Alonzo King LINES Ballet Returns to Jacob's Pillow For Week 7 Of Festival 2022

At the forefront of artistic innovation in contemporary ballet, San Francisco's Alonzo King LINES Ballet celebrates its 40th Anniversary in the Ted Shawn Theatre with a range of works showcasing their remarkable company of dancers. Additionally, one-night-only performances will be presented on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, featuring Les Ballet Afrik, Indigenous Enterprise, Soles of Duende, Freedom Dabka Group, and the Musical Theatre Performance Ensemble at the School at Jacob's Pillow.

Les Ballet Afrik will kick off the week's performances on the outdoor Leir Stage on Aug. 3 at 6pm; Native American and Canadian company Indigenous Enterprise will dance on Aug. 4; and Soles of Duende Percussive Trio, with an opening performance by Freedom Dabka Group, will take the stage on Aug. 5. Additionally, The School at Jacob's Pillow's Musical Theatre Performance Ensemble will appear on the outdoor stage on Saturday evening, sharing work generated in rehearsals for an upcoming Broadway revival of 1776, co-directed and choreographed by Jeffrey Page with Diane Paulus.

Alongside these live performances, Jacob's Pillow will host two free PillowTalks in Blake's Barn during week seven of the Festival: one celebrating the life of dance pioneer Ann Hutchinson Guest in a program called "Ann Hutchinson Guest's Century+," and another one featuring Yve Laris Cohen, who will talk about his upcoming Pillow-related exhibition entitled "Studio/Theater" at The Museum of Modern Art.

"Alonzo King is one of the country's greatest innovators in reinventing classical ballet," Pamela Tatge said, Executive and Artistic Director. "After having to cancel their engagement in 2020, it turns out to be a blessing that we can be a part of their 40th Anniversary with a program of dazzling and joy-filled works that celebrate the legacy and future of this extraordinary company."

In this week's program, Alonzo King LINES Ballet will perform works set to music by composers including Gabriel Fauré, Edgar Meyer, and Zakir Hussain, as well as AZOTH, inspired by the element mercury, with music by venerable jazz musicians including saxophonist Charles Lloyd and pianist/composer Jason Moran. This bold work features a light installation by renowned Bay Area artist Jim Campbell. When the program premiered in the company's native San Francisco, it was called "absolutely a triumph" by The Bay Area Reporter.

Les Ballet Afrik will perform excerpts from founder Omari Wiles' New York is Burning, which is inspired by Omari Wiles' background in ballroom, West African dance, house, Afrobeat, vogue, and more. The company has been supported by Works & Process at the Guggenheim with a series of bubble and LaunchPAD residencies spanning 2019-2022, and has performed in the Guggenheim's famous rotunda.

After taking New York's Joyce Theater by storm last fall, Indigenous Enterprise will showcase their explosively jubilant dances and colorful regalia honoring the legacies of their elders. Their new intertribal work Indigenous Liberation features songs, stories, and dances from Turtle Island (a traditional term for North America), led by champion powwow dancers. The work will highlight Men's Fancy War Dance (Ponca), Jingle Dress (Ojibwa), Hoop (Taos Pueblo), Chicken Dance (Blackfoot), Flute (Cree), and Grass Dance (Omaha), in a celebration of what lies at the heart of these powerful traditions.

The three members of Soles of Duende are bonded by a deep love of music, craft, and connection. Featuring Amanda Castro, Brinda Guha, and Arielle Rosales, they blend tap dance, kathak, and flamenco into a vibrant percussive mix for the stage. The multicultural trio celebrates connections across different styles of dance and music-making and are making their Pillow debut this summer.

Opening for Soles of Duende Percussive Trio and also making their Pillow debut, Brooklyn, New York-based Freedom Dabka Group is an Arabic folk dance with origins in the Levantine region of Middle East culture. Using both dance and music, the Freedom Dabka Group will engage audiences through a percussive art form that their ancestors have practiced for centuries.