Black Grace

Available On Demand | February 6-March 19

Black Grace was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2022.

Dedicated to the rich storytelling traditions of the South Pacific, New Zealand-based Black Grace masterfully blends contemporary and Samoan dance genres, expressing them with “phenomenal strength, stamina and spirit” (The New Zealand Herald). The company has been praised as “the most positive, living expression of any New Zealand art” (Sunday Star Times).

Founded by Neil Ieremia in 1995, the company masterfully blends contemporary and indigenous Samoan dance genres with a body of work “that crosses geographic and social boundaries, often with innovative flair and theatricality” (The Boston Globe). New York Times critic Brian Seibert said, “the dancers break into motion, and once they start, they barely ever stop. The distinguishing spirit of this troupe is incredible speed and stamina, an exhilarating, seemingly inexhaustible energy.”

This program included O Le Olaga – Life, a tribute to Ieremia’s parents and a celebration of life set to Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major, as well as Fatu, a new work inspired by the work of Samoan painter and sculptor Fatu Akelei Feu’u and set to an original soundtrack both live and recorded. The company also reprised Minoi, a high-energy virtuosic work featured in their first Pillow performance.

SW!NG OUT

Available On Demand | December 5-January 15

SW!NG OUT was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2022.

Fans of acclaimed choreographer Caleb Teicher and last summer’s rollicking outdoor show LaTasha Barnes Presents The Jazz Continuum take note: Teicher brought the best of the swing dance world to Jacob’s Pillow with SW!NG OUT, with live music by Eyal Vilner Big Band. Featuring a cast of 22 performers, including 12 dancers and 10 on the bandstand, Teicher conceived of this piece alongside their brain trust of collaborators: Evita Arce, LaTasha Barnes, Nathan Bugh, Macy Sullivan, and Eyal Vilner.

Called “a sweeping ride through contemporary swing dance” by The New York Times during its premiere run at The Joyce Theater last fall, SW!NG OUT featured exciting Lindy Hop choreography and improvisation, and ended with an on-stage jam session for performers and audience members. The New York Times ‘Best of 2021’ mentioned SW!NG OUT as “…the contemporary swing-dance show that… gave me the most joy of any dance production in 2021.” (Critic’s Pick)

Leadership support for Pillow performances of SW!NG OUT was provided by Gerry and Hank Alpert.

Dichotomous Being: An Evening of Taylor Stanley

Dichotomous Being: An Evening of Taylor Stanley was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2022.

Already a celebrated principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Taylor Stanley pursued new movement frontiers for this program alongside special guest artists with Kyle Abraham as the Creative Producer. During two 2021 Pillow Labs, Stanley developed a Pillow-commissioned ensemble work by postmodern choreographer Jodi Melnick and a solo by choreographer Shamel Pitts. They also performed an adaptation of Andrea Miller’s sky to hold, originally created for the New York City Ballet’s 2021 Fall Gala, and Talley Beatty’s renowned Mourner’s Bench, a solo of great significance to the Pillow, having been danced here by Beatty himself. Stanley and their collaborators returned to the Pillow Lab again in March this year, ahead of the Festival performances.

Encore: Dorrance Dance Plays the Pillow

Available On Demand | November 7-December 18

Dorrance Dance Plays the Pillow was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2021.

In a site-specific world premiere, tap dance company Dorrance Dance explores the unique and enchanting environment of the Pillow grounds. These special daytime performances will take audiences on a roving journey that showcases the Pillow’s campus in a never-before-seen (nor-heard) way.  

Commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow with leadership support from Gerry and Hank Alpert.

Explore Past Pillow Performances on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:

• Dorrance Dance in All Good Things Come to an End in 2018
• Dorrance Dance in ETM: Double Down in 2016
• Dorrance Dance in The Blues Project in 2015
• Dorrance Dance in ETM: The Initial Approach in 2014

Dance Heginbotham

Available On Demand | April 3-May 14

Dance Heginbotham was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2022.

Celebrated for its vibrant athleticism, humor, theatricality, and commitment to collaboration, Dance Heginbotham, led by Artistic Director John Heginbotham, celebrated its 10th Anniversary having established itself as one of the most adventurous companies on the contemporary dance scene. Praised by The New York Times as having “a true theater artist’s instinct for commanding his audience,” Heginbotham is known for striking choreography that is perceptive, bright, and witty. A past recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, he is most recently acclaimed for his choreography in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

The company performed an evening of work in collaboration with Ethan Iverson, the critically acclaimed jazz composer, pianist, and Blue Note Records recording artist. The program featured three works: a revival and two world premieres. Easy Win (2015) draws inspiration from the collaborators’ shared experiences within a formal ballet class. A delightful ode to the repetition, drama, and humor of a dance class, Easy Win dissects its rituals with equal amounts of humor and sincerity through dancers that are “keenly alive to the main pulses of Mr. Iverson’s music” (The New York Times). The world premiere of The Understudies performed by John Heginbotham and Amber Star Merkens. Finally, Dance Sonata, the program’s second world premiere, picked up where Easy Win left off. If Easy Win highlighted the rigors and training in the context of a ballet class, Dance Sonata was the finale for which the performers have been preparing.

Encore: Dallas Black Dance Theatre

Available On Demand | May 8-June 18

Dallas Black Dance Theatre was filmed live during Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2021.

Founded in 1976 by Ann M. Williams and currently led by Artistic Director Melissa M. Young, Dallas Black Dance Theatre has captivated audiences in the Dallas Arts District and nationwide for over 45 years with contemporary modern dance by the nation’s leading choreographers. In a highly-anticipated Jacob’s Pillow debut, Dallas Black Dance Theatre performs a Pillow-commissioned world premiere by sought-after choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie, celebrated for his work with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Pillow-commissioned work for DBDT is made possible by the Joan B. Hunter New Work Commission.

VIRTUAL DELVING INTO DANCE HISTORY
MINI WORKSHOP: ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN DANCE: YURIKO

June 12 | 2-5pm Eastern
Facilitated by Ann Biddle

Join Ann Biddle (Director of DEL at Jacob’s Pillow) and special guests Emiko and Yasuko Tokunaga of Tokunaga Dance Ko and Miki Orihara to celebrate Japanese American women’s voices in dance history with an exploration of the life and work of Yuriko Kikuchi. Yuriko, whose stage name was Yuriko, was a principal dancer in Martha Graham’s company from the 1940s to 1967 and was instrumental in preserving the Graham legacy through her extensive teaching and re-staging of many iconic Graham works. Emiko and Yasuko will share excerpts highlighting Yuriko’s life and work drawn from the Yuriko biography Emiko wrote. The interactive workshop will also include a virtual interview with Miki Orihara, who was a principal dancer in the Martha Graham Dance Company, and worked closely with Yuriko, preserving her unique approach to Graham Technique. Ms. Orihara will share her reminiscences of dancing and working alongside Yuriko.

Tokunaga Dance Ko was founded by American Japanese sisters, Emiko and Yasuko Tokunaga. TDK was sponsored by the Japan-US Friendship Commission, NEA, DCA, among others. TDK received the key to Nara City, Japan.  TDK’s unique pedagogy was recognized in Dance Magazine, Attitude, and has been taught in over 40 institutions. 

Emiko is the author of Yuriko-An American Japanese Dancer, (Graham dancer) and America-no-Itohan (Mother Utako). She designed/coordinated over 100 dances for TDK and Boston Conservatory. At BC directed Summer Dance, taught (technique, pedagogy); received Best Faculty Award (2003, 2008). At Harvard: coordinated Radcliffe Dance Program, resident administration fellow; guest speaker for World Religions. She choreographed over 60 dances, holds an MA from NYU (Kappa Delta Pi, Alpha Kappa Delta).

Yasuko choreographed over 50 works and holds a BFA from The Juilliard School.  She was Director of BC Dance Division and Artistic Director of BC Dance Theater (1989-2011). BCDT was the first college to perform original works by Graham, Limón, Sokolow, Nikolas, Louis, and Tudor.  She received the 2000 Outstanding Faculty Award and the 1993 Boston’s Pro Arts Consortium Public Service Award.  She also taught Graham at the Hartt School and Ballet at the Martha Graham School as well as serving as Licensing Director at Limón.

VIRTUAL DELVING INTO DANCE HISTORY
MINI WORKSHOP: VOICES OF WOMEN

Sunday, March 27 | 2-5pm Eastern
Facilitated by Ann Biddle and Felice Santorelli

Join Ann Biddle (Director of DEL at Jacob’s Pillow) and Felice Santorelli (DEL Facilitator) to celebrate Women’s History month and delve into several female dance artists featured in the Pillow’s Dance Interactive playlists.  In this embodied and interactive workshop, participants will immerse themselves in the DELving into Dance History model and explore the unique artistic vision and choreographic processes of past and present women choreographers.

In particular, we will explore the life and work of Blondell Cummings, “a dancer/choreographer who crossed over from modern to postmodern, from the black dance community to the avant-garde community” (Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine, Sept 1, 2015). We will delve into Cummings’ iconic work, Chicken Soup (1981), which was performed at Jacob’s Pillow in 1989.

Come prepared to engage in movement exploration and invention, collaborative dance making, and embodied dance history practice.

The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble

Saturday, July 19 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
World Premiere

Performances by The School at Jacob’s Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a three-week Contemporary Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Director Milton Myers and Associate Program Director Francisco Martinez. The performance will feature work by guest choreographers Peter Chu, Andrea Miller, and Aszure Barton.

Dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School’s professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.