Eli)” sung live by the artists of Fist & Heel Performance Group.
BALLET 2014: featuring Principals and Soloists of New York City Ballet
July 16-20
Ted Shawn Theatre
This exclusive presentation offers a rare opportunity to experience some of today’s most elite ballet dancers in the intimate 620-seat Ted Shawn Theatre. Principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top New York City Ballet stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, Teresa Reichlen, and others. The program is equally impressive, including Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy, danced to Arvo Pärt’s ”Fratres;” Two Hearts, a collaboration between Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly; Furiant created by NYCB Soloist Justin Peck; Sunshine, a solo for Ulbricht by choreographer Larry Keigwin; a world premiere duet by Emery LeCrone; and the classic Fancy Free, the first ballet created by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein in 1944, which subsequently inspired the full-length musical On The Town. Cast subject to change.
Dorrance Dance
July 16 – 27 Two-Week Run
Doris Duke Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE
Michelle Dorrance, widely acknowledged as one of today’s most accomplished tap artists, is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, musician, and director. In 2013 she was honored with the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, performed at the Pillow’s Season Opening Gala, and, along with composer and musician Toshi Reagon, presented the world premiere of The Blues Project to sold-out houses. This season, Dorrance Dance premieres a collaborative new show featuring b-girl Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie; innovative tap dance instruments created by STOMP and Dorrance Dance member Nicholas Young; and live musicby the sensational vocalist Aaron Marcellus. Dorrance will also serve as director for The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s 2014 Tap Program, June 23-July 6. Two-week run.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Dorrance Dance (2013) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/dorrance-dance
Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble
July 23-27
Ted Shawn Theatre
Mark Morris is celebrated for his deep, witty, poetic, brazen, joyful dances and an abiding commitment to live music. This July, the Pillow celebrates Morris and his company with a weeklong “festival within the Festival”, featuring talks, a concert by the MMDG Music Ensemble, music seminars and Mark Morris repertory taught in The School at Jacob’s Pillow, and an exclusive seven-show engagement. Each performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre includes Festival Dance, which prompted Robert Gottlieb of The New York Observer to proclaim, “it's charming, it's exhilarating, it's unexpected”; A Wooden Tree, set to words and music by Ivor Cutler; Crosswalk,one of Morris’s newest works; and the gorgeous duet Jenn and Spencer, all accompanied by live music. A special MMDG Music Ensemble concert will take place in the Ted Shawn Theatre, Sunday July 27 at 11am; tickets $15 for general admission.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Mark Morris Dance Group (2011) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/mark-morris-dance-group
Mark Morris Dance Group (1994) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/mark-morris-dance-group
Circa in “S”
July 30-August 3
Ted Shawn Theatre
Bringing circus arts into the 21st century, the astonishing performers of the Australian company Circa communicate the power of the human body through acrobatics, aerial work, and mind-bending feats of strength. Directed by Yaron Lifschitz, its new production S is sensual, sinuous, sophisticated, and spectacular. Seven performers including gymnasts, physical theatre and circus artists, and contortionists are accompanied by intoxicating music from Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, percussionist Samuli Kosminen, and The Kronos Quartet. Kelli Rogers of The Australian comments “S will test any preconceived ideas you may have about the physical limitations of the human body.”
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Circa (2012) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/circa
Dance Heginbotham and Brooklyn Rider in Chalk and Soot
July 30-August 3
Doris Duke Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE
In the world premiere of Chalk and Soot, choreographer John Heginbotham, Artistic Director of Dance Heginbotham, and violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen, “one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene” (Washington Post), combine their unique artistic forces. Inspired by Vasily Kandinsky's book of poems Sounds, this evening-length premiere features imaginative, theatrical choreography; live music performed by superstar string quartet Brooklyn Rider; and the vocal styling of Shara Worden, the acclaimed singer-songwriter and founder of indie-pop group My Brightest Diamond.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Dance Heginbotham (2012) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/dance-heginbotham
Pacific Northwest Ballet
August 6-10
Ted Shawn Theatre
Under the direction of former New York City Ballet principal Peter Boal, one of America’s top ballet companiesmakes a rare East Coast appearance. The company’s program includes British choreographer David Dawson’s exuberant A Million Kisses to My Skin and Nacho Duato’s Rassemblement, inspired by and danced to the music of Haitian singer Toto Bissainthe. The remarkableTwyla Tharp’s Scottish-inspired Brief Fling, originally created for American Ballet Theatre in 1990, “openly contrasts the ballet vocabulary…with her own spiraling, slouching modern-dance idiom” (Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times).
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Peter Boal & Wendy Whelan (2004) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/peter-boal-wendy-whelan
David Roussève/REALITY in Stardust
August 6-10
Doris Duke Theatre
Victoria Looseleaf of The Los Angeles Times calls choreographer David Roussève’s latest contemporary dance-theatre work Stardust, “a transcendent coming of age tale.” In this 80-minute work, the exceptional performers of David Roussève/REALITY explore the world of a young, gay, African-American man through arresting choreography; video projections including unanswered texts; original musicby composer d. Sabela grimes; and classic songs interpreted by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Mathis. Poignant, riveting, and challenging, Stardust depicts a moving portrait of the struggle for love and acceptance.
Companhia Urbana de Dança
August 13-16
Ted Shawn Theatre
Choreographer and Artistic Director Sonia Destri Lie is recognized for combining hip-hop with dramatic, creative contemporary choreography. Her company, founded in Brazil in 2004, features dancers from the suburbs and favelas of Rio de Janeiro, who have developed a range of movement vocabulary that incorporates hip-hop, urban, contemporary, and Brazilian social dance. Following their Pillow debut in 2013, Companhia Urbana de Dança brings an all-new program of contemporary hip-hop dances. With recreated works like Na Pista and Suite Funk, the virtuosic dancers of Urbana burn up the floor with joy and athleticism.
doug elkins choreography, etc.
August 13-17
Doris Duke Theatre
Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times calls Doug Elkins “one of the most musical, witty and inventive choreographers of his generation.” Following two sold-out Festival runs of Doug Elkins and Friends’ Fräulein Maria, a beloved re-imagining of the classic film The Sound of Music, the witty choreographer returns with new works. Mo(or)town/Redux explores Shakespearean themes of power, love, jealousy, and betrayal to a Motown-inspired soundtrack. Hapless Bizarre offers a cheeky mash-up of physical comedy, dance, and romance, performed by a merry band of dancers and one vaudevillian clown. The delightfully eclectic score includes music by the Swedish electronic jazz duo Koop, remixes and samples of 1950's dating etiquette videos and more.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Doug Elkins and Friends (2012) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/doug-elkins-and-friends
A Jazz Happening
August 17
Ted Shawn Theatre
This benefit for The School at Jacob’s Pillow is a one-night-only event featuring the 22 international students of Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program. Directed by Broadway’s Chet Walker, A Jazz Happening features original choreography by faculty of The School and live music by an onstage jazz band. For Walker’s involvement with the current Broadway revival of Pippin, he received both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. Walker has served as the Director of the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program at the Pillow for 15 years. Proceeds benefit The School at Jacob’s Pillow.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
August 20-24
Ted Shawn Theatre
Under the direction of Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet made its Pillow debut in 2003 and has since returned in three subsequent seasons. For the final week of the Festival, the company delivers three stylish contemporary ballets by international dancemakers. Spanish-born, Munich-based choreographer Cayetano Soto’s dramatic Beautiful Mistake was commissioned by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and premiered in 2013. Square None by rising young choreographer and Juilliard School graduate, Norbert De La Cruz III, mixes electronica music with arias by George Frideric Handel. Finland’s Jorma Elo, who is now resident choreographer for Boston Ballet, offers his vigorous Over Glow, with music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn, to close the season.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (2011) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/aspen-santa-fe-ballet
LeeSaar The Company
August 20-24
Doris Duke Theatre
Actress, director, and writer Lee Sher and dancer/choreographer Saar Harari founded their dance company in Israel in 2000. In 2004, they relocated to New York City where they have been intriguing critics and audiences and receiving numerous prestigious awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship. The LeeSaar dancers hail from Taiwan, Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Canada and Israel and are expertly trained in Gaga technique, a dance style pioneered by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. This season LeeSaar performs Grass and Jackals, a sensual, inventive, and visually stunning spectacle of dance and light. With arresting, eccentric choreography and immersive lighting by Bueno Avi-Yona (Bambi), the acclaimed designer perhaps best known for his work with Batsheva Dance Company, Grass and Jackals pushes physical and emotional boundaries for both performers and audiences.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: LeeSaar The Company (2012) http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance/leesaar-company
Member Pre-Sale: Tickets go on sale to Jacob’s Pillow Members as early as January 13, 2014, depending on Member level. A detailed ordering calendar can be found on jacobspillow.org. As part of the Member Pre-Sale, Jacob’s Pillow Members will save $10 on every Ted Shawn Theatre ticket purchased by March 15. To become a Pillow Member, call 413.243.9919 or visit jacobspillow.org/membership.
Festival 2014 Tickets: Subscription packages of five or more performances go on sale to the public March 17, 2014 and single tickets for Festival 2014 go on public sale April 1, 2014. Box Office: 413.243.0745 and jacobspillow.org.
Full Schedule Including 200+ Free Events: Further programming announcements will be made in April for more than 200 free events, including Inside/Out performances, PillowTalks, and exclusive exhibits. For ticketing or schedule questions, call the Box Office at 413.243.0745.