Prehistoric Body Theater

This event took place June 25 – 26 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
U.S. Debut | U.S. Premiere

In a special kick-off to Festival 2025, Prehistoric Body Theater—an experimental dance theater collective from Indonesia—channeled dinosaurs as they explored themes of mass extinction, climate crisis, and evolutionary ancestry through movement. The group created “deep-time animal dance” by fusing paleontology with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Prehistoric made its U.S. debut in association with New York’s Asia Society with Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda, a mesmerizing work that eulogized the raptors who perished in the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago, while celebrating the survival of our earliest primate ancestors in a world born anew.

Praised as “an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology” (Oxford University Press), Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists as well as international scientists—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.

Yusha-Marie Sorzano

Wednesday, August 20 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 
Pillow Debut

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Yusha-Marie Sorzano is a dynamic dancer, choreographer, and educator. As a YoungArts alumni and graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, she performed principal roles with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and toured nationally and internationally with companies such as Complexions Contemporary Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers. She has performed the works of choreographers including Dianne McIntyre, Kyle Abraham, Jermaine Spivey, and Spenser Theberge. Yusha is the choreographer of A Ballet Through Mud, a collaboration of music and dance by Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA.

For her Pillow debut, her collective Sorzano Dance Works will showcase works from her repertoire including To All Our Ends, Two Women, “Girl” (an excerpt from THREAT), and This World Anew. This World Anew was commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art on the occasion of their groundbreaking exhibition Edges of Ailey in fall 2024. Her engagement at Jacob’s Pillow complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Ted Shawn Theatre, as Ailey’s legacy resonates during this final week of Festival 2025. Tickets to indoor performances are sold separately.

Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima 

Saturday, August 2 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 
Live Music

Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima returns to the Henry J. Leir Stage for the first time since 2012. The mission of this hālau hula (school of Hawaiian dance) is to preserve and perpetuate Native Hawaiian arts and cultural traditions for future generations. At the core of this mission is the sharing of hula, which has been instrumental in the preservation and perpetuation of Native Hawaiian language, art, and cultural practices.

The hālau provides training for children, teens, and adults, as well as introductory hula workshops and classes, under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine and Jeffrey Kānekaiwilani Takamine. The hālau hula is based in Honolulu, with extensions in Nuioka (New York City) and Kauaʻi. This performance on the Leir Stage will feature haumāna (students) from the New York extension.

Vicky Holt Takamine is recognized as a native Hawaiian leader for her artistry and advocacy on social justice issues, the protection of native Hawaiian rights, and the natural and cultural resources of Hawaii. She is the recipient of the 2024 Gish Prize.

Sydnie L. Mosley Dances

Saturday, July 12 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut

Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (SLMDances), a dance-theatre collective making their Pillow debut this summer. SLMDances explores the real-life experiences of women and the Black community through experiential dance performances that blend modern technique, verbal performance, and the movement traditions of the African diaspora. They will present a program spanning years of work, in celebration of the company’s 15th anniversary.

The company creates works designed to provoke a visceral response and spark dialogue around gender and racial justice. SLMDances works nationally, with deep relationships in Harlem, New York City, and Baltimore. SLMDances actively partners with local artists and organizations driving community-based initiatives that amplify their mission for social change through dance theater and Black feminist performance art.

Orlando Hernández​​​​​​​ & the Knee-Heart Connection

Thursday, July 24 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 
Pillow Debut | Live Music

Lauded as “a onetime tap prodigy who’s grown into a history-mining experimentalist” (The New Yorker), Orlando Hernández is a performer, choreographer, theater-maker, musician, and writer who came up in the tap dance community in New York. He now presents a variety of stories and performances that thrillingly blend live music, tap dance, theater and storytelling, and embodied rhythm. His play La Broa’ (Broad Street), composed of real-life stories from Latino communities in Rhode Island, was recently produced at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, in a run The Boston Globe called “heartwarming and magical.”

The Knee-Heart Connection is a tap dance-theater project led by Hernández, using techniques and technologies of tap dance, mask-work, physical theater, jazz music, and improvisation to create unique experiences of rhythm and reflection, with a particular perspective in the Puerto Rican diaspora. This work was developed with support from New York Live Arts, the Center for Performance Research, the CUNY Dance Initiative, Snug Harbor, JKW Collective Fund, the Changing Times Tap Initiative, a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant, and the Jerome Foundation.

As a member of the New York-based tap dance and live music company Music From the Sole, Hernández has performed at Jacob’s Pillow, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, Fall For Dance at New York City Center, and Vail Dance Festival. He is also a member of the Boston-based tap dance company Subject:Matter, directed by Ian Berg, and dances with Michela Marino Lerman’s Love Movement.

Red Clay Dance Company

Friday, July 18 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut

Chicago’s top Afro-Contemporary dance company lives to awaken “glocal” Artivism through creating, performing, and teaching dances of the African diaspora. This Black female-led company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dancers that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally, including at the National Theater of Uganda.

Now in its 16th year, the company is committed to taking their signature “Artivism in Motion” from the stage into learning environments, and sees community engagement as a vital part of the creative process and village-building work. In December, the company’s founder Vershawn Sanders-Ward was named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance by the Chicago Tribune.

Benjamin Akio Kimitch

Wednesday, August 13 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 
Pillow Debut

Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Brooklyn-based artist and producer Benjamin Akio Kimitch for his Pillow debut with Tiger Hands. Inspired by his varied training in Chinese dance and intimate encounters with Peking opera, Kimitch crafts a vivid, world-building performance that honors his late mother, a Japanese American folk dancer and taiko drummer.

In Tiger Hands, Peking opera technique becomes a channel for reconnection, transformation, and personal expression. In this cosmic work, Kimitch and his collaborators—including Jeffrey Gan, Pareena Lim, Lai Yi Ohlsen, and Carlos Soto—draw on the experimental energy that birthed this artform, simultaneously preserving and expanding tradition. A 2024 Asian Cultural Council Fellow and 2023 Bessie Award winner, Kimitch has premiered his works at The Shed, The Noguchi Museum, Danspace Project, and more.

This event took place on July 2 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage

Live Music

This summer, the award-winning Almanac Dance Circus Theatre returned to the outdoor stage (where they performed in 2023) with a signature blend of acrobatics, dance, and storytelling. Known for pushing artistic boundaries, the company created genre-defying performances that fuse circus arts with narrative stories, which invited audiences into thrilling, immersive experiences.

With a diverse ensemble of dancers, acrobats, and theater artists, Almanac has premiered 11 full-length works, touring the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Their daring, improvisational performances have captivated audiences at New York Live Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and beyond. Also renowned for community-driven events like the acclaimed Cannonball Festival, Almanac continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary circus and dance.

Kara Jenelle & KaJe Movement Collective

Friday, August 1 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut | World Premiere

Kara Jenelle (KJ) Wade, MFA, is a powerhouse movement artist, choreographer, and teaching diplomat whose practice is deeply rooted in the African diaspora and Black social and street dance forms. With a movement style that blends West African, hip hop, dancehall, Afrobeats, and Afro-Caribbean techniques, she has captivated audiences worldwide. As both an artist and educator, KJ’s dynamic approach to choreography and teaching has taken her to studios and festivals across more than 15 countries, from the United States to Taiwan, France, Nigeria, and beyond. This summer, KJ and KaJe Movement Collective will perform the world premiere of Melanin Rich Projects.

She has performed alongside icons such as Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, and Will Smith, using her success to amplify Black artists and culture on mainstream platforms. Her debut dance film, ÌYÁguration, celebrates the history of resilience and sisterhood among Black women, and was featured in multiple festivals and publications.

Angkor Dance Troupe

Wednesday, July 23 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 

Angkor Dance Troupe brings the breathtaking beauty of Cambodian classical dance to the stage, preserving a dance tradition nearly lost during the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1978). Founded in 1986 by Tim Thou and Cambodian refugees, the troupe has become a nationally recognized leader in traditional Cambodian performing arts, serving as the heart of a vibrant Cambodian American community in Lowell, Massachusetts.

With exquisite gestures, ornate costumes, and mesmerizing choreography, the troupe’s performances honor the resilience of Cambodian culture across generations. Today, Angkor Dance Troupe fosters a new generation of young dancers, blending revival, tradition, and innovation to create imaginative works. Through dance, the troupe connects past and present, ensuring this rich artistic legacy not only endures but evolves. Experience the grace, power, and storytelling of one of the most accomplished Cambodian dance ensembles in the United States.