Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival to Present Shamel Pitts' TOUCH OF RED

In Week 7 of the 93rd Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Touch of RED by Shamel Pitts | TRIBE will get a Jacob's Pillow premiere that has been five years in the making. This performance will be a homecoming: Shamel Pitts and his company were developing Touch of RED during a Pillow Lab residency in the original Doris Duke Theatre when the building was lost to a fire in November 2020. Now, after premiering the work thanks to a Jacob's Pillow co-presentation at  MASS MoCA in October of 2022, and offering a brief excerpt during the Doris Duke Theatre Opening Celebration on July 9, Touch of RED will run August 6 through 10 in the new, internationally lauded venue. 

Called “a dazzling show,” (Fjord Review), the one-hour piece—set in a stylized boxing ring—examines the way Black men are perceived and perceive themselves in contemporary society, incorporating the footwork of boxing, the African American jazz dance style Lindy Hop, Gaga movement language, and nightlife culture. Pitts, whose works “push against the boundaries of identity” (Dance Magazine), is an award winning choreographer, dancer, and artist who received a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship. 

In the Ted Shawn Theatre, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company will make their first appearance at the Pillow since 2012, running August 6 through 10. Now in their 43rd year, the company is performing two seminal works from their historic repertoire: D-Man in the Waters set to Felix Mendelssohn's soaring Octet for Strings  (1989) and Story/ (2013) performed to Death and the Maiden by Franz Schubert played live. . One of the most innovative and powerful forces in the contemporary dance world, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is known for performances that explore beauty and abstraction as well themes of identity, form, and social commentary. The company has a deep history with the Pillow and has performed here ten times between 1989 and 2012.

Select schools from the American College Dance Association's National College Dance Festival, the culmination of the organization's regional festivals, will take over the outdoor Henry J. Leir stage on Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30pm. Also on the outdoor stage during Week 7 are Ice Theatre of New York, which makes its Pillow debut with ice dance and skating works created by dance choreographers on Thursday, August 7 at 5:30pm. Closing out the week of outdoor performances will be Michela Marino Lerman on Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9 at 5:30pm, as she leads an ensemble of tap dancers and musicians in a piece celebrating the legacy of Betty Carter.

Week 7 will also bring a much-anticipated PillowTalk on Saturday, August 9, with Bill T. Jones. This PillowTalk is a rare opportunity to hear Jones—one of the dance world's foremost trailblazers and a MacArthur “Genius” Award winner—speak firsthand about art and life. Also on August 9, the public is invited for a Pause in the Process showing with The School at Jacob's Pillow Tap Dance Performance Ensemble. 

And on Sunday, August 10, from 11am-12pm, participants of all ages are invited to Dance to the African Drums: A Family Experience. 

“As we enter the second half of the 93rd Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, I am especially thrilled to welcome Shamel Pitts and TRIBE for their homecoming with Touch of RED in the new Doris Duke Theatre,” said Pamela Tatge, Executive and Artistic Director at Jacob's Pillow. “I can't wait to witness the intimate and virtuosic duet in the boxing ring-like environment we can create for the work in the new Duke. Having Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane company back at the Pillow that same week will be so special, as they perform the iconic D-Man in the Waters (which was created the same year as the company's Pillow debut) and we can't wait to hear Jones's insights during his PillowTalk. And we always enjoy hosting schools from the American College Dance Association, furthering our mission to nurture and give opportunity to the next generation of artists. It will be an incredibly meaningful, inspirational week at the Pillow.”

All performances are now on sale. Outdoor performances include the option to purchase Rain or Shine tickets, which allow guaranteed access to an indoor venue in the event of inclement weather. Tickets to Shamel Pitts | TRIBE begin at $85. Tickets to Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company begin at $65. Tickets to the American College Dance Association and to Ice Theatre of New York are Choose What You Pay, allowing ticket buyers to set the price of their purchase, with Rain or Shine tickets available for $40. Tickets to Michela Marino Lerman begin at $40, with Rain or Shine tickets available for $50.