Jacob's Pillow Will Host Free Livestreams All Summer

This summer, wherever you are, the Pillow is live. Jacob's Pillow Live returns as a bold digital initiative connecting global audiences to the energy, creativity, and community of the nation's longest-running dance festival. Now in its third season, the series expands to include ten free livestreams from across the Pillow's three stages, two digital-first commissions, and behind-the-scenes moments from The School at Jacob's Pillow—offering audiences a front-row seat to the heart of the Pillow experience.

This year's livestreamed performances will feature the highly anticipated return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Season Opening Gala, and the Doris Duke Theatre's inaugural program — along with a wide spectrum of dance genres including ballet, West African dance, contemporary, tap, and Afro-Latin jazz and soul. Performances will be broadcast live from the historic Ted Shawn Theatre, the newly reimagined Doris Duke Theatre, and the iconic Henry J. Leir Stage.

Jacob's Pillow Live is part of the organization's commitment to making dance more accessible and inclusive. By sharing performance and process in real time — and offering it freely to viewers everywhere — the Pillow continues to invite audiences into the evolving future of dance, and the artists who are defining it. 

Livestreams air between June 21 and August 22. Registration for all livestreams is now open at jacobspillow.org/live.

“As Jacob's Pillow looks toward the future of dance, we are dedicated to finding and building pathways to make dance more accessible,” said Jacob's Pillow's Artistic and Executive Director Pamela Tatge. “We are thrilled to continue and expand Jacob's Pillow Live this year. Not only will we host weekly livestreams for anyone, anywhere, to experience a digital version of the Festival that has been uniquely curated with them in mind, but we will also experiment with experiences that are commissioned solely for the online audience.” 

In addition to the Season Opening Gala (June 21) and Doris Duke Opening Program (July 9), Jacob's Pillow Live will stream performances from the following companies, in chronological order: 

• The School at Jacob's Pillow: Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble (June 28)

• KanKouran West African Dance Company (July 5)

• The School at Jacob's Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble (July 19)

• Elle Sofe Company: vástádus eana – the answer is land (July 24)

• Sekou McMiller & Friends (July 31)

• Shamel Pitts | TRIBE: Touch of RED (August 7)

• The School at Jacob's Pillow: Tap Dance Performance Ensemble (August 16)

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (August 22)

Jacob's Pillow Live will also include Encore Streams: a chance to tune in later and watch most of the livestreamed performances on demand for a 24-hour window, soon after the livestream airs. Encore Streams offer a flexible, easy way to stay connected to the Festival all summer, for those reliving a favorite performance, or exploring new world-class works at a more convenient time. Each Encore Stream will begin at 8pm on Sundays, and end at 8pm on Mondays. Registration for Encore Streams is not required. Those who sign up for email notifications at jacobspillow.org/contact will receive reminders of upcoming streaming events. 

The full calendar of livestreams and Encore Streams is listed below, and at jacobspillow.org/live. To see all details of Jacob's Pillow's fully-announced nine-week summer festival, visit jacobspillow.org/festival.

In addition to streams of onstage performances, Jacob's Pillow will debut digital-first works by Andrew Schneider and Shamel Pitts. These works have been conceived and designed with the online viewer as the primary audience. Both works are commissioned by Jacob's Pillow. For more details, see the “Digital-First Commissions” section below.