The 2010 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival has just been announced by Executive Director, Ella Baff. "In 2010 you will see a phenomenal range of imagination, style, form, subject matter, geographic scope, and let’s not forget, spectacular dancing," she promises. She is right. Simply view the brief You Tube snippets we have embedded and you will see that there is much that will interest not only LGBT dance lovers, but everyone this year.
The social media are already busy spreading news about Bill T. Jones and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The LGBT community is especially happy to see that those glorious men on pointe and in tutus, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will return. The Trocks were last seen in these parts in 2008 at two sold out performances at Mass MoCA in North Adams. My review of them was pretty gushy, but I don't regret it, every word I wrote was heartfelt! I love the Trocks. And many more of the companies that will grace the Berkshires in 2010.
Below are the more than four dozen dance companies who will make their way to the Berkshires this summer. Thousands of dance fans will follow, and many LGBT folks know that if you are looking for great art, kindred spirits and a welcoming environment, not to mention eye candy, the Pillow is the place to be.
Here is the lineup for 2010, with brief video snippets, courtesy of the Pillow Channel on YouTube. Of all the arts organizations in the Berkshires, Jacob's Pillow continues to have the youngest following, partly because dance is a young person's art, but mostly because the music more closely reflects the diversity of taste of its audience, always open to new sounds, new ideas and new experiences. What follows is directly from their season announcement:
The 2010 Festival artists hail from 9 countries and 4 continents and explore classical to very contemporary dance forms and styles, fusing movement with theatre, art, photography, technology, and classical, contemporary, and world music. Choreographers address a wide range of ideas about love and relationships, wit and humor, history, culture and tradition, current events and social issues, religion, and science. Exclusive programs, live music, and premieres from around the world are found throughout nearly three months of dance.
The Festival runs June 19 through August 29, and features more than 110 ticketed events and 200 free events, including performances on three stages, moderated interviews with artists, talks by experts, film showings, exhibits, the opportunity to observe training at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, receptions, tours, and over 75 dance classes for the community including weekly master classes with Festival artists.
Season Opening Gala
Saturday, June 19
The Season Opening Gala is a one-night-only event and a highlight of the Berkshires social season. The evening includes an exclusive program featuring a solo performance of “The Dying Swan” by beloved ballet star Nina Ananiashvili, Pillow Creative Development Residency artist Monica Bill Barnes & Company, and other surprise guests. The event also includes a world premiere created by acclaimed choreographer Karole Armitage on the dancers of the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. A new short film highlighting the Pillow Archives will be shown, and the prestigious 2010 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award will be presented to a distinguished artist. Dinner, dancing to live music, and silent and live auctions on the Pillow’s Great Lawn follow. The Season Opening Gala is a benefit event; funds raised support the artistic and educational programs of Jacob’s Pillow, a not-for-profit organization. The Gala is co-chaired by Pillow Board members Helice Picheny and Hunter Runnette. For tickets and information call 413.243.9919 x25.
Nina Ananiashvili and the State Ballet of Georgia
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, June 23 – Saturday, June 26, 8pm
Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June 27, 2pm
REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA
Nina Ananiashvili, named the “definition of grace” by Masha Savitz of The Epoch Times and “classical ballet’s undeniable superstar” by Clive Barnes of The New York Post, is considered one of the greatest dancers of our time. Former prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet and principal of American Ballet Theatre, she now directs and dances with her homeland’s national company, the State Ballet of Georgia, which showcases classical and contemporary technique in this engagement. The program features Falling Angels by acclaimed Czech choreographer Jirí Kylián, Bizet Variations by Alexei Ratmansky, called a “dance poet” by Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times, and four rarely seen pas de deux by Sir Frederick Ashton, whom Macaulay has identified as one of “the world’s foremost choreographers of classical ballet.” Tickets $52-63. $10 Friday evening and Saturday/Sunday matinee youth tickets (sponsored by ALEX®; must be accompanied by an adult).
Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, June 23 – Saturday, June 26, 8:15pm
Saturday, June 26 & Sunday, June 27, 2:15pm
Dance Theatre of Harlem has helped shape American dance for decades. A gifted new generation carries on the company’s signature style of contemporary ballet in the form of the DTH Ensemble, a company comprised of talented young dancers who have received their training from the DTH School. The Ensemble is in the midst of a national tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of its parent organization, which made its official debut at the Pillow in 1970 and is now under the direction of Virginia Johnson. This engagement includes New Bach by Robert Garland, set to Bach’s Violin Concerto in A Minor; Episode by Peter Pucci set to music by Shostakovich; and South African Suite by iconic DTH founder Arthur Mitchell, set to a jazz and afro-inspired score by the Soweto String Quartet. Tickets $30-36. $10 Friday evening and Sunday matinee youth tickets (sponsored by ALEX®; must be accompanied by an adult).
Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, June 30 – Saturday, July 3, 8pm
Saturday, July 3 & Sunday, July 4, 2pm
CANADA
Sleek, skilled dancing and works by a new wave of choreographers make Les Ballets Jazz among the most popular contemporary companies of today. Founded in Montréal in 1972, the company is led by Artistic Director Louis Robitaille, a former principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. International choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Zip Zap Zoom creates a spectacular virtual video game on stage, and dancers become avatars who move to a score by Francophone hip-hop artist MC Solaar. Les Chambres de Jacques, by Aszure Barton, explores love and lust in an “entire world, full of surprise and humor, emotion and pain” (Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times) and is set to music by a wide range of composers from Antonio Vivaldi to The Cracow Klezmer Band. Tickets $52-63.
Camille A. Brown and Dancers
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, June 30 – Saturday, July 3, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 3 & Sunday, July 4, 2:15pm
PILLOW CO-COMMISSION and WORLD PREMIERE
A former dancer with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence described as “a pixie-ish powerhouse with the determined air of a high priestess” (San Francisco Chronicle), Camille A. Brown creates powerful work and has been commissioned by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, and Urban Bush Women. In 2006, Brown was the first woman to win the Princess Grace Award for Choreography. Energy, style, and personality are hallmarks of her ensemble, which will perform a world premiere co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow and created in part during a Pillow Creative Development Residency, The Evolution of a Secured Feminine with music by Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, and Nancy Wilson, and excerpts from The Groove to Nobody’s Business which was premiered by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2007. Tickets $30-36.
Let’s Dance! at the Pillow
Sunday, July 4, 10am-1pm
The Pillow will offer a new community-wide event on the morning of July 4, aimed at encouraging participation in dance. Let’s Dance! at the Pillow will include free performances; open dance classes and workshops especially suited for adults and teens in a variety of movement styles including yoga, Pilates, social dance, and more; a master class and meet and greet with Doris Duke Theatre artist Camille A. Brown; music; raffles; food and drink; and other attractions. All performances, classes, events, and workshops are free.
Barak Marshall’s MONGER
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 7 – Saturday, July 10, 8pm
Saturday, July 10 & Sunday, July 11, 2pm
U.S. PREMIERE
ISRAEL
Intensely athletic dancing is heightened by surreal theatrical vignettes in the U.S. premiere of Barak Marshall’s MONGER. This evening-length work, which explores the dynamics of hierarchy and power, fuses contemporary dance with humorous character narratives inspired by the life and work of Polish writer Bruno Schulz, Jean Genet’s The Maids, and Robert Altman’s Gosford Park. Called “unique, refreshing, and powerful” by Ruth Eshel of Ha’aretz, MONGER is set to an eclectic score with music by Balkan Beat Box, Handel, Verdi, NPR’s The Yiddish Radio Project, and many others. Marshall, former resident choreographer of Batsheva Dance Company, is noted for his unique vocabulary, combining ethnic themes and motifs with current traditions in an eloquent, theatrical synthesis that “is muscular, original, fevered, carried by excellent dancers, and by an internal force and intelligence” (Raphaël de Gubernatis, Nouvel Observateur). A Suzanne Dellal Centre production. Tickets $52-63.
Shantala Shivalingappa
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 7 – Saturday, July 10, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 10 & Sunday, July 11, 2:15pm
U.S. PREMIERE
LIVE MUSIC
INDIA
Shantala Shivalingappa’s extraordinary talent has been acclaimed by the likes of the legendary Pina Bausch and she captivates audiences with the precise storytelling embodied in her interpretation of the Kuchipudi form of classical Indian dance. Praised by The New York Times’ chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay for her “witty charm,” Shivalingappa was born in India and raised in Paris, earning the moniker “child of east and west.” Accompanied live by master musicians, this star of international dance performs Shiva Ganga, a U.S. premiere. Shiva Ganga explores the balance between the energies of the Hindu god Shiva, who creates and sustains the universe through dance, and Ganga, who embodies grace and elegance. Tickets $30-36. $10 Friday evening youth tickets (sponsored by ALEX®; must be accompanied by an adult).
Armitage Gone! Dance
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 14 – Saturday, July 17, 8pm
Saturday, July 17 & Sunday, July 18, 2pm
Karole Armitage, former member of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, has worked with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Merce Cunningham, and Madonna, and her dance repertoire ranges from ballet to Broadway. Her unique choreographic voice pushes the boundaries among movement, music, and the visual arts to embody dance that “explodes in every sense and dazzles the eye” (Nouvel Observateur). Her company will perform Three Theories, a new work that blends music, dance, text, and projected imagery, inspired by the book The Elegant Universe by physicist Brian Greene and set to an original score for guitar and cello composed by Lukas Ligeti. Armitage will also create a world premiere on the ballet dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, set to premiere at the Season Opening Gala on June 19. Tickets $52-63.
Pichet Klunchun Dance Company
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 14 – Saturday, July 17, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 17 & Sunday, July 18, 2:15pm
U.S. PREMIERE
THAILAND
In the U.S. premiere of the full-length Chui Chai (Transformation), internationally acclaimed performer and choreographer Pichet Klunchun entwines traditional Thai dance with virtuosic contemporary movement. Klunchun notes that the term “chui chai” means not only transformation, but also “language that shows elegant and abstract emotions.” Intricate traditional Thai masks and costumes and haunting music by composer Sinnapa Sarasas create a world of ancient beauty and drama that is juxtaposed with elements of modernity. Noted for their “unearthly, mesmerizing” movement (Joel Lobenthal of The New York Sun), Klunchun and his company of female dancers explore themes of change and culture through captivating choreography. Tickets $30-36.
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 21 – Saturday, July 24, 8pm
Saturday, July 24 & Sunday, July 25, 2pm
LIVE MUSIC
An eminent choreographer, Tony Award-winner, Broadway director, and “Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” (so named by the Dance Heritage Coalition), Bill T. Jones is considered an artist of extraordinary brilliance. In celebration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth and the 25th anniversary of the company, Jones has created a trio of works that examine Lincoln and American history. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company will perform part one of the trilogy: Serenade/The Proposition, a work that is steeped in the ensemble’s tradition of diverse collaboration. The work is presented as a multilayered, theatrical collage of powerful physicality, history, and striking visual design. Noted for its “elegantly minimal partnering” and “tableaus reminiscent of daguerreotype portraits” (Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times), Serenade/The Proposition features live folk and classical music as well as spoken word. Tickets $52-63.
Jacoby & Pronk and Dancers
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 21 – Saturday, July 24, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 24 & Sunday, July 25, 2:15pm
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT
In addition to sharing the cover of the Pillow’s 2010 Festival brochure, Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk have been bringing their expert technique and intense chemistry to leading contemporary ballet companies, including Christopher Wheeldon’s celebrated Morphoses. As described by Kina Poon of Dance Magazine, “Jacoby’s steely strength and Pronk’s fluid hyper-flexibility defy the usual gender norms of a ballet partnership.” Accompanied by fellow international dance stars including Shirley Esseboom, formerly of Nederlands Dans Theatre, and Victor Mateos Arellano of Dresden SemperOper Ballett, this duo performs an exclusive program featuring choreography by Jirí Kylián, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and others. Tickets $30-36.
CND2
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, July 28 – Saturday, July 31, 8pm
Saturday, July 31 & Sunday, August 1, 2pm
U.S. PREMIERE
SPAIN
Based in Madrid and rarely seen in the U.S., Compañía Nacional de Danza 2 (CND2) returns to the Pillow with its superbly trained contemporary ballet dancers, noted for their combination of “classical grace with contemporary looseness” (Moira Macdonald of Seattle Times). The young second company of Spain’s national contemporary dance company, CND2 has become a headliner in its own right. The program includes the U.S. premiere of Insected, choreographed by co-artistic director Tony Fabre and set to a diverse score including music from tribes of Northern Ghana. Founder and co-artistic director Nacho Duato contributes the movingly spiritual Kol Nidre, with music by John Tavener, Arvo Pärt and John Zorn, and Gnawa, a “handsome dance” praised for its “striking group patterns, infused with echoes of flamenco and various earthy folk-dance touches” (Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times). Tickets $52-63.
Monica Bill Barnes & Company
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, July 28 – Saturday, July 31, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 31 & Sunday, August 1, 2:15pm
PILLOW CO-COMMISSION and WORLD PREMIERE
The work of Monica Bill Barnes, who has been called “one of the wittiest young choreographers around” (Deborah Jowitt of The Village Voice), possesses a quirky blend of theatricality, humor, and intelligence. Her focus on the innate presence of these qualities in everyday life yields a tender insight within this world premiere program. Co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow and created in part during a Pillow Creative Development Residency, Barnes’ The Headdress Project (working title) inspired by the music of Nina Simone, explores how costume influences life and art, will premiere during this engagement. Expression and innovation shine in Another Parade, noted for its “genuine wit and humor” (Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times), set to a varied score including Bach’s Cello Suite No. 4 and songs by James Brown and Tina Turner. Tickets $30-36.
Trey McIntyre Project
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 4 – Saturday, August 7, 8pm
Saturday, August 7 & Sunday, August 8, 2pm
Trey McIntyre’s appealingly athletic brand of contemporary ballet, with its expert manipulations of spatial patterns and innovative musicality, has made him one of the most popular dancemakers in the U.S. Trey McIntyre Project performed at the Pillow in 2005 and 2006 and debuted here as a full-time company in 2008. McIntyre’s exceptionally versatile dancers will perform Jaialdi, a new work honoring Basque music and culture, as well as (serious), called “riveting, puzzling, and breathtaking” by Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe, and The Sun Road, a look at man’s relationship with the environment, set to the music of Paul Simon and Native American artist Young Grey Horse and featuring a film background shot on the ice-capped mountains of Montana. Tickets $52-63.
Yin Mei Dance
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 4 – Saturday, August 7, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 7 & Sunday, August 8, 2:15pm
In City of Paper, Yin Mei, a “dancer of exquisite lyricism and delicacy” (Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times), creates a post-modern dream landscape of strong, sensuous movement and multimedia design. Yin Mei is joined in this evening-length work by dancer and choreographer Kota Yamazaki and Beijing Opera star Weng Guo Sheng. Digital set design and an original music/sound score provide a compelling atmosphere and accompany Mei’s choreography, which tells the powerful story of her experiences growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Tickets $30-36.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 11 – Saturday, August 14, 8pm
Saturday, August 14 – Sunday, August 15, 2pm
Founded in 1974 as a dance satire troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (or “the Trocks”) have since become a beloved phenomenon and toured the world over from Japan and Italy to Brazil and Australia. Called “one of the great comic creations of the American stage” by The San Francisco Chronicle, the all-male company tackles bourrées and fouettés on pointe with grace, bravura, and a singular personality. This program of technical expertise and spot-on references to Balanchine, Bolshoi, and Russian greats will mark the ensemble’s Jacob’s Pillow debut. Tickets $52-63.
Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 11 – Saturday, August 14, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 14 & Sunday, August 15, 2:15pm
PILLOW CO-COMMISSION and WORLD PREMIERE
Kyle Abraham has been lauded as a performer of “equal parts power and grace” by Steve Sucato of Dance Magazine, which listed him among its elite “25 to Watch” in 2009. Abraham’s diverse training in classical music, visual art, and numerous dance forms give range and depth to his work. He has worked with David Dorfman Dance, Nathan Trice/Rituals, and toured with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company before shifting his focus to his own choreography. Abraham and his company will perform The Radio Show, which explores the function of radio in urban history, culture, and community through music from the 1960s, 70s and today, and a world premiere inspired by the photography of Eadweard Muybridge, co-commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow and created in part during a Pillow Creative Development Residency. Tickets $30-36.
The Göteborg Ballet
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 18 – Saturday, August 21, 8pm
Saturday, August 21– Sunday, August 22, 2pm
U.S. DEBUT
SWEDEN
The Göteborg Ballet, a company of classically trained dancers that has transitioned to contemporary innovation, can be seen in the U.S. for the first time at Jacob’s Pillow. Johannes Öhman, a former soloist with the Royal Swedish Ballet and artistic director of Stockholm 59° North, now directs the company, one of the largest contemporary ensembles in Scandinavia. They will perform 3xBoléro, three diverse works by different choreographers, all inspired by Maurice Ravel’s classic Boléro. 3xBoléro includes Walking Mad by Johan Inger with music by Ravel and Fur Alina by Arvo Pärt; OreloB by Kenneth Kvarnström, a futuristic work with stark lighting and innovative partnering; and Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s theatrical whirlwind Episode 17. Tickets $52-63.
Lucy Guerin Inc.
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 18 – Saturday, August 21, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 21 & Sunday, August 22, 2:15pm
AUSTRALIA
Before founding her own company, Lucy Guerin worked with Danceworks, the Bebe Miller Company, and Chunky Move, among others. In the company’s Pillow debut, they perform Structures and Sadness, winner of the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Dance Work and an Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Company. Inspired by the 1970 collapse of Melbourne’s West Gate bridge, the work has been called “an artfully constructed and sensitive study of fragility and memory” by Trespass Magazine (UK). The evening-length work uses a detailed dance language and accompanying visual effects as metaphors for the precarious architecture of life, as the dancers literally build a set on stage. Tickets $30-36.
A Jazz Happening
Sunday, August 22, 8pm
Benefit Event for The School at Jacob’s Pillow
LIVE MUSIC
This one-night-only event features dancers of the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance program, performing alongside Broadway stars after three weeks of intense study and preparation at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Directed by Broadway's Chet Walker, A Jazz Happening includes original choreography by the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance artist faculty and live music by an onstage jazz band. Former guest performers have included Donna McKechnie, Andrea McArdle, Malcolm Gets, Teri Ralston, and Desmond Richardson, and this season’s event will feature an all-new program and cast. Proceeds benefit The School at Jacob’s Pillow; $100 level tickets include a reception with the performers. Tickets $100 and $60.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 25 – Saturday, August 28, 8pm
(Additional matinee)Thursday, August 26, Saturday, August 28 & Sunday, August 29, 2pm
Hubbard Street has been called “one of America’s foremost modern-dance repertory companies” by Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times. The celebrated company returns to the Pillow by popular demand for a dynamic Festival 2010 finale under the company’s new artistic director Glenn Edgerton. This evening of works includes Jorma Elo’s Bitter Suite, a “suggestively extraterrestrial work” (Lucia Mauro of The Chicago Tribune) set to music by Mendelssohn and Monteverdi, and Tabula Rasa by Batsheva Dance Company’s Ohad Naharin with music by Arvo Pärt. Also on the program are new works by Aszure Barton and Hubbard Street resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. Tickets $55-68.
The Vanaver Caravan
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 25 – Saturday, August 28, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 28 & Sunday, August 29, 2:15pm
The Vanaver Caravan, an American folk-dance troupe applauded for its "unpretentious down-home spirit and considerable technical skill” (Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe), presents Earthbeat in celebration of its 30th anniversary. This international dance excursion will engage dance and world music fans of all generations in a show of rhythm and percussion. Accompanied by live music, Vanaver Caravan takes audiences on a rousing global journey with Romanian stick dances, Appalachian clogging, and traditional and original choreography from India, Brazil, South Africa, and Spain. Tickets $30-36.$10 Sunday matinee youth tickets (sponsored by ALEX®,;must be accompanied by an adult).
2010 Ticketing Information
Subscriptions: Jacob’s Pillow Subscribers receive early ordering and renewal privileges, free ticket exchange (up to 48 hours prior to performance) and the deepest discounts. Subscription options include: Full Season Subscriptions, in which subscribers purchase tickets to all ten Ted Shawn Theatre or Doris Duke Theatre performances, and Flex 5+ Subscriptions, in which subscribers create their own schedule choosing five or more performances, any day, any time. Jacob’s Pillow Members receive earliest ordering privileges as Member subscription orders are processed before Non-Member subscription orders. Memberships are available at any time, starting at $60/year and $40 for students. All subscription orders are accepted online at jacobspillow.org and via mail or fax, beginning January 25. Box Office phone ordering begins March 1, Monday-Friday, 10am - 5pm, with additional hours during the Festival. Box Office: 413.243.0745 (phone) or 413.243.0749 (fax). For complete ticket policies, visit jacobspillow.org.
Single Tickets: Jacob’s Pillow Member single ticketing begins Wednesday, March 10. Single ticket ordering opens to the public via phone, fax, mail, and online on Wednesday, April 7. Specially priced $10 youth tickets (sponsored by ALEX®, for children ages 8 – 16) are available for certain performances of Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Nina Ananiashvili and the State Ballet of Georgia, Shantala Shivalingappa, and The Vanaver Caravan. Box Office phone ordering begins March 1, Monday-Friday, 10am - 5pm, with additional hours during the Festival. Box Office: 413.243.0745 (phone) or 413.243.0749 (fax). For complete ticket policies, visit jacobspillow.org.
Inside/Out: In addition to the more than 110 ticketed performances presented each year, Jacob’s Pillow offers many free activities and other opportunities to enjoy dance. Of the more than 50 dance companies to be presented at Jacob’s Pillow in 2010, more than half can be seen performing on Inside/Out, a unique outdoor performance space nestled in the bucolic hills of the Berkshires, for free. The Inside/Out series includes presentations of emerging dance companies, artists from all over the world, and informal showings by the professional-track students of The School at Jacob’s Pillow, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 6:15. Roster of performers to be announced in April; visit jacobspillow.org for additional information.
Exhibits and Archives: Annual exhibits in four venues throughout the Pillow’s National Historic Landmark grounds display photographs, video, artifacts and other engaging visual material that enrich the visitor’s experience of dance. The Archives, documenting dance and Pillow history from 1894 to the present, welcome both the general public and artistic and scholarly researchers to view videos of recent performances or historic films from years past, and browse dance or related art and history books. Two interactive touch screen kiosks, one in Blake's Barn and another in the Welcome Center, offer video clips, photos, and information spanning the Festival’s history. The full resources of the Archives are available to the public free of charge on a drop-in basis Tuesdays through Sundays, from noon until final curtain.
Talks: More than 140 enlightening and informative talks range from in-depth hour-long PillowTalks, to brief Pre-Show Talks which introduce audiences to the performance they are about to attend, and Post-Show Talks with the artists just after they step offstage. All talks are free and open to the public. PillowTalks take place in Blake’s Barn, Thursdays at 5pm (NEW DAY) and Saturdays at 4pm, providing varied opportunities to gain insight from dancers, choreographers, musicians, filmmakers, visual designers, historians, and other experts. Pre-Show Talks are given by Pillow Scholars-in-Residence and take place in Blake’s Barn and on the Doris Duke Theatre porch 30 minutes before every performance. Post-Show Talks with artistic directors and dancers are moderated by Scholars-in-Residence and take place following the performances on Thursdays in the Ted Shawn Theatre and Fridays in the Doris Duke Theatre.
Tours, Classes, Observations, and More: During the season, free guided tours of the 163-acre campus leave from the Welcome Center every Friday and Saturday at 5:30pm, and patrons can pick up a self-guided tour map anytime to explore the grounds on their own. Patrons are also welcome to visit The School at Jacob’s Pillow and observe renowned artist faculty working with emerging professional dancers, either on a drop-in basis or pre-arranged for groups larger than four. Dance and Pilates classes are offered to the public Mondays through Thursdays at 8am and are open to all experience levels (modest class fee required). Master classes with artists of the Doris Duke Theatre are offered every Sunday at 10am for intermediate to advanced dancers (modest class fee required). Master classes are also open for public observation, without charge. For Community Class information call 413.243.9919.
Dining: Jacob’s Pillow offers many dining options including the Pillow Café, a full-service open air restaurant on The Great Lawn; the Pillow Pub, offering casual fare, ready-to-go picnics, and a full bar; and the Coffee & Ice Cream Bars. Many visitors bring a picnic lunch or dinner from home and dine on The Great Lawn or while taking in a performance on the Inside/Out stage.
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