Jacob's Pillow Dance to Welcome Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, 7/3-7

Jacob's Pillow presents Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet in the historic Ted Shawn Theatre, July 3-7. These fiercely-talented performers present Tuplet by Nederlands Dans Theater's Alexander Ekman; Grace Engine by 2011 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner and Artistic Director of Kidd Pivot, Crystal Pite; and Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren's wild Necessity, Again. Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times calls Cedar Lake "the country's most innovative contemporary ballet troupe with an A-list repertoire, and an accent on creation that few companies worldwide can match."

New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet was founded in 2003 by Nancy Laurie. Through its gifted troupe of 16 dancers and a remarkable, wide-ranging repertory, the company has distinguished itself as one of the chief forces in today's contemporary dance scene. Cedar Lake works to support dance innovation and appreciation by commissioning the work of emerging choreographers that will also have popular appeal. The company is currently under the direction of ballet master Alexandra Damiani, acting as Interim Artistic Director.

Cedar Lake's current repertoire includes works by Regina van Berkel, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Andonis Foniadakis, Ji?í Kylián, and Hofesh Shechter. Future projects for the company include works by choreographers Julie Bour, Isreali choreographer Emanuel Gat, and Swedish dancer and choreographer Johan Inger.

Showcasing classical technique and modern atheleticism, the dancers of Cedar Lake come from a variety of backgrounds including The Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, Royal Danish Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, River North Chicago Dance Company, Batsheva Ensemble, Boston Conservatory, Ballet BC, and American Dance Center. They hail from Korea, Romania, Brazil, Portugal, France, and the U.S. and have worked in film, television, and commercial dance as well as on the concert stage.

JACOB'S PILLOW PROGRAM

The range of works presented in this program evidences the dynamism of Cedar Lake's repertory and versatility of its dancers.

Alexander Ekman's Tuplet uses reflective scenic elements and video projections to compartmentalize the stage and compel the viewers' focus. Set to lively jazz music, the blend of gestural and abstract movement engages the dancers' full range of abilities from emotive to technical. Ekman is a Swedish choreographer in high demand on the European dance scene in recent years. His works are known for clever ideas, fast-paced choreography, and an abundance of humor. Future commissions include Norwegian National Ballet, Boston Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Nederlands Dans Theater, where he is currently an associate choreographer.

The dancers' full breadth of skills are also exercised in Grace Engine, choreographed by Crystal Pite. Framed by inventive lighting design, Pite's highly-stylized, sophisticated movement employs "the body itself as a cinematic device capable of jump cuts, flashbacks, and montage" (Choreographer's notes). Debra Levine of the Los Angeles Times describes the piece as "a moody work that looked ripped from film noir..." Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt. In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot, and continues to create and perform in her own work. Her work and her company have been recognized with numerous awards and commissions, including the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award in 2011.

In contrast, the program concludes with Jo Strømgren's spirited and theatrical Necessity, Again. Pairing text by French philosopher Jacques Derrida with songwriter Charles Aznavour's ballads, Strømgren allows the viewer to create individualized associations by rejecting consistent narrative. Animated and, at times, humorous - this piece occurs in a heightened state of vitality. Strømgren's work is regularly commissioned by ballet companies such as Wiener Staatsoper Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, Ballett Nürnberg, the Göteborg Ballet, the Norwegian National Ballet, and Ballet de l'Opéra du Rhin. In addition, he has created contemporary dance pieces for Danish Dance Theatre, Carte Blanche Dance Company, Cloud Gate Ensemble, ITDansa, abcdancecompany, Helsinki Dance Company, Iceland Dance Company, Bern Ballet, Bielefeld Tanztheater, and many others.

After an initial Inside/Out appearance in 2006, Cedar Lake made its official Jacob's Pillow debut in 2009 in the world premiere of half-Moroccan, half-Flemish choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Orbo Novo ("New World" in Latin). The piece was created specifically for the company and inspired by Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight about the experience of having a stroke. Both Cherkaoui and commissioned composer Szymon Brzoska participated in a PillowTalk to discuss their brand-new work. Also, Grace Engine choreographer and artistic director of Kidd Pivot Crystal Pite was awarded the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award in 2011.

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet will perform at the Ted Shawn Theatre, Wednesday, July 3 through Saturday, July 6 at 8pm, Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7 at 2pm.

· Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe are offered on Sommerspace (behind Blake's Barn) 30 minutes before every performance.

· A Post-Show Talk with artistic personal from Cedar Lake and Pillow Scholar Maura Keefe will take place onstage on Friday, July 3, and will be filmed and posted online by Sunday, June 7.

· Tickets $39-$75. Under 35 Friday Tickets are available by phone or in person for $19 on Friday, July 5 (ages 18-35), two per person, must show I.D. when picking up tickets. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacob's Pillow Box Office. Box Office Hours: Monday and Tuesday, 10am-6pm, Wednesday through Saturday 10am-8pm, and Sunday 11am-5pm.

Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob's Pillow campus and theatres are handicapped-accessible.

Jacob's Pillow, marking its 81st Festival in 2013, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. TheFestival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacob's Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events. Through Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacob's Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacob's Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.