Ella Baff Recalls Cunningham and Cage
Gala to Feature Philip Glass and Benjamin Millepied
By: Charles Giuliano - Apr 12, 2011
Recently honored by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Arts, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2011 will officially commence with a star-studded Season Opening Gala performance and celebration on June 18. A dance photography exhibit by Annie Leibovitz, created especially for the Pillow, will be on display in an exclusive preview. The evening also features an impressive performance lineup, including dancers of Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève performing Benjamin Millepied's duet Closer; a world premiere by Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch performed by dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow Ballet Program; dynamic performances by David Neumann, KEIGWIN + COMPANY, and the Mark Morris Dance Group; and a solo performance by acclaimed pianist and composer, Philip Glass. Finally, the fifth annual Jacob's Pillow Dance Award will be presented by Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff to a distinguished artist.
Charles Giuliano Where does Philip Glass fit in this year?
Ella Baff I used to present music in a former job and I presented a theatrical production he and Robert Wilson did The Knee Plays.
CG I saw The Knee Plays and other works by Wilson and Glass years ago at American Repertory Theatre.
EB I presented that in my previous job and the way that evolved with Philip at the festival this year was Ballet du Grand Theatre de Genevre which is opening the season in the Ted Shawn Theatre, a company that made its debut at the Pillow a few years ago and they are fantastic, they are bringing a contemporary production of Joelle Bouvier, who is a French choreographer, and I asked a few dancers could you just come in early and do something at the Gala. We chose a piece called Closer and its by Benjamin Millepied. I asked Benjamin who is a very famous dancer from New York City Ballet.
He has catapulted to the front page of the supermarket tabloids because he and Natalie Portman are a couple. They are having a baby soon so he’s in the tabloids and on the internet everywhere. I asked if he would be an honorary co chair of our gala this year which is Saturday, June 18. He said OK.
So we have Ballet Genevre doing this very beautiful duet called Closer by Benjamin Millepied, who is honorary co chair of the gala, and guess who the music is by? Philip Glass. I got in touch with Philip and asked if he would perform something on the program. He said yes and that’s how the whole thing happened.
CG I interviewed Philip some years ago and it was a truly remarkable experience. He is so charming and engaging.
EB Isn’t he great? He’s quite brilliant and he is a terrific person.
CG I found him warm and generous.
EB We so admire him and his music has more often been used for dance than any other contemporary composer. He has been very important to the dance world. I am so thrilled he has agreed to do this it is very special. It is not the kind of thing he does very often if at all. So it is a rare opportunity to actually see Philip perform. The gala program is very exciting and it is our big fund raising activity. It’s our only yearly fund raiser. Tell people to buy those tickets.
CG Do you know who is the honoree?
EB We do know but are figuring out when to announce it. That’s a little secret I have under my hat for the moment.
CG It was very poignant a couple of years ago when you honored Merce Cunningham. We were able to see that performance and it was so memorable. He passed away at about that time.
EB It was kind of extraordinary because Ted Shawn had invited Merce Cunningham to Jacob’s Pillow in 1955.
(Merce Cunningham and Company first appeared at the Pillow in 1955, on a shared program with ballet stars Alicia Alonso and Erik Bruhn, and the Spanish dancer Mariquita. John Cage and David Tudor provided the piano accompaniment, and the company included Carolyn Brown, Remy Charlip, and Viola Farber.
The following year, the Pillow commissioned a new work from Cunningham, Nocturnes, with décor and costumes by Robert Rauschenberg. Ted Shawn was reportedly displeased with the results, saying that he had requested a light work, to which Cunningham replied, "Well, it's all in white.")
There was an almost spiritual relationship between The Pillow and Merce Cunningham. I had presented the company for many years in my previous job. I knew John Cage. My personal feelings about Merce is that he was a genius. I do not use that word lightly. He was one of the most unique people I ever met in my life. We were very privileged to present the company in what proved to be, but we did not know, would be the last performances of his lifetime. He had been declining and wasn’t able to come to The Pillow. He made a beautiful video message which we showed at the gala. We presented the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award to him. He continued to decline but was able to see opening night streamed to him on his laptop from The Pillow. Some time after the company loaded out, when they finished their last performance, a matinee on Sunday, he died. It was very emotional for us.
CG What I found remarkable about the performance is that it felt so fresh and challenging. Even though the company performed vintage works they felt absolutely of the moment. Totally contemporary and they were not easy.
EB Right. It requires paying attention but it is not a terrible strain really. Once you enter into it you can go along for the ride. He’s an incredibly complex thinker. The movement is almost mathematically elaborate. But there is wit and you can relax and enjoy the special relationships. The invention of that which he puts on stage. The relationship between the music and the dance which are literally coincidental. There are so many ways to appreciate his contribution to art. He also worked with some of the greatest artists as collaborators and not just the music.
CG In my avant-garde seminar at Boston University we always watched videos of Cage, Cunningham and Rauschenberg. There were interviews about the Black Mountain days and hilarious stores about when the company traveled in a VW Bus.
EB I was sitting around in Merce’s loft having a cup of coffee when I looked up and there was a Jasper Johns. Then you would go into the kitchen and there was a Rauschenberg. I said gee Merce did you ever think that all of this was going to happen? He said “No we had no idea we were just trying to get our work out there.”
CG I got to interview and know Cage during a period of time when he was in Boston working with a studio (Rugg Road) to make edible paper. He was just so whimsical and charming. That period of the avant-garde is so much in my heart and soul.
EB Me too I totally get it. They weren’t trying to be artists and trying to be famous. They weren’t trying to be avant-garde. They just were. I miss them terribly.