Jacob's Pillow Photography Exhibit Runs at Dance New Amsterdam June 23 - August 11

Images by Christopher Duggan, a Festival photographer for Jacob's Pillow Dance, are being presented in a solo exhibit at Dance New Amsterdam in New York City, June 23 through August 11. Festival 2010 marks Duggan's fifth season as a primary photographer of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, which annually presents more than 50 outstanding dance companies from all over the world, and 200 free talks, performances, and exhibits. An opening reception with the photographer will be held at Dance New Amsterdam, Wednesday, June 23, at 7pm.

Founded in 1933 by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn, Jacob's Pillow is widely known as "the dance center of the nation" (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times), and was named a National Historic Landmark for the significance of its contribution to this country's arts, culture, and history. Located in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts, America's first and longest running dance festival presents, on bucolic and historic grounds and three stages, artists both world-renowned and emerging. Free pre-show, post-show, and hourlong talks with artists and experts help audiences learn about and increase their enjoyment of the art form, and exhibits showcase dance photography, video, and artifacts. The extensive Archives offer access to rare treasures and documentation of dance history, and The School at Jacob's Pillow offers professional advancement programs for dancers. For more information visit www.jacobspillow.org.

Christopher Duggan at Jacob's Pillow offers an insider's view of the Pillow. The exhibit comprises a sampling of Duggan's extensive dance portfolio and draws attention to the world-renowned artists and unique natural beauty of the Pillow. Featured artists include Moveopolis!, Danish Dance Theater, Melbourne-based Chunky Move, nationally recognized contemporary ensemble Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, erica essner performance dance co-Op, Germaul Barnes, Finland's Tero Saarinen, acclaimed tapper Jason Samuels Smith, and others. Duggan's work captures the inspiring energy of the professional-track dancers of The School, a wide range of performances against the natural Berkshire hills backdrop of the Pillow's Inside/Out outdoor stage, and high points of performances in both the Ted Shawn Theatre, the first theatre in the U.S. built specifically for dance, and the more intimate Doris Duke Theatre.

The photography exhibit is presented in recognition of the Pillow's synergistic relationship with the New York dance community, and its common ground with Dance New Amsterdam as dance presenters, educators, and creative havens for both emerging and established artists.

Ella Baff, Jacob's Pillow Executive Director, explains, "to capture dance, the trained eye has to be more than aesthetic, it must be kinesthetic - and of course it must be in love with the subject. Christopher has all this, and he has captured the spirit of not only the dancers but also of Jacob's Pillow itself. I'm delighted to see his work at Dance New Amsterdam, which is such a lively place for dance."

"Many of the students, artists, educators and audience members that cross through our doors have performed, visited, and studied at the Pillow. From Lower Manhattan to the Berkshires, our communities are incredibly entwined and that generates an energy we want to support and encourage. We are thrilled to have Jacob's Pillow at DNA by way of the talenTed Christopher Duggan. A master storyteller, Duggan uses his lens instead of a pen and his expansive photography illustrates our unique but intersecting communities," says DNA Executive Director Catherine A. Peila.

Dance New Amsterdam is located in New York City on the 2nd Floor of 280 Broadway. Gallery Hours are 9am-10pm, Monday-Sunday. Admission is free. Call 212.227.9856 or go to www.dnadance.org for more information.

Christopher Duggan is the founder and owner of New York City-based Threshold Visions, an arts, wedding, family, and event photography studio. He has photographed more than 200 weddings throughout the United States, as well as destination weddings in the Caribbean and West Africa. Along with serving as a Jacob's Pillow Festival Photographer, Duggan has been commissioned by New York Cares, The Asian American Federation of New York, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame, among others. He has photographed a multitude of acclaimed dance companies, including The Paul Taylor Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Keigwin + Co, and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. His dance photographs have appeared in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Financial Times, and Dance Magazine, and one of his performance images of Bruce Springsteen was recently added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's celebrated photography collection.

The exhibit has been funded in part by a grant from New York State Assembly member Deborah J. Glick through the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Jacob's Pillow celebrates its 78th anniversary in 2010 and is home to a renowned international dance Festival, presenting and commissioning works of artists and companies from throughout the world. The School at Jacob's Pillow encompasses a professional training program in the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, and a Choreographers Lab, as well as an Intern Program in arts administration and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public free of charge, chronicle more than a century of the often ephemeral art form of dance in photos, print, video, and more. Jacob's Pillow's year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults including Jacob's Pillow Curriculum-in-Motion®, a nationally-recognized program for educational settings, and the Creative Development Residency and commissioning programs support artists as they create work. In 2003, Jacob's Pillow was declared a National Historic Landmark and is the first and only dance entity in the U.S. to achieve this honor.

Founded in 1984, Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) celebrates 26 years of cultural leadership in contemporary dance. DNA supports the life, career, and longevity of dance artists through ongoing high quality contemporary dance education, opportunities for choreographic exploration and innovative performance, and service to the field and the lower Manhattan community. DNA fosters the development of new and experimental works through commissions, residencies and subsidized space. DNA is committed to training healthy dancers, developing new audiences and bridging diverse communities by exploring the role of dance across a spectrum of contemporary dance styles and cultures.

As of May 2010, major support for Jacob's Pillow has been provided by: Asian Cultural Council; The Barrington Foundation, Inc.; The Cricket Foundation; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Frances Alexander Family Fund; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation, Inc.; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts; Leading for the Future Initiative, a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation; Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc.; The Prospect Hill Foundation; The Roxe Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Walbridge Fund, Ltd.; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; MassDevelopment; National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Save America's Treasures; CEC ArtsLink and the Open World Leadership Center; ALEX®; The Legacy Banks Foundation; Pilgrim Inn; Quality Inn; Jacob's Pillow Business Alliance; and Jacob's Pillow Members.

Major endowment support is provided by The Barrington Foundation, Inc.; The William Randolph Hearst Foundation; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Onota Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Surdna Foundation; and Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.