Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival to Hold Free Fun Friday

On Friday, August 21, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival will host free activities for the public in participation with the 7th annual Free Fun Friday program, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation. From 2:30-7pm, free activities will include all-ages, all-levels dance classes, kid-friendly tours of the Pillow, a free outdoor performance by the high-energy swing dance company The Hell's Kitchen Kilowatts, arts and crafts, story readings, and more on the historic Pillow grounds.

Free, all-ages dance classes will take place on the expansive Great Lawn outside of the Ted Shawn Theatre. Brandon Albright of Philadelphia-based dance company Illstyle & Peace Productions will teach an all-levels hip-hop class from 2:30-3:30pm. From 4-5pm, swing dance artists Jaime Shannon and Tony Fraser of New York-based dance company The Hell's Kitchen Kilowatts will teach an open swing dance class for the public.

The day continues with a free PillowTalk Film Event, Benjamin Millepied: Dancing is Living, at 5pm in Blake's Barn. This French documentary shows L.A. Dance Project's charismatic director, Benjamin Millepied, at work, hanging out with popular hip-hop artist Lil Buck, and discussing his future plans in both Los Angeles and Paris. While in the newly-expanded Blake's Barn, families are invited to visit the Pillow's extensive Archives which feature videos, books, and photos. Visitors are also welcome to view this summer's exhibits on display: Blake's Barn's Best, which includes highlights from landmark exhibits; former New York City Ballet dancer turned photographer Kyle Froman's Bodies/Buildings, located in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre; and Ivan Chermayeff Designs which features both celebrated new and vintage designs by the acclaimed artist, located in the lobby of the Doris Duke Theatre.

A free outdoor performance at the Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space concludes Free Fun Friday at the Pillow. The Hell's Kitchen Kilowatts, a New York City-based contemporary swing dance company, will take the stage at 6:15pm. Led by Tony Fraser and Jaime Shannon, the company regularly performs high energy swing-era jazz dances such as Shag, Lindy Hop, and Charleston with dynamic choreography that bridges the gap between authentic and contemporary dance styles of today.

Free Fun Fridays is a program that includes over 60 museums and cultural venues across Massachusetts. Each Friday this summer, six venues offer free admission or activities. The program began Friday, June 28 and runs through Friday, August 28. For the full program schedule and to learn more about Free Fun Fridays, please visit: www.highlandstreet.org.

Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. The Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacob's Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events.

Through Jacob's Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacob's Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacob's Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.