Jacob's Pillow Announces 2020 Winter/Spring Season

Jacob's Pillow announces public events held January through May in its Winter/Spring season, featuring co-presentations with local cultural partners; Pillow Parties; workshops and classes; Pillow Pop-Ups; and more. Events take place January through May on the Pillow's 220-acre campus in Becket, MA and across Berkshire County. As the Pillow continues to advance its five year strategic plan, Vision '22, the organization increasingly activates its local and national presence by expanding programming and extending resources beyond its acclaimed summer dance festival.

"It's been wonderful to welcome the year-round population to the Pillow and to venues around the county and connect with them through dance," says Director Pamela Tatge. "There's nothing like feeling the heat of people dancing in the gorgeous Perles Family Studio in the middle of a cold winter's night and to visit with friends who share a love of dance at cultural institutions around the county at our co-presentations."

For more information visit jacobspillow.org or participating partner websites.

Winter/Spring 2020 Highlights Include:

A dynamic performance installation centered on the life and writings of W.E.B. Du Bois by San Francisco-based Zaccho Dance Theatre, performed at Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington (February 22nd).

A rare, pre-Festival on-site performance in the Pillow's Doris Duke Theatre (April 25th) showcasing three New England-based choreographers and artists.

Two Pillow Parties featuring the social dance and music genres of the Hustle (March 28) and Latin Dance (April 4).

Vuyani Dance Theatre's Cion: Requiem for Ravel's Boléro (February 1) and a work-in-progress performance of Deep Blue Sea by Bill T. Jones, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Peter Nigrini (March 21); co-presented with MASS MoCA in North Adams.

Immersive workshops offered as a new satellite of the nationally-recognized dance teacher education program Dance Education Laboratory (DEL).

Collaborations with the Tanglewood Learning Institute and The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, utilizing Pillow Scholars-in-Residence to help bridge the gap between artists and audiences.

Alongside public-facing programming, the Pillow also offers a series of customizable artist residencies through the Pillow Lab, as an important site of the development of new work for national and international dance artists. Read the full 2019-2020 Pillow Lab Press Release here.

-PERFORMANCES & CO-PRESENTATIONS-

Vuyani Dance Theatre

Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro

Co-Presented with MASS MoCA

Saturday, Feb 1, 8pm

Gregory Maqoma, one of South Africa's most celebrated artists, returns to MASS MoCA with Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro. Carried by the transformative singing of an African choir, the work weaves a narrative of greed, power, and the pain of mourning with a moving live score interrogating Ravel's music through South African vocal traditions. Maqoma founded Vuyani Dance Theatre in 1999 with the vision to build a platform for artists in South Africa and beyond-where collaboration could be a catalyst for breaking cultural barriers. Maqoma's collaborations with top artists from around the globe include William Kentridge's acclaimed production The Head and the Load and Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah's new multimedia musical Tree, among others.

TICKET INFORMATION

Vuyani Dance Theatre

Hunter Center at MASS MoCA

Saturday, February 1 at 8pm

$20 Students, $35 Advance, $45 Day of, $75 Preferred

To Order Tickets: 413.662.2111 x1 or massmoca.org

MASS MoCA is located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

Zaccho Dance Theatre: Between me and the other world

Hosted by Jacob's Pillow at Bard College at Simon's Rock

Saturday, February 22, 7-9pm

San Francisco-based choreographer, director, and performance innovator Joanna Haigood explores issues of race and identity in her performance installation, Between me and the other world, a dynamic exploration of scholar and Great Barrington-born civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois' seminal work The Souls of Black Folk, as part of the Legacy Committee of the Town of Great Barrington's annual birthday celebration of W.E.B. Du Bois. The performance is co-sponsored by Bard College at Simon's Rock in partnership with NAACP Berkshire County Branch. Haigood's week-long residency that precedes the engagement is made possible with additional support from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Between me and the other world was created in collaboration with composer Dr. Anthony Brown, video artist David Szlasa, and scenic designer Sean Riley, who collectively recontextualize Du Bois' ideas through live performance, contemporary imagery sourced from current events, and a sonic terrain that travels through a spirituals, jazz, and a 21st century postmodern soundscape.

In the performance installation, audiences are welcome to move around the space and meander between moving projections and dancers for different vantage points. Rotating performances loop every 30 minutes. Related community events and classes coincide with this performance; see details below.

TICKET INFORMATION

Zaccho Dance Theatre: Between me and the other world

McConnell Theater, Daniel Arts Center at Bard College at Simon's Rock

Saturday, February 22, 7-9pm

Free to the public, donations are welcome. The number of people that can be accommodated is limited, reservations are required.

Ticket reservations open on January 15th; jacobspillow.org

The McConnell Theater at the Daniel Arts Center at Bard College at Simon's Rock is located at 84 Alford Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230.

Deep Blue Sea: Bill T. Jones | Diller Scofidio + Renfro | Peter Nigrini (work-in-progress)

Co-Presented with MASS MoCA

Saturday, March 21

Deep Blue Sea, which will have its world premiere in April at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, is a culmination of years of work by the iconic Jacob's Pillow Dance Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones. This work-in-progress performance follows an artist residency that will transform MASS MoCA's largest venue, the Hunter Center, which will be stretched to the very limits of its physical capacity. The work, a meditation on the nature of finding community in this confusing era of ours, will eventually incorporate a cast of 100 performers.

Jones conceived this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive "we" during these fractious times through a cast of 100 dancers/community members led by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, a deconstructed text from Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The large-scale project's collaborators include Elizabeth Diller of the renowned architecture team Diller Scofidio + Renfro, projection designer Peter Nigrini, and lighting designer Robert Wierzel. The soundscape is an original composition by Nick Hallett with an electronic component by New York-based music producer Hprizm aka High Priest.

TICKET INFORMATION

Deep Blue Sea: Bill T. Jones | Diller Scofidio + Renfro | Peter Nigrini (work-in-progress)

Hunter Center at MASS MoCA

Saturday, March 21 at 8pm

$20 Students, $35 Advance, $45 Day of, $75 Preferred

To Order Tickets: 413.662.2111 x1 or massmoca.org

MASS MoCA is located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247

New England Dance on Tour

Saturday, April 25, 7pm

New England Dance on Tour (NDEoT) highlights the rich diversity of dance in New England in collaboration with artists and venues from across the region through a showcase of three distinct New England-based artists and choreographers.

Boston-based tap dance company Subject:Matter is led by Ian Berg, alumnus of The School at Jacob's Pillow. The high-flying hoofers examine how to blur the line between choreographer and improvisation, and audience and performer. The Davis Sisters perform together in the new dance theater work Junk Drawer: or the inherited utilitarian archive of the future, created in collaboration with Eric Mullins, which aims to connect people to people, past to present, and memories to dreams. Storied Places, a Nicole Stanton Crossroads Production with the Jay Hoggard Quintet, is an original re-imagining of experiences of migration (forced and voluntary), with particular reference to black experiences across the diaspora. Through the intricate interplay of movement, music, and text, the project explores points of departure and the imprints they leave across personal and global histories. The tour is made possible by a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts.

TICKET INFORMATION

New England Dance on Tour

Doris Duke Theatre, Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, April 25 at 7pm

General Admission $25 adult, $10 youth

Tickets on sale January 15th; jacobspillow.org

Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.

Bolshoi Ballet HD at The Mahaiwe

January-April

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema, Jacob's Pillow Scholars-in-Residence give pre-show talks tailored to each broadcast at cultural partner The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. Most presentations are introduced by Brian Schaefer, a New York-based journalist who writes about dance, culture, and politics for a number of publications, including The New York Times. The Winter/Spring season kicks off with Alexei Ratmansky's new production of Giselle, singled out as a Critic's Pick in The New York Times, noting that it "makes us see the ballet anew."

TICKET INFORMATION:

Bolshoi Ballet in HD at The Mahaiwe

Pre-Show Talk at 12:40pm; Performance at 1pm

$17 General; $10, 21 and under

Giselle; January 26

Swan Lake; February 23

Romeo and Juliet; March 29

Jewels; April 19

To Order Tickets: themahaiwe.secure.force.com/ticket/

The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is located at 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230.

Martha Graham Dance Company Symposium

Tanglewood Learning Institute

Wednesday, March 11 & Wednesday, April 29

Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) continues its symposium series in partnership with the Martha Graham Dance Company and Jacob's Pillow, with a special focus on historic moments in the life of the famed dance company. Jacob's Pillow Scholars-in-Residence participate in interactive talks that focus on Graham's Greeks: Night Journey (March 11) and A Legacy of Innovation: The Lamentation Variations (April 29) in order to inspire spirited dialogue and deepen understanding of the arts and the human spirit.

TICKET INFORMATION

TLI: Martha Graham Dance Company Symposium

Linde Center, Tanglewood

$39 General Admission

To Order Tickets: bso.org/Performance/Listing?brands=6427

Tanglewood Learning Institute is located at 34 W. Hawthorne Rd, Lenox, MA 01240

-DANCE PARTIES-

Pillow Party: Hustle

Saturday, March 28, 8-11pm

Hosted by Abdiel Jacobsen and Kristine Bendul

With music by DJ Ramal Rigualt

Learn about the real origins of the Hustle with New York City-based performing artists, teachers, and Professional Hustle Dance Champions Abdiel Jacobsen and Kristine Bendul. Hustle originated in New York City in the 1970s when the "dance floor served as a progressive town square" and way before the commercialized craze of Saturday Night Fever and the Disco era (Dance Enthusiast). Dance partners Jacobsen and Bendul are dedicated to preserving this fast, flashy, and powerful American social dance, while pushing the form forward by including aspects like gender-neutral partnering through swapping traditional roles of leading and following.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Pillow Party: Hustle

Perles Family Studio, Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, March 28, 8-11pm

$15 adult, $8 student, youth 17 & under free | Cash Bar

Tickets on sale January 15th; jacobspillow.org

Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.

Pillow Party: Latin Dance

Saturday, April 4, 8-11pm

Hosted by Artistic Director CONTRA-TIEMPO, Ana Maria Alvarez

In partnership with Berkshire Salsa

With live music by Dino y su Nueva Sensación

Join Artistic Director of L.A.-based Urban Latin Dance Theatre company CONTRA-TIEMPO, Ana María Alvarez and Alan Franco of Berkshire Salsa for a night of Latin dance. Featuring Salsa, Bachata, and more, the evening begins with an open-level class followed by a lively dance party, with live music by Dino y su Nueva Sensación.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Pillow Party: Latin Dance

Perles Family Studio, Jacob's Pillow

Saturday, April 4, 8-11pm

$15 adult, $8 student, youth 17 & under free | Cash Bar

Tickets on sale January 15th; jacobspillow.org

Jacob's Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.

- PUBLIC WORKSHOPS & COMMUNITY PROGRAMS -

Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at Jacob's Pillow

January-March

In its second year, Jacob's Pillow collaborates with the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) as a New England satellite of the nationally renowned dance teacher education program. Founded by Jody Gottfried Arnhold and designed to serve as a practical alternative to traditional university dance education programs, DEL addresses the needs of professional dancers, dance teachers, classroom teachers, and dance students. Led by Director of DEL at Jacob's Pillow Ann Biddle, Jacob's Pillow hosts workshops throughout the year, including DEL Mini Workshops and weekend-long DEL Essentials Workshops, both providing integral training for dance educators at any point in their career.

This collaboration introduces dance educators, college dance students, and classroom teachers to the DEL model of dance education-situated alongside the resources that Jacob's Pillow offers as a year-round center for dance research and development, including state-of-the-art studio spaces, unparalleled dance archives, In Process Series showings as a part of Pillow Lab artist residencies, housing, and a retreat-like atmosphere. DEL at Jacob's Pillow is funded by the Arnhold Foundation.

New in 2020, increased and customizable mentorship opportunities available through DEL Arts Integration Apprenticeship Program and Emerging Dance Educator Teaching Assistant (TA) Program.

EVENT INFORMATION:

DEL Mini Workshops

Saturdays, January 11, February 15, April 11

FREE

DEL Mini Workshops include three workshop hours plus access to In Process Series at

the Pillow Lab.

For ages 16+; open to all levels; Free; space is limited and advance registration is strongly encouraged.

DEL Essentials: Dance for Social Change

January 25-26

$240/$290 (with housing)

DEL Dance for Social Change is a two-day workshop that examines and embodies varied strategies for approaching collaborative dance making activities linked to social justice issues for the classroom, studio, or choreographic process. Led by Ann Biddle, Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) Founding Faculty and Director of DEL at Jacob's Pillow, and guest artists to be announced, this interactive, collaborative workshop will examine different entry points for recognizing how dance can act as a vehicle to create powerful artistic statements that instigate change.

This special DEL Essentials course is designed for dance educators, classroom teachers, social justice educators and facilitators, professional and pre-professional dancers, and movers looking to integrate social justice work into their practice.

For ages 18+; scholarships are available; space is limited and advance registration is strongly encouraged.

DEL Essentials

March 14-15

In the most popular DEL course, DEL Essentials explores the DEL Model of Dance Education: Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), collaborative dance making, lesson planning, human development, strategies for effective teaching, while linking dance to curriculum for children and teenagers.

For more information and to register visit: jacobspillow.org/programs/dance-education-laboratory-at-jacobs-pillow

Such is our soul: Free, public movement workshop with choreographer Joanna Haigood

Saturday, February 15, 4-6pm

Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires in Pittsfield

Co-sponsored by NAACP Berkshire County Branch

Join choreographer Joanna Haigood in a workshop for people of all ages and abilities that explores the text of W.E.B. Du Bois and its relevance today, through conversation, movement, and community. All are welcome; no previous experience or special clothing necessary. Offered as part of Discover Pittsfield's 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival, this event takes place at the Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires in Pittsfield and co-sponsored by the NAACP Berkshire County Branch.

EVENT INFORMATION

Such is our soul

Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires

FREE and Open to the public

Pre-registration encouraged: bit.ly/2toGp53

The Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires is located at 16 Melville Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201.

Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion® in Berkshire County

January-May

JPCiM® is a nationally recognized, arts-integrated curricular approach that connects Berkshire County K-12 students, classroom teachers, and administrators to kinesthetic learning. Each residency is co-taught by prominent Jacob's Pillow Artist Educators in collaboration with classroom teachers to foster new ways of academic learning, social interaction, and creative thinking by linking choreography, kinesthetic intelligence, and critical and imaginative thinking to academic learning subjects. Participating schools include Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington and Becket/Washington School in Becket.

- ARCHIVES & RESOURCES -

PillowVoices: Dance Through Time

Available at pillowvoices.simplecast.com and on all podcast platforms

Catch recent episode releases of the new podcast that creates contemporary conversations by placing archival recordings in dialogue with narration and insight from current thought-leaders and scholars. PillowVoices expands the resources available to its global audience from the Jacob's Pillow Archives, which has been hailed by Alastair Macaulay as "one of the world's most remarkable dance archives."

Recently named one of the three best dance podcasts by Dance Magazine, PillowVoices: Dance Through Time brings listeners closer to notable dance artists connected with Jacob's Pillow, from 1933 to today. Current podcasts feature Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Arthur Mitchell, and Ohad Naharin, and also focus on dance costuming, jazz dance, Ted Shawn, and other topics well documented in the Pillow Archives.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive

Online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org

Brand new content from the 2019 Festival season, expanded Themes & Essays, and newly-digitized excerpts from the Pillow's Archives are available in this ever-expanding online collection.

Blake's Barn/Jacob's Pillow Archives

Blake's Barn, home of the Jacob's Pillow Archives, is a year-round resource for scholars, students, and dance fans. Weekday appointments for browsing and video viewing are available upon request; contact Norton Owen at nowen@jacobspillow.org