Kia the Key & Company

August 20, 2026 at 5:30pm

Kia the Key & Company

Performance Outdoor

August 20, 2026 at 5:30pm

Henry J. Leir Stage

Kia the Key & Company; Darrius Johnson, Visionary Acts photo

The local street and club dance company Kia the Key & Company is led by Shakia “The Key” Barron, a professor of dance at Mount Holyoke College and as faculty at The School at Jacob’s Pillow this summer. Established in 2022, this Western Massachusetts company is grounded in street and club dances, and brings together dancers across race, nationality, and background to explore the complexity and beauty of Black social dance: as cultural expression, political resistance, and collective healing. Barron explores how these forms carry cultural memory and wisdom that is deeply connected to the African Diaspora.

Show Information

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Rain or Shine tickets

Choose "Rain or Shine" for a guaranteed indoor seat if weather intervenes. Learn more here.

Rain or Shine from $45.00 plus fees Fee of $3.50 per ticket Shine Only $5.00 plus fees Fee of $3.50 per ticket

Expected run time

~50 minutes

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Post-Show Talk

Immediately following the 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.

View event Modern/Contemporary Morning Classes

Class

Modern/Contemporary Morning Classes

Join a rigorous, joyous contemporary class each Wednesday at Jacob’s Pillow, open to all bodies and movers.

Info & Tickets

Weekly on Wednesday 9:00am

Sommers Studio

View event West African & Spiritual Well-Being Morning Classes

Class

West African & Spiritual Well-Being Morning Classes

Join a community-centered West African and African diaspora dance class every Thursday at Jacob’s Pillow, open to all levels.

Info & Tickets

Weekly on Thursday 9:00am

Sommers Studio

View event Ballet Morning Classes

Class

Ballet Morning Classes

Take an open-level ballet class with Isadora Wolfe, offered every Friday at Jacob’s Pillow throughout the Festival.

Info & Tickets

Weekly on Friday 9:00am

Sommers Studio

View event Public Tours of Campus

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Outdoor, Special Event

Public Tours of Campus

Visitors can learn about the history of Jacob’s Pillow on a free 30-minute guided tour of the National Historic Landmark grounds.

Info & Tickets

Weekly on Friday 4:30pm

Welcome Center

View event Family Class Series

2025 Family Music and Dance; Jamie Kraus photo.

Class

Family Class Series

Connect through music and movement in family classes at Jacob’s Pillow, designed to bring all ages together through dance and play.

Info & Tickets

Weekly on Sunday, beginning July 5 11:00am

Sommers Studio

View event Ballet Hispánico New York

Ballet Hispánico; photo courtesy of company

Performance

Ballet Hispánico New York

A returning classic since their first Pillow performance in 1984, Ballet Hispánico New York returns with “smashingly theatrical" performances.

Info & Tickets

Aug 19 — 23

Ted Shawn Theatre

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Performance

Huang Yi: Ink

Taiwanese dancer, choreographer, and inventor Huang Yi creates partnership between humans and robots in his Pillow debut of Ink, in which lines from a hundred artworks by renowned calligrapher Tong Yang-Tze are dismantled and reconstructed.

Info & Tickets

View event Kia the Key & Company

Performance, Outdoor

Kia the Key & Company

Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Kia the Key & Company, a local dance company grounded in street and club dances bringing together dancers across race, nationality, and background to explore the complexity and beauty of Black social dance.

Info & Tickets

Aug 20 5:30pm

Henry J. Leir Stage

View event New York Theatre Ballet

Performance, Outdoor

New York Theatre Ballet

New York Theatre Ballet returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time since 2016 with a mixed program, including a revival of a piece that premiered at Jacob’s Pillow in 1952.

Info & Tickets

Aug 21 5:30pm

Henry J. Leir Stage

View event PillowTalk: Perspectives on Latine Dance in the U.S. with Eduardo Vilaro, Nélida Tirado, and Luis Salgado

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Talk

PillowTalk: Perspectives on Latine Dance in the U.S. with Eduardo Vilaro, Nélida Tirado, and Luis Salgado

Hear from the dynamic artists Eduardo Vilaro, Nélida Tirado, and Luis Salgado contributing their perspectives to U.S. dance.

Info & Tickets

Aug 22 4:00pm

Blake's Barn

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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