Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Will Welcome Bodytraffic This Summer

Jacob’s Pillow will welcome the LA-based contemporary dance company BODYTRAFFIC for their Ted Shawn Theatre debut, Wednesday, July 2 through Sunday, July 6. This engagement will occur in the second week of the historic summer festival’s nine-week season. 

Week 2 of the Festival will also feature Almanac Dance Circus Theatre for a performance filled with acrobatics, dance and storytelling on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage on Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30pm. Also performing on the outdoor stage are New York Swings with Lindy Hop dancer Gaby Cook and her signature blend of swing dance and vernacular jazz on Thursday, July 3 at 5:30pm, and KanKouran West African Dance Company, with their powerful rhythms and vibrant movement on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5 at 5:30pm.

On Sunday, July 6, Jacob’s Pillow will host a Family Music & Dance program at 11am, followed by an open house and community pop-up event to kick off a week-long celebration of the opening of the Doris Duke Theatre. Community members are invited to participate in Celebration!, a celebratory pop-up dance choreographed by Broadway choreographer Camille A. Brown, with check-in for participants starting at 11am. For community members who wish to enjoy the open house but not participate in the dance pop-up, events and tours start at 1pm. Registration for both events is now open at JacobsPillow.org. 

A free PillowTalk with Camille A. Brown will also be held on Saturday, July 5 at 4pm. In the talk, Brown will discuss her experience leading her company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, while building a robust career in theater, opera, and television. 

“Week two of our Festival is full of welcome returns,” said Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge. “BODYTRAFFIC will have their first performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre, after most recently appearing on our outdoor stage in 2022. They’ll reprise their breathtaking work, Flyland by David Middendorp that had its US premiere at the gala, and we’re excited to welcome Trey McIntyre back to the Pillow with a signature work.  We are also thrilled to welcome Gaby Cook in New York Swings, following Cook’s memorable performance  in our production of SW!NG OUT in 2022. Almanac Dance Circus Theatre delighted audiences in 2023, and is now back by popular demand. And KanKouran West African Dance Company also returns for their second festival in a row, with dances and music that audiences in their home city of Washington, D.C. have enjoyed for decades.”