Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2018
Conflating Old and New in Becket
By: Pillow - Dec 13, 2017
Jacob’s Pillow announces the full season lineup for Festival 2018, including U.S. company debuts, world premieres, international artists, newly commissioned work, rich historic Festival connections, and the formal presentation of work developed through the organization’s growing residency program at the Pillow Lab. Jacob’s Pillow is the longest-running dance festival in the United States, a National Historic Landmark, a National Medal of Arts recipient, and has recently expanded to become a year-round center for dance research and development. Festival 2018 opens on June 20, engaging visitors and community members from throughout the region and beyond, on- and off-site, through August 26.
International companies will travel to Becket, Massachusetts, from Denmark, Israel, Belgium, Australia, France, Spain, and Scotland. Notably, representation from across the United States ranges from New York City, Minneapolis, and Houston to Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Chicago, among others.
“I am thrilled to share what we have in store for Festival 2018,” says Jacob’s Pillow Director Pamela Tatge. “This summer, we introduce new work through Pillow debuts and world premieres, welcome back fan favorites, and reconnect audiences with the work of companies that are returning to the Pillow for the first time in years, like PHILADANCO!, Limón Dance Company, Houston Ballet, and ODC/Dance. Opening our season with The Royal Danish Ballet, one of the world’s most highly respected ballet companies, in the Ted Shawn Theatre, presenting the U.S. debut of Compañía Sharon Fridman, and ending with an artist-curated program by New York City Ballet’s Daniel Ulbricht, are just a few special highlights for me. With live music collaborations, work that was developed at our Pillow Lab, and site-specific special engagements, I truly believe Festival 2018 has something for everyone.”
Jacob’s Pillow announced Vision ‘22, a strategic five-year approach to the Pillow’s development through 2022, in June 2017. As a testament to the growth and success of this vision, the Pillow presents the work of four artists that have had their choreographic endeavors developed and supported through the Pillow Lab, an incubator of new work. This includes the world premiere of b-girl-led Ephrat Asherie Dance’s Odeon; Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE’s collaboration with GRAMMY-Award winning Afro-Cuban jazz artist Arturo O’Farrill; the world premiere of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner Michelle Dorrance’s newest work; and the world premiere of Paramodernities by Netta Yerushalmy, steeped in dance history and presented through multiple programs.
Live music continues to be an integral aspect of seven multidisciplinary collaborations featured this season, including Ragamala Dance Company’s distinct alchemy of Iraqi, jazz, and Carnatic instruments composed by Doris Duke Performing Artist Awardee Amir ElSaffar; live music by 20th century Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth in Ephrat Asherie Dance’s Odeon; a diverse blend of Korean, Indian, Congolese, and Japanese music in Eastman’s Fractus V; an original, live score by Donovan Dorrance and Gregory Richardson featuring vocals by eclectic soul vocalist Aaron Marcellus in Dorrance Dance’s Myelination; GRAMMY-Award winning Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Cuban jazz in New Conversations; an original music score composed by indie folk duo The Bengsons performed as dance symphony with six on-stage musicians in Sonya Tayeh’s you’ll still call me by name; and a selection of works by composer Leonard Bernstein to coincide with a program of Jerome Robbins in Stars of American Ballet.
Dedicated to expanding ideas about where dance can happen, Jacob’s Pillow also presents several special engagements that extend beyond the traditional Festival schedule. The first to note is hosting the symposium of Translucent Borders, a three-year initiative led by The NYU Global Institute for Advanced Study that brings together global collaborators, culminating in a presentation as part of the Inside/Out Performance Series. Additional highlights include Monica Bill Barnes& Company’s Happy Hour, where Sommers Studio, former home of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, is re-imagined as a performance space for a quirky office party; Scottish company Janis Claxton Dance’s POP-UP Duets (fragments of love) performed at the Season Opening Gala and in the community at Pittsfield’s Third Thursday Street festival, and other locations; and an All Styles Dance Battle hosted by Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, featuring Festival artists, participants of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, regional street artists, and surprise judges.
VIP Pre-Sale begins February 20, 2018. Tickets go on sale to the public on April 2, 2018.
Festival 2018 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.
Royal Danish Ballet
June 20-24, Ted Shawn Theatre
Revered as the world’s third oldest ballet company, the Royal Danish Ballet returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time in over a decade to open Festival 2018 in the Ted Shawn Theatre. While the distinctive repertoire of Danish choreographer August Bournonville remains a cornerstone for The Royal Danish Ballet, in his ten years as Artistic Director, Nikolaj Hübbe has brought the company to an impressive technical level which masters a wide range of modern and classical ballets. Praised as “a masterclass in style” (The Guardian), leading principals and soloists perform a program of solos, duets, and a grand finale, imbued with a rich Danish-Pillow history that dates back to the U.S. Debut of the first group of soloists in 1955. Program details to be announced.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet in Konservatoriet in 1955, the company’s U.S. debut:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/soloists-of-the-ro yal-danish-ballet/konservatori et/
Nikolaj Hübbe (Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet and Alumnus of The School at Jacob’s Pillow) & Darci Kistler in Apollo in 2002: https://danceinteractive .jacobspillow.org/nikolaj-hubb e-darci-kistler/apollo/
Ragamala Dance Company
June 20-24, Doris Duke Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
“Soulful, imaginative, and rhythmically contagious,” (The New York Times) Minneapolis-based Ragamala Dance Company is highly acclaimed for creating a genre of performance that brings together a contemporary Western aesthetic with an Indian ethos. Sharing the South Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam with audiences for over 25 years, Ragamala brings their multi-disciplinary work Written in Water to the Doris Duke Theatre. Conceived by Artistic Directors and Doris Duke Performing Artist Awardees Ranee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy—and inspired by the second century Indian board game, Paramapadam (the precursor to Snakes & Ladders)—the work explores parallels between ecstasy and longing in Hindu and Sufi traditions. With original artwork and a score by Doris Duke Performing Artist Awardee Amir ElSaffar, Written in Water brings together internationally celebrated artists and features a live music ensemble with a distinct alchemy of Iraqi, jazz, and Carnatic instruments. This work creates “a feast for the eyes, ears, and heart” (Tallahassee Democrat).
Pilobolus
June 27-July 1, Ted Shawn Theatre
For 45 years, this “mind-blowing troupe of wildly creative and physically daring dancers” (NY Newsday) has tested the limits of human physicality, exploring the beauty and power of connected bodies. Pilobolus collaborates with innovative artists, thinkers, and creators to reach beyond performance, bringing stories to diverse communities, brands, and organizations. Pilobolus has created over 120 pieces, performing for 300,000+ people each year. The company’s honors include a TED Fellowship, a GRAMMY Nomination, a Primetime Emmy Award, and several Cannes Lion Awards. The company returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre, re-working the site-specific commission Branches, which premiered in 2017 on the Inside/Out stage and celebrates the power of the Pillow’s natural setting. Additional program details to be announced.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Pilobolus in Ocellus in 1985: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/pilobolus/ocellus/
Pilobolus in Carmina Burana, Side II in 1985:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/pilobolus/carmina- burana-side-2-2/
Pilobolus in Branches in 2017:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/pilobolus/branches /
Ephrat Asherie Dance
June 27-July 1, Doris Duke Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
Ephrat Asherie Dance presents the world premiere of Odeon, a high-energy, hybrid hip-hop work set to and inspired by the music of early 20th century Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth, in the Doris Duke Theatre. Lauded as “a bona fide b-girl” (The Boston Globe), 2016 New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Award recipient Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie layers breaking, hip-hop, house, and vogue with the rich sounds of Nazareth’s buoyant score, which melds classical romantic music with popular Afro-Brazilian rhythms, played live. Odeon was created in part during two residencies at the Pillow Lab.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Ephrat Asherie Dance in Step 4.2 in 2014:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/ephrat-asherie-dan ce/step-4-2/
Batsheva - The Young Ensemble
July 4-8, Ted Shawn Theatre
The “superhumanly spry” (The New York Times) movers of Batsheva - The Young Ensemble will perform the award-winning Naharin’s Virus in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Embraced as part of one of the most prominent contemporary dance companies in the world, the company boasts an internationally diverse roster of dancers from Israel and beyond. Adapted from the anti-play Offending the Audience by Austrian playwright Peter Handke and enriched by Ohad Naharin’s innovative, wide-reaching movement language Gaga, Naharin’s Virus is described as being “as powerful as the eye of the storm” (The Jerusalem Post). Under the inimitable direction of “one of the most important living choreographers” (The Guardian), the majority of dancers in The Young Ensemble go on to become members of Batsheva Dance Company. The presentation of The Young Ensemble coincides with a two-week Professional Advancement program Gaga: The Movement Language of Ohad Naharin, offered by The School at Jacob’s Pillow.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Batsheva Dance Company in Deca Dance in 2004: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/batsheva-dance-com pany/deca-dance/
Nicola Gunn
July 4-8, Doris Duke Theatre
Melbourne-based performance artist Nicola Gunn combines text and choreography to create contemporary performance praised as “tantalizing, entertaining, ridiculous, and often bewildering in the best possible way” (Herald Sun). A confrontational reflection on peace and conflict, moral relativism, and the very function of art, Piece for Person and Ghetto Blaster is inspired by an incident between a man, a woman, and a duck that touches upon the complex realms of human behavior. In her solo Pillow debut, Gunn slips across tempos, ideas, and performance modes—from theater to dance to performance art and back again—challenging how we see art, the world, violence, and each other.
Eastman
July 11-15, Ted Shawn Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui is celebrated as one of the most original and ambitious talents in contemporary dance today, garnering an international reputation for his “silky intermingling of hybrid movement forms and emotionally intense theater” (The New York Times). The Belgian dance artist performs with his company Eastman in Fractus V. Originally created for the 40th Anniversary of Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal, Fractus V is inspired by the political philosophy of Noam Chomsky and explores the production and manipulation of information. “A thrillingly expansive watch, large with possibilities and potent with ideas” (The Guardian), the work is an amalgamation of cultures featuring five male dancers with diverse movement backgrounds ranging from circus and Lindy-hop to flamenco and hip-hop, and musicians performing a varied composition with influences including Korean, Indian, Congolese, and Japanese.
Related video on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui premiered Orbo Novo with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in 2009:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/cedar-lake-contemp orary-ballet/orbo-novo/
PHILADANCO!
July 11-15, Doris Duke Theatre
“Virtuosic, spiritually uplifting, and socially conscious” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!) is celebrated for its innovation, creativity, and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance. Resident modern dance company for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and led by 2013 National Medal of the Arts recipient Joan Myers Brown, PHILADANCO! works in “a range of idioms most companies don’t even try to possess” (Dance Magazine). From contemporary ballet to modern genres, PHILADANCO! is a respected staple in the dance hub of Philadelphia, returning to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time in over 20 years. Program details to be announced.
Dorrance Dance
July 18-July 22, Ted Shawn Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
“One of the most imaginative tap choreographers working today,” (The New Yorker) Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner and MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Michelle Dorrance returns, marking Dorrance Dance’s fifth Festival engagement in six years. The iconic tap troupe will perform their newest, groundbreaking work Myelination, featuring an original live score by Donovan Dorrance and Gregory Richardson with vocals by eclectic soul vocalist Aaron Marcellus, and a world premiere commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow, rooted in solo tap work. This Festival fan-favorite “pushes the boundaries of tap while exposing its true nature: that it is music” (The New York Times). The world premiere was developed in part through a residency at the Pillow Lab and is made possible by the support of Jim Chervenak.
Related essay on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Tap, written and curated by Brian Seibert:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/themes-essays/tap/ michelle-dorrance/
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Dorrance Dance in The Blues Project in 2015: http://danceinteractive.jacobs pillow.org/dorrance-dance/blue s-project/
Dorrance Dance in ETM: Double Down in 2016:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/dorrance-dance/etm -double/
Cie Art Move Concept
July 18-22, Doris Duke Theatre
“A thrilling fusion of hip-hop and contemporary dance” (The New York Times), Cie Art Move Concept is led by prominent French hip-hop figures Soria Rem and Mehdi Oauchek. With the ability to transcend traditional moves by mixing contemporary dance with circus arts and mime, Cie Art Move Concept is a genre-blurring tour de force of movement and motion. They make their Pillow debut with physically thrilling, emotionally-driven work that showcases intricate technical refinement. Program details to be announced.
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE with Arturo O’Farrill and Resist
July 25-29, Ted Shawn Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE performs New Conversations, a soulful, uplifting new work marked by Brown’s iconic blend of African, Caribbean, and contemporary choreography and set to Afro-Cuban jazz music by GRAMMY-Award winning musician Arturo O’Farrill, performed live by O’Farrill and jazz ensemble Resist. Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE has deeply moved audiences for over thirty years, praised for a “sophisticated amalgam of Afrocentric movement and modern dance” that often makes “spirituality...something vibrant and transformative” (Los Angeles Times). Brown is an in-demand choreographer who frequently sets works on major companies, most recently including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Limón Dance Company. Performed with live music for the first time, New Conversations was commissioned by long-time Pillow supporters The Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation and was created in part during a residency at Jacob’s Pillow.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Ronald K. Brown in Awassa Astrige (Ostrich) in 1997: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/ronald-k-brown/awa ssa-astrige-ostrich/
Ronald K. Brown in In Gratitude, a tribute to Katherine Dunham in 2002:https://danceinteractive. jacobspillow.org/ronald-k-brow n/in-gratitude-a-tribute-to-ka therine-dunham
Compañía Sharon Fridman
July 25-29, Doris Duke Theatre
Madrid-based Compañía Sharon Fridman makes its U.S. debut, with athletic, adventurous work rooted in contact improvisation. Part of a new generation of groundbreaking Israeli choreographers, Sharon Fridman’s performance credits include Tadmor Dance Company, Vertigo Dance Company, and Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company. In a versatile program where “even the smallest movement speaks volumes” (The Coast), Compañía Sharon Fridman performs Hasta Dónde..? and Free fall. The first is a duet that has been performed over 300 times around the world and explores dependency, struggle, and harmony, while the second was awarded a highly respected Max Award for the Performing Arts and rehearses and engages with community volunteers, who become an integral part of the production.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
August 1-5, Ted Shawn Theatre
On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, world-renowned Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) returns to Jacob’s Pillow with a diverse program featuring today’s leading contemporary choreographers including Crystal Pite and resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, among others. Praised as a “near-perfect storm of movement, music, and choreography” (Los Angeles Times), HSDC brings an eclectic repertoire performed by an impeccably strong, technically-driven ensemble of dancers to the Ted Shawn Theatre. An audience favorite since their Pillow debut in 1983, HSDC has performed at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival more than a dozen times. Program details to be announced.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in N.N.N.N. in 2016: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/hubbard-street-dan ce-chicago/n-n-n-n/
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Nine Sinatra Songs in 1993:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/hubbard-street-dan ce-chicago/nine-sinatra-songs/
Faye Driscoll
August 1-5, Doris Duke Theatre
Faye Driscoll returns to the Pillow for the second consecutive summer with the next installment of the Thank for You For Coming trilogy. Play, described as “captivating and complex” (Portland Mercury), investigates the ritual of storytelling, focusing on the shadows, gaps, repetitions, and stutters between what we say and what we do while we say it. In this peculiar and enthralling collage of gesture, image, voice, and persona, performers ventriloquize, shape-shift, and speak through and for each other. A New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) award-winning choreographer and alumnus of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Driscoll is lauded by The New York Times for making “utterly original work” that “doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen before, nor can you imagine thinking up.”
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Faye Driscoll in Thank You For Coming: Attendance in 2017:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/faye-driscoll/than k-coming-attendance/
Limón Dance Company
August 8-12, Ted Shawn Theatre
A vanguard of American modern dance since its inception in 1946, Limón Dance Company is a thriving legacy of José Limón and his mentors Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman, whose innovative works revolutionized dance in America. After making their Pillow debut in 1946, the company achieved considerable fame and recognition, known for being the first modern group to outlive its founder. Acclaimed for dramatic expression, technical mastery, and expansive yet nuanced movement, Limón Dance Company is under the new artistic direction of Colin Connor and perpetuates the timelessness of José Limón's work and vision. “Performing with luscious spontaneity” (The New York Times), Limón Dance Company brings the immediacy of the classics to life while at the same time performing vibrant, new choreography commissioned for the company. Today, the company represents a changing “definition of humanity” with a “new kind of rawness” (Dance Magazine). Program will include works by José Limón and Kate Weare.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
José Limón performing Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías in 1946:https://danceinteractive. jacobspillow.org/jose-limon/la ment-for-ignacio-sanchez-mejia s
Limón Dance Company in Orfeo in 1997: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/limon-dance-compan y/orfeo/
Paramodernities by Netta Yerushalmy
August 8-12, Doris Duke Theatre
Highly acclaimed for her “fierce choreographic imagination” (The New York Times), Netta Yerushalmy makes her Pillow debut with the world premiere of Paramodernities. Presented in several installments and with two different programs, this work is a meditation on the different tracks taken by the modern tradition, in dance and beyond. Yerushalmy tackles this tradition with both reverence and violence, by deconstructing iconic works from choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, and Bob Fosse, and then performing them alongside scholarly contributions that situate them in larger contexts. Intelligently crafted, The New Yorker praised Yerushalmy’s most recent work as a “perfect dance.” Paramodernities is co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow and has been developed in part through residencies at the Pillow and area colleges.
Houston Ballet
August 15-18, Ted Shawn Theatre
Houston Ballet returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time in almost 40 years. Australian Artistic Director Stanton Welch has led the respected company since 2003, marking its evolution into a world-class troupe of 59 dancers that calls the largest professional dance facility in the United States home. Celebrating a wide range of classic and contemporary ballet, Houston Ballet brings a program featuring Welch’s Clear, an abstract work for seven men and one woman set to music composed by Bach, In Dreams by former Choreographic Associate Trey McIntyre, and a world premiere commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow with an original music score by one of America’s most-performed contemporary composers and co-founder of Bang on a Can, David Lang.
Sonya Tayeh
August 15-19, Doris Duke Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
Obie and Lucille Lortel Award winner and Drama Desk and two-time Emmy Award nominated choreographer Sonya Tayeh presents you’ll still call me by name, an emotionally-charged dance symphony that explores a mystifying, complex, and jagged relationship between a mother and daughter. Tayeh’s riveting new work exposes the cellular desire for familial acceptance, intimately investigating and dissecting the heartbreaking chasm that forms when it is lost and the endurance it takes to transcend the space in between. The work is performed by a company of ten dancers and six musicians, including collaborators Lucille Lortel nominated artist Jo Lampert and indie folk duo The Bengsons, who composed the original score. Vulture praises “the twirling, stomping, hysterical choreography by Sonya Tayeh and the haunting, ululating music by The Bengsons marvelously sustain and heighten the drama.”
Stars of American Ballet
August 22-26, Ted Shawn Theatre
LIVE MUSIC
Daniel Ulbricht’s Stars of American Ballet brings together some of today’s most remarkable ballet talents. A principal dancer with New York City Ballet since 2007, Ulbricht is lauded as “one of the best male ballet dancers in New York” by Dance Magazine’s Wendy Perron. With a cast highlighting principal dancers of New York City Ballet including Sterling Hyltin, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Ask la Cour, Teresa Reichlen, and Ulbricht, this collaborative celebrates the legacy of choreographic legend Jerome Robbins with a program dedicated to his masterpieces, including Suite of Dances, Interplay, Concertino, and more. This engagement coincides with The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Bernstein Centennial Summer at Tanglewood, celebrating the 100th Birthday of American composer Leonard Bernstein, a long-time collaborator with Robbins.
Related videos on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:
Daniel Ulbricht/ Ballet 2014 in Fancy Free in 2014: https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/daniel-ulbricht-ba llet-2014/fancy-free-2014/
Stars of American Ballet in Distractions in 2015:
https://danceinteractive.jacob spillow.org/daniel-ulbricht-st ars-american-ballet/distractio ns/
ODC/Dance
August 22-26, Doris Duke Theatre
San Francisco-based ODC/Dance began as a collective at Oberlin College in 1971 and has since transformed and relocated to become one of the most active centers for dance on the west coast. With four female resident choreographers—Brenda Way, KT Nelson, Kimi Okada, and Kate Weare—this contemporary dance company is widely recognized for its rigorous technique, full-throttle partnering, interdisciplinary collaboration, and musical commissions. “Full-bodied and expansive without being showy or brawny” (The New Yorker), ODC/Dance returns to the Pillow for the first time since 1994, featuring KT Nelson’s Dead Reckoning, set to original music by celebrated Kronos Quartet cellist Joan Jeanrenaud and performed amidst a mesmerizing sea of green confetti.
Special Engagements
The Pillow continues to offer a range of special engagements that take place outside the traditional Festival schedule, often in non-traditional theater settings.
Season Opening Gala
June 16, Ted Shawn Theatre
An annual night of exclusive performances with a program that features a world premiere by sought-after Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, performed by students of the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, the presentation of the 2018 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, POP-UP Duets by Scottish company Janis Claxton Dance in their U.S. debut, and more.
Janis Claxton Dance
June 16, Season Opening Gala
June 21, Pittsfield’s Third Thursday
Scottish company Janis Claxton Dance makes its U.S. debut with POP-UP Duets (fragments of love), performed as part of the Season Opening Gala and at Pittsfield’s Third Thursdays street festival. POP-UP Duets is a series of five minute, multi-site specific contemporary dance duets, based around the theme of love and designed for a wide range of public spaces. Praised as “a richly inventive, wonderfully perceptive work, danced with a persuasive humanity to a score you want to own” (The Herald), the duets are created by choreographer Janis Claxton with music composed by Pippa Murphy.
Translucent Borders: Cross-cultural collaborations
June 24-27
Translucent Borders will host a three-day residency at Jacob's Pillow, bringing together for the first time its global collaborators from Cuba, Israel, Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and Italy, with some artists making their U.S. debuts. The residency will culminate in the debut presentation of intercultural works-in-progress with more than twenty musicians and dancers as part of the Inside/Out Performance Series, June 27. Other activities will be open to the public. Jacob's Pillow was selected as the site for this residency for both its retreat-like setting and its rich history as a force in the cultural exchange of dance.
Translucent Borders is a three-year exploration of intercultural dialogue, practice, and exchange led by New York University (NYU) Tisch Arts Professor, Dr. Andy Teirstein, which focuses on the role of dance and music at geographic, cultural, and economic borders. The project explores the ways in which dancers and musicians act as catalysts for creative engagement across disparate cultures. Translucent Borders began as a Working Group of The NYU Global Institute for Advanced Study in 2015 and has since facilitated global conversations between dance and music artists in Israel, Greece, Cuba, and Ghana through interviews, knowledge-sharing circles, master classes, directed improvisatory lab work, and collaborations.
All Styles Dance Battle
July 1 at 8pm, Doris Duke Theatre
After an epic inaugural event in 2017, Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie steps up to host the second annual dance battle, featuring Festival artists, participants of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, regional street artists, and surprise judges.
Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s Happy Hour
July 26-Aug 4, Sommers Studio
Monica Bill Barnes & Company turns Sommers Studio into an after-work office party hosted by company member Robbie Saenz de Viteri with a karaoke machine and dime store decor. Dressed in a pair of everyday men’s suits, Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass hijack the party playing two instantly familiar guys. It's a subversive move, leading audiences to question our expectations of women on stage with a free drink in their hands and microwave popcorn in the air. The New York Times lauds, “like all good happy hours this one has plentiful munchies and libations. And like the best ones, it offers abundant laughter.” Happy Hour continues Monica Bill Barnes & Company’s mission to bring dance where it doesn't belong.