Dance as Social Transformation: Kinetic Visioning

July 20 – August 2, 2026 | At the Pillow

Artist Faculty d. Sabela grimes, Michele Byrd-McPhee, Nina Flagg, Onye Ozuzu, and Shakia Barron

Festival Artists may lead additional classes and talks

Dancers must be at least age 16 on arrival day; no exceptions possible.

Begin Your Application

ARTIST FACULTY

Click on a faculty member to read their bio

d. Sabela grimes

Michele Byrd-McPhee

Nina Flagg

Onye Ozuzu

Shakia Barron

Dance as Social Transformation: Kinetic Visioning is a two-week program that brings together a cohort of 24 artists with diverse movement backgrounds who share a commitment to embodied and somatic practice. Led by faculty with established practices rooted in club, street, and social dance lineages, the program centers movement as a way of seeing, imagining, and shaping the world. Rather than focusing on performance outcomes, participants engage in a rigorous, process-driven exploration of training, improvisation, and dance composition as forms of embodied inquiry.

Through daily practice, dialogue, and collective experimentation, participants investigate how movement operates as a living language informed by resistance, care, and communal knowledge. The methodologies offered draw from lineage-based practices while remaining transferable across forms, disciplines, and artistic contexts. This program is designed for artists interested in deepening their relationship to embodiment, perception, and creative intelligence, and who are prepared to work with clarity, reflection, and vulnerability in a shared, community-centered environment.

Who Should Apply
This program is intended for dance artists and movement practitioners with an established embodied practice who are interested in deep, process-driven exploration. Applicants may come from a wide range of movement forms and disciplines, but should share a commitment to embodiment, somatic awareness, and collective inquiry. Participants should be prepared to engage with methodologies informed by Club, Street, and Social Dance lineages, and to work in an environment that values listening, dialogue, specificity, and reflection over performance polish or product. This program is best suited for artists who are curious, accountable, and willing to work with both clarity and vulnerability in a shared, community-centered learning space.

Read about the Artist Faculty

During the program, Performance Ensemble dancers also:

Attend Festival performances, Pillow scholar-led talks, and other events across the Pillow grounds.
Participate in career-building seminars and discussions led by Festival Artists, Artist Faculty, and Pillow Alumni. Topics include developing an artistic practice and choreographic voice, wellness practices, dance citizenship, and strategies to forge one’s own path in the field.
Access digital dance works connected to Artist Faculty, Festival Artists, and program curriculum available only in the Jacob’s Pillow Archives, while also exploring archival materials that align with personal dance interests.
Complete program assignments which may include improvisational studies, collaborative movement invention, choreographic ideas, journal writing, and other activities.
Build a career network through daily interactions with peers, staff, Artist Faculty, artistic directors, company members, dance supporters, audiences, community members, and visitors.

The Jacob’s Pillow School Experience is a day-to-evening conservatory style curriculum, designed to instill the stamina, perseverance, and entrepreneurial and collaborative voracity required to live and work as a creative dance artist.

2026 Dance as Social Transformation Application Deadlines & Notifications

Acceptd offers financial assistance for applicants who meet Application Fee Waiver requirements. Application Fee Waivers are subject to approval by the Acceptd Support team and are granted based on proper documentation, when provided in advance of an application submission. Contact Acceptd Support when setting up your portal.

*Applications submitted past Feb 23 are reviewed on a rolling basis by Program Directors, Artist Faculty, and School staff. Admission status is sent by email if space is available.

Looking for a discount to a Jacob’s Pillow 360 Workshop in 2026?
Submit your application by the priority deadline, and you’ll receive a $5 discount code for a 360 workshop in your area! It’s your chance to connect with Jacob’s Pillow Artist Faculty and Alumni in a city near you.

Click BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION to access Acceptd, our application portal. Review the Application Guidelines there to ensure your submission is complete. Only complete applications are considered. Scholarship applications must be submitted with your program application.

For assistance, contact [email protected].

We value clarity, specificity, and reflection over polish or performance. Applicants are encouraged to respond thoughtfully and honestly, drawing from lived experience and embodied practice.

Required Program Application Materials

1. Video Submission

Please submit one unedited or minimally edited video that includes the following components. This is not an audition. Accepted file types: MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.

Verbal self-introduction (1.5 minutes maximum)
- Your name and current location
- A brief description of your movement or embodied practice
- Why this program is meaningful to you at this moment
- What you are interested in exploring through this experience
Embodied Exploration (2.5-3 minutes) Share a short movement exploration that reflects how you currently work in your body.
- Improvisational or structured approaches are welcome
- No specific style or form is required
- Choose a practice that feels honest and current rather than polished
- You may film in any space. A stationary camera is recommended.
Brief Reflection (1 minute maximum) Reflect briefly on the movement you shared. This may be spoken on camera or included as on-screen text:
- What were you attending to while moving?
- What questions, sensations, or choices guided the work?

2. Written Responses (400 words total)

Please respond to all three prompts below. We recommend approximately 125–150 words per response.

Prompt 1: Embodied Practice
- Describe your current embodied or somatic practice.
- What questions or curiosities are shaping how you move, train, or create right now?
Prompt 2: Process
- Describe a moment in your practice when prioritizing process over outcome shifted your understanding of your work, your body, or your relationships.
- What did this shift make possible?
Prompt 3: Working in Community
- This program emphasizes collective inquiry and shared responsibility. Describe an experience where working with others meaningfully shaped your artistic thinking or practice. What did you learn about listening, accountability, or collaboration?

3. Résumé/C.V.

Please upload a résumé or CV outlining your artistic background. This may include performance, teaching, community-based work, interdisciplinary practice, or other relevant experience.

4. Headshot

5. Optional Work Samples

You may include up to two links to additional work (video, audio, writing, or documentation).

6. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation may be requested

You will be asked to list the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to recommend you
If contacted, they should be prepared to address the following:
- Your stamina to participate in rigorous, professional-level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Your ability to live and work responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community

Read Program Fees & Scholarships for program costs and all scholarship opportunities.
- The Scholarship Application is found within the Program Application and must be submitted with your application.
- If you are a dependent, all financial information provided must be for your parent/guardian(s).
- U.S. and international dancers are eligible for scholarship awards.
- For assistance, contact [email protected].
Read Participation Requirements & Policies for important eligibility details.