The School Experience

Company Life

The School prepares you for the demands of professional company life. Days are structured like a working artist’s schedule, with technique classes, rehearsals, coaching sessions, and seminars from morning through evening.

Each week, dancers in The School are mentored by choreographers as they learn either new work or renowned repertory, gaining firsthand experience with varied creative processes. Collaborative rehearsals, improvisation, and performance coaching sharpen dancers’ artistry while deepening their adaptability.

For performance-based programs, a central part of the dancer’s experience are appearances in weekly studio showings and on the iconic outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage before in-person and livestream audiences. This studio-to-stage cycle mirrors the pace of a professional company and gives dancers the tools to thrive in the field.

Career Building and Networking

The School embeds career-building practices into dancers’ daily schedule. Artist Faculty and Pillow alumni lead seminars on navigating the profession: from contract negotiations and freelancing to managing multiple revenue streams and sustaining wellness.

Networking is constant. Dancers form relationships with choreographers, artistic directors, scholars, photographers, Pillow staff, and visiting Festival artists. Conversations over meals, in rehearsals, and after performances often become career-defining moments.

Perhaps most important, School dancers enter a powerful alumni network that spans the globe. Dozens of School alumni return to the Pillow each year as faculty, performers, and leaders. This family-like network continues to support dancers long after their program ends.

Being Part of the Festival 

Living and working at Jacob’s Pillow means full immersion in the Festival, a summer-long celebration of dance that brings scores of companies from around the world to the Berkshires each summer.

School dancers perform as part of Festival programming, attend performances free of charge, and join talks, tours, film screenings, and social gatherings. Dancers encounter ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, dance theater, and more, broadening their perspective on what dance can be.

Dancers also share the campus with Festival artists, who may observe your rehearsals, lead workshops, join School dancers in the Archives, or simply chat over coffee in the dining hall. This unique blend of training, performing, and daily interaction with working professionals makes the Pillow unlike any other program.

Setting and Location

Jacob’s Pillow is both a National Historic Landmark and the first dance presenting organization to receive the National Medal of Arts. Since the 1930s, it has been home to legendary figures including Martha Graham, José Limón, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Agnes De Mille, Pearl Primus, Robert Joffrey, and Maria Tallchief, among many others.

The 225-acre campus is nestled in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts, surrounded by gardens and woodlands. Unlike programs based in urban or university settings, the Pillow offers an environment where natural beauty and history are integral to daily life.

At its heart is the Perles Family Studio, a 7,300-square-foot space with soaring windows that bring the outdoors inside. This state-of-the-art studio, often described by dancers as a “haven,” is The School’s creative home. Nearby are the historic Ted Shawn Theatre, the newly reimagined Doris Duke Theatre (opened in summer 2025), the Henry J. Leir Stage, exhibition galleries, the Pillow Store, and the world-renowned Jacob’s Pillow Archives.

The Berkshires region itself is a cultural destination, home to Tanglewood, MASS MoCA, The Clark, Shakespeare & Company, and other leading institutions—all less than three hours from New York City and Boston.