Jacob's Pillow

More than a dance company the appearance by Flexn, with its related panels and talk back, proved to be an aesthetic and political movment illustrating through inventive dance why Black Lives Matter.

At the end of the hour long piece Ce que le jour doit à la nuit (What the Day Owes the Night) choreographed by Herve Koubi the cycle of a single day finds closure in gradual darkening signifying night.

After 30 years with Balanchine's New York City Ballet, and a repertoire of some 50 works, Wendy Whelan has extended her career as a solo artist in collaboration with several choreograher partners. She premiered this direction at Jacob's Pillow in 2013. She has now returned with Some of a Thousand Words partnering with Brian Brooks.

Nine years ago the Montreal born choreographer Eric Gauthier started a company with six dancers. The Stuttagart based group is performing with week with 16 international dancers. It is thriving with the generous support of Mercedes and Porsche which manufacture luxury cars in that industrial city.

Indigenous to Argentina is the traditional folk form of Malambo which is described as the machismo dance of the gauchos. With striking resemble to Flamenco, Irish step dancing, and African drumming this artform first evolved in the 17th century. The irony is that this ancient dance is new to American audiences.

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.

Pamela Tatge comments, “It will be an honor and a thrill for me to have the opportunity to lead Jacob’s Pillow’s next stage of development. The Pillow’s leading role as a dance presenter, its support of artistic development and new work, and its deep audience engagement programming is of vital importance nationally and internationally; its educational and archival resources are unmatched. The passion and dedication of the Pillow’s Board and staff is palpable and inspiring. I look forward to working with them and to partnering with regional, national, and international dance artists and colleagues to continue the work of this truly extraordinary organization.”

In some of the most exciting and insightful productions and performances of the year there was a notable cross pollination and invention as vernacular street cultures and indigenous art forms conflated into high art. Classic works were not just revived but reinvented from the insight out. The best works of 2016 raised the bar through risk taking and challenging audiences. These rare experiences tend to make the majority of what we experience ordinary and enervating. In an era signified by ubiquitous standing ovations what is truly worthy of special recognition?

Highlights of Jacob's Pillow Festival 2016 include a world premiere engagement 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; rare U.S. appearances by France-based Compagnie Hervé KOUBI and Korea-based contemporary ensemble Bereishit Dance Company; the explosive Che Malambo of Argentina; and the return of the beloved Seattle-based company Pacific Northwest Ballet.

For their Jacob's Pillow debut The Sarasota Ballet presented three of the 123 ballets they perform. The company is best know for its commitment to the work of the British choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton.

With the easing of decades long embargo we anticipate dramatic changes in the arts and culture of Cuba. With mixed results we got a glimpse of that with the Jacob's Pillow debut of Malpaso Dance Company with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble.

The premise of choreographer Alonzo King is to base his company in the training and disciple of classical dance with a bold move into post modern dissolution of traditional gender hierarchies. Listening to Bach we are surprised to see very different choreography that extends to the present the innovations of the neo classicism of George Ballanchine.

Nederlands Dans Theater was founded in 1959 and with some 600 works in its portfolio has been one of the most influential global companies. In 1978 a younger second company was formed and this is its first week in Becket since 2007.

For the past 17 years audiences at Jacob's Pillow have been greeted by executive and artistic director Ella Baff. During summers in the Berkshires Pillow is the epicenter of the dance world. She will continue through the end of the summer festival then leave to take a position at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York City. We will miss her upbeat invitation "Let's Dance!"

In 2013 The Blues Project with Dorrance Dance and Toshi Reagon with BIGlovely premiered at the smaller Doris Duke Theatre. With word of mouth and rave reviews it sold out as it did again in 2014. This season the stunning tap ensemble was presented to sold out audiences in the Ted Shawn Theatre of Jacob's Pillow Dance. We were thrilled by every moment of an ecstatic performance,

Now in his final weeks as director of the Clark Art Institute Michael Conforti hosted a media event promoting a blockbuster season for Northern Berkshire County. There were presentations by Joe Thompson for Mass MoCA, Tina Olsen for the Williams College Museum of Art, and Mandy Greenfield for the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Notably absent from the media event were North Adams based arts presenters Downstreet, The Eclipse Mill Gallery, The Rudd Museum of Art and the fall annual Williamstown Film Festival.

The contract with Milliken University was due to arrive when Kate Maguire called and asked Tony Simotes to meet for breakfast. Racing against the clock and making phone calls she offered him a job as second in commend at Berkshire Theatre Group. Then Tony and Lucy faced the tough decision of turning down tenure, benefits and security to take another challenging but risky job in theatre.

In an annual collaboration between Jacob's Pillow Dance and MASS MoCA yesterday we enjoyed four pieces by Keigwin & Company. One, a solo, his first time on stage in three years was performed by the choreographer Larry Keigwin. We saw his work for If/ When a musical starring Idina Menzel on Broadway.

“Festival 2015 delivers a remarkable range of dance from ballet to tap, music from classical to jazz, brand new works commissioned by the Pillow, and the most astonishing performers in the world,” comments Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow. “We start the season with Ira Glass’s Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host and the re-opening of the Jacob’s Pillow Archives as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of public access and a major expansion of its home, Blake’s Barn. We end with a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company, a world premiere by Mats Ek, and the up and coming company MADboots Dance. Quite a range indeed.”

With Governor Deval Patrick's signing of H.3933, an omnibus capital infrastructure bill which included $25,420,000 for MASS MoCA's Phase III development, the museum announces that it has begun work on the third phase of its multi-decade effort to renovate its 26-building, 600,000 square foot, 16-acre factory campus, an internationally recognized, mixed-use destination arts institution in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. A representative from the Governor's press office confirmed the news, saying, "Governor Patrick is very, very supportive of the project and is excited to work with MASS MoCA to finance the expansion."

Dance Theatre of Harlem, led by Artistic Director Virginia Johnson, performs Donald Byrd’s smooth yet power-packed contemporary ballet Contested Space, which features a plethora of solos and duets. past-carry-forward, created for DTH by Tanya Wideman-Davis and Thaddeus Davis, conveys the spirit and significance of the Harlem Renaissance.

Popular contemporary company Hubbard Street Dance Chicago returns to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival for the first time since 2010, bringing a sensational mixed-bill program. Directed by Glenn Edgerton, the 18-member company performs the dramatic Mediterranean-inspired Gnawa, choreographed by Nacho Duato, and Jiří Kylián’s vivid Falling Angels, a stark all-female work danced to “Drumming” by contemporary composer Steve Reich.

A bold company with a strong Jacob’s Pillow history including five engagements since 2005, Trey McIntyre Project will make its final appearance as a fulltime dance ensemble June 25-29 in the Ted Shawn Theatre. In addition there are a number of free events as the season commences in Becket

With a $25.4 Million grant from the Commonwealth Mass MoCA is embarking on the third and final phase of renovation and development of its 26-building, 600,000 square foot, 16-acre factory campus. Phase III research and concept design work is complete. The project is ready to move construction projected for 2014-2016. This entails 130,000 square feet of gallery space requiring $25 million in state infrastructure grants, plus $30 million in privately raised construction investments, building maintenance reserves, and endowment funding.

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.