Jacob's Pillow Schedule

2016 Festival in Becket

By: Pillow - Apr 29, 2016

 

April 28, 2016 – (Becket, MA) Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking ticket sales and attendance of Festival 2015, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival will soon kick-off a new season of exciting programming featuring international artists, world premieres, an impressive number of engagements set to live music, and more than 200 free performances, talks, and exhibits. Expanding upon its robust community programming, the Pillow will now also hold open-level classes with Inside/Out artists throughout the Festival, a first-time offering this season. The 2016 season signals an exciting new era in Pillow history, as new Jacob’s Pillow Director Pamela Tatge takes the helm of the organization.

“I’m excited to have the chance to personally welcome Pillow audiences to a Festival of great breadth—companies from across the globe with performances set to an incredible range of live music,” says Jacob’s Pillow Director Pamela Tatge. “I look forward to experiencing, alongside our audience, the many ways the Pillow deepens our engagement with dance, from the endless resources in the Archives, to PillowTalks with our accomplished scholars and our ever-growing variety of community classes. And of course, the 250 free events, including more than thirty companies on the Inside/Out stage, all of it against the backdrop of this magnificent landscape.”

Highlights of Festival 2016 include a world premiere engagement And Still You Must Swing created by tap dance powerhouses Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Derick K. Grant, and Jason Samuels Smith; former New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan and choreographer Brian Brooks in an evening of new duets and solos, accompanied by eminent string quartet Brooklyn Rider and titled Some of a Thousand Words; rare U.S. appearances by France-based Compagnie Hervé KOUBI and South Korea-based contemporary ensemble Bereishit Dance Company; the powerful all-male company Che Malambo of Argentina; and the return of the eminent Seattle-based company Pacific Northwest Ballet. Tickets are on sale to the public through the Box Office at 413.243.0745 or online at jacobspillow.org.

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 84th annual Festival. Festival 2016 international companies include Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart from Germany, France-based Compagnie Hervé KOUBI with dancers from Algeria and Burkina Faso, among others previously mentioned. American companies hail from Aspen, CO and Santa Fe, NM (Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Juan Siddi Flamenco Sante Fe); Chicago, IL (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street 2); Seattle, WA (Pacific Northwest Ballet); Philadelphia, PA (BalletX); and New York City (ZviDance, ARIAS Company, Dorrance Dance, Pam Tanowitz Dance, FLEXN, and others).

Festival 2016 features the most live music in recent years, prevalent throughout the season and featured in no less than half of all Festival engagements including Juan Siddi Flamenco Sante Fe, Pam Tanowitz Dance and FLUX Quartet, Dorrance Dance, Bereishit Dance Company, BalletX, And Still You Must Swing, New York Theatre Ballet, Souleymane “Solo” Badolo, and Wendy Whelan and Brian Brooks with Brooklyn Rider, among others. The Pillow is committed to presenting and commissioning new work; Festival 2016 features many world premiere engagements including evening-length works by Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Jason Samuels Smith, and Derick K. Grant; and Bryan Arias. Jacob’s Pillow co-commissions include a work for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet by Cayetano Soto and a world premiere by Jessica Lang performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet. Many Festival 2016 artists have also developed work during Creative Development Residencies at Jacob’s Pillow, including Michelle Dorrance, Bryan Arias, and Adam H. Weinert.

Throughout the Festival, more than 200 events including performances, talks, tours, exhibits, films, classes, and community events are free and open to the public. Presenting both emerging and esteemed dance artists from across the U.S., Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’s Inside/Out performance series will return to the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage at the breathtaking Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space, every Wednesday through Saturday at 6:15pm, June 22-August 28.  An essential part of the Pillow's mission and a beloved tradition, Inside/Out performances are free and open to the public, featuring family-friendly and diverse dance styles ranging from classical ballet and hip-hop to tap, and folkloric dance. New this year, the Pillow offers classes taught by Inside/Out artists in varying styles including swing dance, ballet, Gaga technique, and more.

Occurring twice a week during the Festival, PillowTalks are part of a free, curated series of entertaining and informative discussions with choreographers, writers, filmmakers, and cultural experts. Moderated by Pillow Scholars, PillowTalks provide an excellent opportunity to gain behind-the-scenes insight. This year’s highlights feature talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning Sarah Kaufman, The New York Times dance critic Brian Seibert, and iconic dance photographer Lois Greenfield, among others.

This year, Jacob’s Pillow extends the reach of the Festival beyond its grounds. Acclaimed Brooklyn-based dance company Urban Bush Women will host movement classes, lecture-demonstrations, and engagement activities for the community with a primary focus on teenage African-American girls in nearby Pittsfield and North Adams, MA. In collaboration with the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Dance Rules Everything Around Me (D.R.E.A.M.) will offer a day of workshops, discussions, and a performance/competition showcase with flex dance artists Reggie ‘Regg Roc’ Gray, Jason Cust, and 10 flex dancers on July 22. In addition to these classes, Bridgman | Packer Dance’s mobile dance performance TRUCK will come to downtown Pittsfield, MA on June 16.

Free and open to the public daily throughout the Festival, Blake’s Barn will feature an exclusive exhibition focusing on large format images by preeminent photographer Lois Greenfield. The exhibit shares its title, Moving Still, with a just released volume from Chronicle Books, Greenfield’s first publication in nearly twenty years. Exhibited in the Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby, Building the Pillow will feature rare photos of the site’s early development and evolution throughout the past century. Dance-related works of acclaimed artist Al Hirschfeld will be seen in Hirschfeld on the Move, featured in the Doris Duke Theatre Lobby to herald the availability of new Hirschfeld merchandise in The Pillow Store.

The artist faculty members of The School at Jacob’s Pillow are as equally international and diversely experienced as the Festival artists. The 2016 Program Directors include ballet luminary Anna-Marie Holmes; Ailey School and Juilliard faculty member Milton Myers, who celebrates his 30th year of mentoring and coaching at The School at Jacob’s Pillow; Broadway veteran, choreographer, and director Chet Walker; and the esteemed founder of Urban Bush Women, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.

The Program Directors will be joined by dance artists, choreographers, and artistic directors from across the globe. The Ballet Program roster includes American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Xiomara Reyes, NBA Ballet Company Artistic Director Koichi Kubo, and former Boston Ballet principal dancer Yury Yanowsky, who will create a new work on program dancers for the season opening Gala. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar directs the new 2016 program entitled Improv Traditions & Innovations: From Ring Shout to Blues to Jazz. Program faculty includes Harvard University PhD candidate in African & African American Studies Lizzy Cooper Davis; two-time Fulbright Fellow Award recipient Nia Love; former company member and rehearsal director for Urban Bush Women, Chanon Judson; Artistic Director of Junebug Productions, Stephanie McKee; and choreographer, performer, and Urban Bush Women company member Samatha Speis. Contemporary Program Director Milton Myers leads a diversely talented faculty, including sought-after choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Atlanta Ballet Resident Choreographer Helen Pickett; Alonzo King LINES Ballet Master Arturo Fernandez, former Juilliard School faculty member Alphonse Poulin; and the Artistic Director of the Dance Division at The Juilliard School Lawrence Rhodes, among others.

FESTIVAL 2016 FREE EXHIBITS – ON VIEW JUNE 22-AUGUST 28

Lois Greenfield: Moving Still
Blake’s Barn
Open daily, noon to 10pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5pm Sundays-Tuesdays.

Accompanying the publication of Greenfield’s newest book, Moving Still celebrates the recent work of a singular artist who has defined dance photography for decades. In addition to her signature gravity-defying images, this exclusive exhibit debuts her latest collection of enigmatic moments, caught beneath the threshold of perception. The new Norton Owen Reading Room features recent donations from Ruth St. Denis’s family and more treasures from the Stephan Driscoll Collection. FREE

Building the Pillow
Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

While seemingly unchanged and timeless in many ways, the beloved structures of this National Historic Landmark have been in constant transition for more than 200 years. In this exhibit, rare photographs of the site’s development are shared, many for the first time. FREE

Hirschfeld on the Move
Doris Duke Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

The legendary Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) loved dance and captured movement with uncanny economy of line. One of his last masterworks was a commissioned study of Ted Shawn at Jacob’s Pillow (now available on new merchandise in The Pillow Store), and exhibited among nine decades of other dance images in an exclusive exhibition created with the Al Hirschfeld Foundation. FREE

Jacob’s Pillow Archives/Norton Owen Reading Room
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 from the Pillow’s Archives. 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

Online Exhibit: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive

An ever-expanding website allows new dance lovers and esteemed aficionados to enjoy highlights from 83 seasons of Pillow performances anytime. Visit danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org to discover video excerpts from artists including Savion Glover, Martha Graham Dance Company, Carmen de Lavallade, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Pillow founder Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers, among countless others.

FESTIVAL 2016 COMMUNITY CLASSES – ONGOING

Morning Classes
Ruth St. Denis Studio
June 6-August 26, Monday-Friday at 8am

Open to all experience levels, Jacob’s Pillow Morning Classes take place each weekday morning in the historic Ruth St. Denis Studio on the Jacob’s Pillow grounds. The class schedule include Pilates with Pilates Certified instructor Sean P. Gallagher on Monday; African Dance with Marilyn Sylla on Tuesday; Ballet with Sharon MacDonald on Wednesday; Zumba with Ilana Siegal on Thursday; and Modern with Festival 2016 artist Adam H. Weinert on Friday. Other guest artists to be announced. All participants must be age 16 and over; $10 per class or $50 for a 6-class card. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Families Dance Together
Bakalar Studio
July 8-August 19, Fridays at 5pm

Led by Pillow Artist-Educator Jeff Bliss, this intergenerational class is a unique opportunity for children and adults to experience the joy of creating simple dances together. Families Dance Together is for children ages 5-18, accompanied by an adult. Participants under 18 years require a parent signature on liability waiver. Classes are $5 per adult and $1 per child. Families Dance Together is a Jacob’s Pillow/Becket Arts Center collaboration.

FESTIVAL 2016 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.

TRUCK
Members Only Event June 11
Public Event June 16 in Pittsfield, MA

Performed in the confines of a 17 foot box truck, Bridgman | Packer Dance’s visceral, site-specific work is an unconventional performance where dance, video projection, image, and reality collide. In this non-traditional, accessible performance aimed to bring dance to audiences of all backgrounds, Guggenheim Fellows in Choreography Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer create an evocative and humorous world which explores how context changes perception. TRUCK will be performed at a Members-Only event at Jacob’s Pillow on June 11, as part of the City of Pittsfield’s Third Thursday community event on June 16, and at the Jacob’s Pillow Season Opening Gala on June 18.  

Season Opening Gala
June 18 at 5pm
Ted Shawn Theatre

The exclusive Season Opening Gala event will include a special performance of Bridgman | Packer’s TRUCK, Festival 2016 artists Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Dorrance Dance, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, the dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s Ballet Program in a world premiere created by former Boston Ballet principal dancer Yury Yanowsky, and other artists. This signature fundraising event also includes the presentation of the 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, the opening of a new Lois Greenfield exhibit, and both live and silent auctions, followed by dinner and dancing to live music by Bev Rohlehr and The Colbys and DJ BFG.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
June 22-26, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet opens Festival 2016 in a program showcasing the 13-member ensemble’s versatility and artistic range. Renowned for technical prowess and stunning performance, “the dancers of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet seem as comfortable in acrobatic turns and loose limbed falls as they are in soaring grand jetés and crisp fouettés” (Janine Parker, The Boston Globe). The program includes the East Coast premiere of a Pillow-commissioned work entitled Huma Rojo by Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto, as well as Alejandro Cerrudo’s poetic Silent Ghost set to an alternative rock score including contemporary composers Dustin Hamman, King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Ólafur Arnalds, and Nils Frahm. Tickets start at $45.

Related Video in Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in 2011: http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/aspen-santa-fe-ballet/stamping-ground/

Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe
June 22-26, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm
Doris Duke Theatre

Led by dancer and Artistic Director Juan Siddi, the 14 dancers and musicians of Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe present a program of flamenco dance and powerful live music. Founded in Santa Fe in 2008 and in artistic partnership with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet since 2014, the company’s “physical bravado” and “fabulous footwork” (Emmaly Weiderholt, Santa Fe Reporter), captures the form’s rich cultural heritage and infuses it with a unique, contemporary flair. Virtuosic musicians and vocalists, many hailing from Spain, heighten the dramatic power of this electrifying ensemble. Tickets start at $25.

Free Inside/Out Performance: The Bang Group

Wednesday, June 22, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Delightfully family-friendly, The Bang Group bridges percussive and contemporary forms with wit and ingenuity. Led by the artistic vision of 2013 Guggenheim Fellow David Parker, the New York City-based company has been presented by Dance Theatre Workshop, New York Live Arts, Danspace Project, The Yard, and DanceNow NYC, among many others. The Bang Group brings its signature comedic performances paired with a charming theatricality to the outdoor stage. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Emery LeCrone Dance

Thursday, June 23, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded in 2013, Emery LeCrone Dance creates innovative contemporary ballet works in collaboration with distinguished composers, musicians, and designers. An alumna of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Emery LeCrone’s work was recently seen by Pillow audiences during the Ted Shawn Theatre engagement of Daniel Ulbricht/BALLET 2014 with stars of New York City Ballet as well as during the 2014 Inside/Out performance series. The company will present Ritornare and The Innermost Part of Something. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Urban Bush Women

Friday, June 24, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

From the female perspective of the African Diaspora community, Urban Bush Women (UBW) seeks to bring the stories of disenfranchised people to light through dance. Founded in 1984 by choreographer and 2016 The School at Jacob’s Pillow Cultural Traditions Program Director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, UBW galvanizes artists, activists, audiences, and communities through ground-breaking performances. In this interactive lecture demonstration, UBW blends dialogue and movement to give audiences the opportunity to learn methodology and view its repertory. FREE

Free Pillow Talk: Three Artists, Two Companies
Friday, June 24, 5pm

Blake’s Barn

Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty have run Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for 20 years and recently joined forces with Juan Siddi of Juan Siddi Flamenco to manage both companies. In this PillowTalk, the three dance artists and directors explain their various roles. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow

Saturday, June 25, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow present a work choreographed by Boston Ballet principal dancer Yury Yanowsky 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

Free PillowTalk: Finding Our Community
Saturday, June 25, 4pm

Blake’s Barn

Urban Bush Women’s founder-director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is passionate about engaging her audiences in meaningful ways. Zollar reflects on her company’s deep Pillow roots and current mission during this conversation. FREE

Sunday Master Class with Festival Artist: Juan Siddi Flamenco

Sunday, June 26, 10am
Doris Duke Theatre

Festival artist Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe will teach a master class open to all intermediate and advanced dancers ages 16 and over. Pre-registration is required, call 413.243.9919 x5 the week of the class to register. Quiet observation is welcome; $15 per class or $80 for a 6-class card. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Che Malambo

June 29-July 3, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

Founded in 2007 under the direction of renowned France-based dancer and choreographer Gilles Brina, the Argentinian ensemble Che Malambo presents the traditional dance of South American cowboys (“gauchos”) in an evening of “rapid-fire rhythms” and “spinning boleadors” in a “rousing group spectacle” (Siobhan Burke, The New York Times). The company of 14 male dancers integrates live drumming and swift, intricate footwork in an evening-length display of the 17th century-styled competitive duel of Malambo, a test of strength, agility, and speed. Tickets start at $39; $10 Youth Tickets available for all shows.

Bereishit Dance Company

June 29-July 3, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

In a rare U.S. appearance, Seoul-based Bereishit Dance Company makes its Jacob’s Pillow debut in a highly-physical program blending innovative partnering, extraordinary isolations, and moments of theatricality with a fresh perspective. Founded in 2000 by choreographer Soon-ho Park, the company presents the rigorous male duet BOW inspired by the sport of archery and the boundary between dance and athletics. The program also includes the “impressive and unforgettable” (Gesa Polert, Germany’s Rheinische Post) Balance and Imbalance, featuring clever interplay between the cast of five dancers and a pair of onstage traditional Korean drummers accompanied by a pansori singer. Tickets start at $25.

Free Inside/Out Performance: DANCEWAVE COMPANY

Wednesday, June 29 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

DANCEWAVE is a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization that employs a rigorous pre-professional dance training program as the medium for education, artistic expression, and empowerment of urban youth. Features of the program include an intense rehearsal schedule, exposure to world renowned modern choreographers, and a mentoring program led by trained company coaches. The young dancers of DANCEWAVE COMPANY will perform works by Gallim Dance Artistic Director Andrea Miller and the critically-acclaimed Pavement by MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient Kyle Abraham. FREE

Class with Inside/Out Artist: Gaga with Daniele Agami of Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY

Thursday, June 30, 4pm

Ruth St. Denis Studio

Former Batsheva Dance Company member Danielle Agami gives a master class in the Gaga technique created by Israeli choreographer, teacher, and artistic director Ohad Naharin. A structured improvisation meant to create awareness of the body. Open to all experience levels, ages 16+; $10 per person. Pre-registration is required. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY

Thursday, June 30, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Los Angeles-based Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY strives to promote the power of the arts by bringing people together through dance experiences in the Gaga technique. Founded by Israeli dancer/choreographer and former Batsheva Dance Company member Danielle Agami, Ate9 builds audiences for dance and invests in ongoing dialogues between people. The evening will include focus on the many layers of dance making in Going Solo, which includes a collection of solos and an intermittent Q&A session choreographed and hosted by Agami. FREE

Free Fun Friday 
Friday, July 1, starting at 2:30pm 

The Pillow hosts Free Fun Friday, supported by the Highland Street Foundation, with free daytime activities including classes, Kids Corners, a guided tour of the historic grounds, and a family-friendly performance by hip-hop duo The WonderTwins on the Inside/Out stage with stunning views of the Berkshire Hills. For more information about Free Fun Fridays please visit highlandstreet.org/freefunfridays.

Free Inside/Out Performance: The WonderTwins

Friday, July 1, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

The WonderTwins Billy and Bobby McClain are talented identical twins from Boston who have created a distinctive style all their own. Through hip-hop, the sophistication of the glory days of the Cotton Club, the flash of Rat Pack era Las Vegas, blended with elements of vaudeville, animation, robot, tap, and mime, That's Entertainment showcases their signature theatrical style. The performance is set to an eclectic soundtrack from musicals, Broadway plays, and songs from the past to the present. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Improvisation in Dance
Friday, July 1, 5pm

Blake’s Barn

As a pioneer in dance improvisation for more than fifty years, Margaret Beals looks back over her extraordinary career, sharing some film highlights and reflections on the power of the present moment.  FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Improv Traditions and Innovations: From Ring Shout to Blues to Jazz Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow

Saturday, July 2, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from The School’s new Cultural Traditions program, Improv Traditions and Innovations: From Ring Shout to Blues to Jazz present a variety of dances, coached by program director and Urban Bush Women founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and Junebug Productions Artistic Director Stephanie McKee. FREE

Free PillowTalk: The Dancing Athlete

Saturday, July 2, 4pm
Blake’s Barn

Saratoga’s National Museum of Dance hosts a new exhibit exploring intersections of dance and sport, a theme also seen onstage in this week’s Bereishit Dance Company’s program, with representatives from both organizations in conversation. FREE

Sunday Master Class with Festival Artist: Bereishit Dance Company

Sunday, July 3, 10am
Doris Duke Theatre

Festival artist Bereishit Dance Company will teach a master class that is open to all intermediate and advanced dancers ages 16 and over. Pre-registration is required, call 413.243.9919 x5 the week of the class to register. Quiet observation is welcome; $15 per class or $80 for a 6-class card. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Sunday Film Event: Our Last Tango

Sunday, July 3, 4:30pm

Blake’s Barn

Our Last Tango is the story of Tango Argentino’s legendary stars, Maria Nieves Rego and Juan Carlos Copes, who recall their triumphs and tempestuous personal relationship, punctuated with sizzling dance sequences. Tickets $10.

Gauthier Dance

July 6-10, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

Following Festival 2015’s sold-out engagement in the Doris Duke Theatre, Germany-based Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart takes the Ted Shawn Theatre stage with their signature wit, charming edge, and stunning display of versatility. The program includes the return of emerging choreographer Po-Cheng Tsai’s theatrical Floating Flowers, Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili’s Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, and Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto’s CONRAZONCORAZON, created specifically for the company. The program will close with Mauro Bigonzetti’s tour-de-force Cantata with original and traditional music from southern Italy performed live onstage by Gruppo Musicale Assurd. Tickets start at $45.

Related video on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive: Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in 2015: http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/gauthier-dancedance-company-theaterhaus-stuttgart/malasangre/

And Still You Must Swing

July 6-10, Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm

Doris Duke Theatre

Three of the world's most celebrated tap luminaries come together in an evening of live music and tap dance in the world premiere And Still You Must Swing. Each returning to the Pillow after various standout performances, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards joins forces with Derick K. Grant and Jason Samuels Smith to present a dynamic project that captures the heart and legacy of tap dance, honoring the profound influence of jazz and beyond. The program embraces masterful technique, musicality, and improvisation, with a stellar cast and critically-acclaimed guest artists including 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient Camille A. Brown.  Tickets start at $25.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Dances for One

Wednesday, July 6, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dances for One features performances from two companies of different dance styles, highlighting the power of solo performance and the mastery of a dancer’s relationship to the audience, set to live musical accompaniment. FREE

Hari Krishnan of inDance

Artistic Director Hari Krishnan of Toronto-based inDance presents works that acknowledge the burdens and legacy of Eastern and Western tradition. Krishnan performs solo work Tiger by the Tail, set to live music by inDANCE’s resident percussionist Kajajeyan Pararasasegaram.

Marina Elana of Marina Elana and Company
Trained by prestigious flamenco artists in Sevilla and Madrid, Spain, Marina Elana has toured both nationally and internationally. Elana presents Marina Magalhães, an improvised solo flamenco performance featuring live musical accompaniment by a vocalist and a guitarist.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Calpulli Mexican Dance Company

Thursday, July 7, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

New York City-based Calpulli Mexican Dance Company focuses on stories, histories, and messages that can be captured in folkloric, contemporary, and classically-influenced interpretations of Mexican and Mexican-American culture. Led by Artistic Director Alberto Lopez, the program will feature a cross section of the company’s repertoire from Aztec-inspired rituals to the Caribbean-infused rhythms of the Gulf coast set to Mariachi serenades played live. FREE.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Christopher Ruud & The Stars of Ballet West

Friday, July 8, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Christopher Ruud & The Stars of Ballet West brings Ballet West’s diverse and expansive repertoire to intimate venues. For more than 50 years, Salt Lake City’s Ballet West has brought the very best of classical and contemporary dance to theaters and opera houses world-wide, including The CW’s reality television show Breaking Pointe. Veteran leading dancer and choreographer for the company Christopher Ruud presents The Stars of Ballet West in the haunting pas de deux from Giselle; the neoclassical pas de deux from George Balanchine’s Rubies; the abstract in Tomm Ruud’s mesmerizing Mobile; Gerald Arpino’s heart-stopping Ruth, Ricordi per Due; and a world premiere by Ruud. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Award-Winning Camille A. Brown

Friday, July 8, 5pm

Blake’s Barn

This year’s Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient Camille A. Brown returns to the Pillow stage this week, and discusses her unique personal journey, recent TED Talks, and upcoming projects. FREE.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Improv Traditions and Innovations: From Ring Shout to Blues to Jazz Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow

Saturday, July 9, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from The School’s new Cultural Traditions program, Improv Traditions and Innovations: From Ring Shout to Blues to Jazz Program present a variety of dances, coached by program director and Urban Bush Women founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and Fulbright Fellow Nia Love. FREE

Free PillowTalk: What the Eye Hears
Saturday, July 9, 4pm
Blake’s Barn

The new book What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing by The New York Times critic Brian Seibert has been called “smart, wonderfully anecdotal and definitive” (Elizabeth Kendall, The New York Times). In this talk, Seibert will discuss and sign copies of his book.  FREE

Sunday Master Class with Festival Artist: And Still You Must Swing

Sunday, July 10, 10am
Doris Duke Theatre

Artists from Festival engagement And Still You Must Swing will teach a master class that is open to all intermediate and advanced dancers ages 16 and over. Pre-registration is required, call 413.243.9919 x5 the week of the class to register. Quiet observation is welcome; $15 per class or $80 for a 6-class card. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
July 13-17, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre

An international force in contemporary dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago holds an unparalleled reputation for versatility, stunning technique, and compelling performances. Led by former Nederlands Dans Theater Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton and now celebrating its 38th season, the company brings a program that exhibits its prowess and range “driven by energetic, charismatic dancers” (Janine Parker, The Boston Globe). They perform Solo Echo, a gripping interpretation of two Johannes Brahms sonatas for cello and piano, created by Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award-winner and Artistic Director of Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite. The program will also include master choreographer William Forsythe’s quartet N.N.N.N., a work of intricate pedestrian gestures and delightfully complex rhythms. Tickets start at $45.

Related video from Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2010: http://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/hubbard-street-dance-chicago/untouched/

Hubbard Street 2 in Mariko’s Magical Mix: A Dance Adventure
July 13-17, Wednesday-Saturday at 4:15pm; Thursday-Friday and Sunday at 2:15pm; Saturday and Sunday at 11:15am
Doris Duke Theatre

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s dynamic early-career ensemble, Hubbard Street 2, presents the imaginative voyage of a restless girl, Mariko, who finds inspiration from her mother’s vinyl records. In a quest for friendship and self-discovery, the young heroine sets off to explore a colorful world of dance and music conveyed through vibrant video projections and shadow puppetry. Created by Princess Grace Award-winning choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams in collaboration with designers and shadow puppeteers Manual Cinema, this family-friendly show brings compelling storytelling to Hubbard Street’s signature, superb performance quality. $10 youth tickets available for all performances. Adult tickets start at $25; $10 Youth Tickets available for all performances.

Free Inside/Out Performance: DanceTheYard

Wednesday, July 13, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Led by The Yard’s Executive Director Alison Manning and Director of Island Programs & Education Jesse Keller, DanceTheYard (DTY) is the resident dance collective of The Yard at Martha’s Vineyard. In an effort to support emerging choreographers, DTY’s directors work with a collective of professional artists to create an emerging body of work for presentation locally and nationally. Performers include alumni of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. FREE.

Class with Inside/Out Artist: Ballet Barre with Kevin Jenkins
Thursday, July 14, 4pm
Ruth St. Denis Studio

Boston Ballet faculty member Kevin Jenkins teaches an all-levels ballet barre class. Open to all experience levels, ages 12+; $10 per person. Pre-registration is required. Participants younger than 18 will require a parent’s signature on a liability waiver.

Free Inside/Out Performance: Kevin Jenkins

Thursday, July 14, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Prolific choreographer and faculty member of the Boston Ballet School, Kevin Jenkins has choreographed for Western Ballet, Convergence Ballet, Terpsicore Dance Company, Mirable Ballet, Bellingham Repertory Dance, and the School of Ballet Arizona among others. This presentation showcases Jenkin’s work from the last two years, highlighting his signature musicality in works ranging from contemporary to jazz and neo-classical ballet. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: SOLE Defined
Friday, July 15, 6:15pm
Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded in 2011, SOLE Defined is a percussive dance company based in Washington, DC and led by Cirque du Soleil’s Ryan K. Johnson and award winning choreographer Quynn Johnson. Tap dance meets body percussion in SOLE Defined’s interactive and family-friendly performance of MOTAPs. A fusion of Motown’s top hits and dynamic movement, the show features traditional sand dance, tap, stepping, and body percussion. FREE

Free PillowTalk: Ann Hutchinson Guest’s Dancing Life
Friday, July 15, 5pm
Blake’s Barn

Dance notation authority and scholar Ann Hutchinson Guest first studied at Jacob’s Pillow 75 years ago, and has been on the forefront of dance ever since. In this talk, Guest recounts old and new adventures. FREE

Free Inside/Out Performance: Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow

Saturday, July 16, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space