Jacob's Pillow

It has been 49 years since Lar Lubovitch formed his company in 1968. In performances at Jacob's Pillow we were provided with an overview from the first Philip Glass music to be set to music North Star, from 1978, to a piece from the past year based on the modal jazz classic My Favorite Things by the John Coltrane Quartet. It was a sensual and evocative evening of modernist classicism. The company often evoked visual beauty, harmony, and an exuding joy of creative dance.

Lar Lubovich Dance Compay, which was founded in 1968, appears at Jacob's Pillow from July 20 to 24. The Pillow program includes North Star, a revival from 1978 set to music by Philip Glass, a duet from Meadow (1999), The Legend of Ten (2010), and Coltrane’s Favorite Things (2010), danced to John Coltrane’s version of the classic song “My Favorite Things” from the musical The Sound of Music.

Never Stand Still, a new documentary directed by award-winning producer and director Ron Honsa and narrated by Tony Award-winner and Kennedy Center honoree Bill T. Jones will be screened during BIFF on June 4. Never Stand Still is an inspiring film about dance and the extraordinary performers who have dedicated their lives to it; filmed on location at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, a National Historic Landmark and America’s longest running international dance festival.

In the third and final installment of an interview with Ella Baff, the artistic director of Jacob's Pillow, she discusses plans for the season opening Gala on June 18. Benjamin Millepied, who is the life and artistic partner of Natalie Portman, is the co chair of the event. Philip Glass will give a rare solo performance. Baff recalls with emotion Merce Cunningham who was unable to attend to receive a reward from Pillow. We also discussed his collaborator John Cage.

Ella Baff, the artistic director of Jacob's Pillow, described meeting the President and First Lady during an award ceremony at the White House as a "peak experience." She discussed travel to Cuba where she covered 30 companies in five days. This summer Mark Morris and his company will open the season for Tanglewood and close it for The Pillow.

Recently Ella Baff was invited to the White House to receive the National Medal of Arts on behalf of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. We discussed her early years in music and dance and how that later shaped her global vision for its world renowned programming. As a part of its mandate there are an average of 200 free events in a dense three month Berkshire program on three stages.

In this final installment of their dialogue Murray and Giuliano discuss cutting edge theatre which is a mainstay of America Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. And why there is nothing like that in the Berkshires. Murray defines an approach as providing information to readers to help in making informed choices. With so much being offered this summer it is less about competition and more about a critical mass of superb theatre.

In the current political turmoil in the Middle East we have seen how Facebook, e mail, and social networking have resulted in resistance and regime changes. Developments in information technologies have eroded the dominance of traditional media systems. Today with access to the internet and web sites anyone can be a critic or journalist. Murray and Giuliano explore the implications and their role in covering the arts.

Larry Murray moved from promoting the Pocket Mime to the BSO and Boston Ballet. He also worked with the legendary opera promoter Sarah Caldwell. He was on duty and fielded the press calls when his friend Arthur Fiedler passed away. In this second installment Murray describes his early years in theatrical marketing and PR.

MASS MoCA announces a major $3 million gift from the estate of Irene Hunter. This gift also leverages an anonymous $1 million challenge grant and the resulting $4 million total marks the completion of MASS MoCA's Permanence campaign which raised over $36.4 million since its launch in 2007. The Permanence Campaign had three goals: To create an endowment to provide financial stability for MASS MoCA's future and to build and endow a "museum within a museum" dedicated to Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing Retrospective, and to support operations during the campaign period.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance, international arts presenter and home of America’s longest-running dance festival, now offers a curated online selection of informative and entertaining PillowTalks. Based in Becket, Mass., Jacob’s Pillow hosts more than 160 free pre-show talks, post-show interviews, and hour-long PillowTalks during its annual Festival. PillowTalks are a series of hour-long moderated discussions with choreographers, performers, historians, filmmakers, and experts in the arts and related fields.

Nice, but not exactly ground breaking. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago wants you to love them. They’re not one of those experimental, way out there dance companies that doesn’t care what the public thinks about its performances. They’re like the nice girl in high school, who says thank you and always smiles whenever you say something.

The Goteborg Ballet proved why they are the largest contemporary dance company in Nordic countries

The program had all the ingredients for a memorable night of dance, but CND2 artistic director Nacho Duato outsmarted himself and mixed them all up.

A U.S. premiere from Thailand arrives at Jacob’s Pillow July 14-18 in the Doris Duke Theatre. In the full-length work Chui Chai (Transformation), internationally acclaimed performer and choreographer Pichet Klunchun entwines khon, a form of traditional Thai masked dance drama, with contemporary movement. Intricate costumes and masks and music by Sinnapa Sarasas create a world of ancient beauty and drama that Klunchun juxtaposes with elements of modernity

The ballet company's delightful performance features seven distinctly different dances. For those who think the ballet company revolves around Ananiashvili, think again.

Jacob’s Pillow kicks off Festival 2010 on June 19 with the Season Opening Gala, the world-renowned dance organization’s biggest annual fundraising event. Following an exclusive Gala performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre and the presentation of the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award to choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, guests are treated to dinner and dancing to live music. This evening is widely celebrated as a signature summer event in the Berkshires and attracts a multitude of dance lovers, celebrities, government dignitaries, and visitors from around the world every year.

The launch of the Fourth of July arts season in the Berkshires will be like an explosion in a fireworks factory. There has never been a greater offering of superb and diverse performances. While three days of James Taylor and Carole King at Tanglewood sold out ages ago there are many other top options. Mass MoCA is going head to head with Tanglewood on Friday night. It has Richie Havens vs. The Pops. Barrington Stage and Williamstown Theatre Festival will duke it out with dueling Sondheim musicals. There is a ton of stuff at Shakespeare & Company including the opening of John Douglas Thompson in Richard III. Jacobs Pillow and Berkshire Theatre Festival are in the mix. We offer a complete rundown.

During the opening gala of Jacob's Pillow on June 19 the dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones will receive the festival's Fourth Annual award. Jones won a Tony Award for Spring Awakening and is the director of Fela a musical which is now on Broadway. The Jacob's Pillow award comes with a prize of $25,000.

In its annual collaboration with Jacobs Pillow the 25-year-old Stephen Petronio dance company presented a new work I Drink the Air Before Me at Mass MoCA. The dance set to music by Nico Muhly evoked a storm at sea. It was an evening of turbulence in every sense.

In 2008, with $8 million in debt and missed payments, Berkshire Bank initiated foreclosure on Edith Wharton's Lenox estate The Mount. Under executive director, Susan Wissler, that debt has been reduced to $5.1 million with an annual budget of $2 million. The Mount is about to launch a new season with expanded programming. While The Mount is back on track it faces daunting challenges.

Back in the day the Berkshire Museum, the oldest in the region, collected everything from soup to nuts. The museum's director, Stuart Chase, is challenged to find projects drawn from a vast collection of 30,000 objects. The interactive exhibitions are fun for families and instructive for 13,000 annual visiting students.

Since 1987, State Representative, Dan Bosley, Democrat- North Adams, has been a great supporter of the arts organizations in the Berkshires. Last night, at the cozy Inn at Richmond, he asked a room of blue chip arts leaders for their support in a race for Berkshire Sheriff. He is opposed by Pittsfield Police Detective Thomas Bowler.

There is something magical about James Taylor and Tanglewood. But add his pal, Carole King, and wow. With the Pops on Friday, and three concerts by the dynamic duo, Tanglewood is set to draw some 60,000 visitors on the Fourth of July Weekend. Talk about fireworks. Zowie.

Highlights of the 2010 Festival include the U.S. debut of The Göteborg Ballet of Sweden; three world premieres co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow from diverse young choreographers Kyle Abraham, Monica Bill Barnes, and Camille A. Brown; U.S. premieres from Spain, India, Thailand, and Israel; and celebrated favorites including contemporary ballet company Trey McIntyre Project, the men-on-pointe offerings of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and the ever-popular Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.