Eiko Otake
Thursday, July 10 – Friday, July 11 | Doris Duke Theatre Grounds
Interdisciplinary artist Eiko Otake will give a world-premiere site-specific performance, titled Shadows and Stones, which will take audiences around the site of the new Doris Duke Theatre, grounding us in all that came before. Tickets are $45, and are now available. Arrive at the Jameson Family Lobby of the Doris Duke Theatre 30 minutes in advance of the performance to enjoy a free Pre-Show Talk about the artist’s work.
Eiko Otake came to the Pillow with her partner Koma for the first time in 1993, soon after the original Doris Duke Theatre was built. She has returned many times since, including in 2017 when she created a solo, A Body at the Pillow, that took audiences across the campus, from boulder to boulder. In 2020, a month after the original Duke burned to the ground, Eiko returned to crawl in the snow over the fallen beams to create the short film rock is broken (2021). Her body holds over three decades of Pillow history on the site, and her performance will evoke the power of memory and resilience.
Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience – Community Residency with Sekou McMiller & Friends
June 12–15 | Free with registration encouraged
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Sekou McMiller’s Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience to Pittsfield for a multi-day community residency. This dynamic series of movement workshops, listening sessions, and dance parties, led by Sekou and his collaborators, will immerse participants in themes from his upcoming premiere Urban Love Suite, which will be performed during Week 6 of the Festival. The residency will explore the joy of celebration, parades, and rituals across cultures, from Mardi Gras in New Orleans to Carnival in Trinidad and other global festivities. Participants of all ages are invited to join in the fun, learn, and celebrate through movement and sound. Details to be announced. Registration will open later this spring.
Curriculum in Motion™ Institute In-Person Embodied Information Sessions
Saturday, April 5 at Two Locations:
- 12–1:30pm at The School for Contemporary Dance & Thought (Northampton, MA)
- 4:30–6pm at Berkshire Pulse (Housatonic, MA)
Would you like to build your skills as a choreographer and teaching artist and enhance your dance artistry? Join us for an inspiring in-person workshop with artist Lynn Peterson, where you’ll explore the Curriculum in Motion™ method through dance-making and learn more about the 2025-26 Curriculum in Motion™ Institute. The Institute is an opportunity to train in the community-oriented methodology and build community with a network of like-minded Artist Educators. The info session will include dance-making, a Q&A session, and refreshments.
Special discounts for the Curriculum in Motion™ Institute are available for local residents—please email [email protected] for more details. Applications for the Curriculum in Motion™ Institute 2025-26 Cohort are accepted through May 12. Apply today and take advantage of the Early Bird registration rates through April 14.
RSVP for info sessions is strongly encouraged online or by calling 413.243.9919 ext. 074. Drop-ins are welcome, pending availability.
About the Artist
Lynn Peterson is Co-Artistic Director of SYREN Modern Dance. Lynn is a United States Cultural Ambassador who shares dance widely as a performer and dance educator with SYREN across the United States as well as in France, the United Arab Emirates, and Germany. Lynn is proud to be a Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion™ Facilitator, a Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning CT, and part of the Dance Faculty at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. She’s previously been on faculty at Mark Morris Dance Center, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, and The Hotchkiss School. Additionally, she has worked with students at Purchase College, Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Brown University, Principia College, Boston Conservatory, Moravian University, Anderson University, The Hartt School, IONA College, Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, among others.
These information sessions are in partnership with The School for Contemporary Dance & Thought and Berkshire Pulse.
HopeBoykinDance
Saturday, August 23 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow is honored to present two-time Bessie Award-winning choreographer, writer, director, and filmmaker Hope Boykin in her highly anticipated Pillow debut, with HopeBoykinDance. An acclaimed former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, PHILADANCO!, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Boykin brings a compelling collaboration of contemporary-modern movement, spoken word, and storytelling to the stage.
Known for her deeply expressive movement-language, Boykin has most recently created new works for Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has presented HopeBoykinDance at The Joyce Theater, 92NY, and The Kennedy Center, where she reimagined Jacqueline Woodson’s The Other Side and choreographed the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS. Her deep history as a 20-year Ailey company member and commissioned choreographer complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Ted Shawn Theatre.
