Brinae Ali: Baby Laurence Legacy Project
Following her rousing performance on outdoor stage in 2023, tap dancer, choreographer, and vocalist Brinae Ali returns to Jacob’s Pillow with Baby Laurence Legacy Project, developed during a Pillow Lab residency in 2024. The show explores and celebrates the artistic genius of Donald “Baby Laurence” Jackson, a Baltimore innovator whose impact on tap dance and jazz music is being redefined.
This evening-length production shares Laurence’s largely forgotten story with audiences by exploring the relationship between technology, tap dancing, and jazz music, featuring songs by Laurence such as “Baby at Birdland” and “Delilah’s Theme” reimagined with new arrangements and choreography. Through this work, Ali reveals how Laurence embodied the bebop aesthetic, reflecting a defiance of the white gaze and a self-referencing Black consciousness akin to the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, and Charlie Parker.
About Brinae Ali
Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, Ali has worked as an educator, grassroots organizer, and the artistic director of Tapology, Inc., a youth based outreach program. She is now the Creative Director of Destination 4 Ever, a platform for artists and an incubator for innovation, collaboration, and liberation.
Show Information
Additional information
Pillow Lab artist
First appearance since 2023
Page Anchor
Media Gallery
Talks
Pre-Show Talks
20 minutes before each performance
Gain insight into the performance you are about to see with a free 15-minute Pre-Show Talk. All Pre-Show Talks will be presented in the Doris Duke Theatre's Jameson Family Lobby.
Post-Show Talks
Immediately following the Thursday evening performance
Participate in a free question & answer session with the artists just after they step off stage. Ticket-holders are invited to stay immediately after the show in order to enjoy the Post-Show Talk.
Explore Content
Inside the Pillow Lab
View a short film featuring Brinae Ali during her Pillow Lab Residency in 2024
Unsung Sheroes of the 20th Century, 2022
Watch the performance clip on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Jacob's Pillow is located in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts in the town of Becket. The 225-acre National Historic Landmark is within easy driving distance of Boston, New York, Albany, Burlington, and Hartford.
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