Jacob's Pillow Presents Contemporary Dance From Spain Series

Madrid-based contemporary dance company Compañía Sharon Fridman makes its U.S. debut in the Doris Duke Theatre, July 25-29. The Israeli Artistic Director and choreographer Sharon Fridman-whose performance credits include Tadmor Dance Company, Vertigo Dance Company, and Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company-brings work based in contact improvisation where "even the smallest movement speaks volumes" (The Coast). Hasta Dónde...?, is a duet that has been performed more than 300 times around the world. Max Award-winning Free fall, features dramatic human landscapes which include community performers, who become an integral part of the production.

"Compañía Sharon Fridman utilizes contact improvisation in a way I have never seen before. I am thrilled to be able share the work of this company with our audiences in their U.S. debut," says Jacob's Pillow Director Pamela Tatge.

Compañía Sharon Fridman's engagement is part of the Pillow's Contemporary Dance from Spain Series. The series will also feature Marcat Dance on July 25 and The Carmen Fumero Dance Company on July 27, both on the outdoor Inside/Out stage.

Hasta Dónde...? is an intimate duet that explores dependency, struggle, and harmony, while the dancers almost never lose physical contact. They use each other's momentum to move seamlessly through dips and lifts, with mesmerizing limbs that interlock, twist, and untwist. The two dancers build a relationship onstage that culminates in "a breathless physical athleticism, emotional intensity, and liquid-limbed looseness that looks one-of-a-kind" (The Georgia Straight).

In Free fall, Fridman creates a gripping work by joining his dancers with performers from Berkshire County and beyond, to explore contact, weight consciousness, and scene presence. They aim to create "human landscapes" or "living scenery"-using contact as a tool to explore the complex and delicate processes by which bodies join together and come apart. A sea of dancers and performers fills the Doris Duke Theatre stage, as they crash into one another, pulling, pushing, and surrendering to gravity, all while finding freedom in the movement. Community members rehearse onstage at Jacob's Pillow for the week leading up to this highly anticipated U.S. debut.

This presentation of Compañía Sharon Fridman is made possible by the Programme of the state agency Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE) and the SPAIN-USA Foundation.

ABOUT COMPAÑÍA SHARON FRIDMAN

Israeli choreographer Sharon Fridman founded Compañía Sharon Fridman in Madrid in 2006 as a way to work with and develop movement based on the language of contact, the social dimension of dance, and breaking the fourth wall. Using these elements, the company aims to create works that can serve as a metaphor for the connection, disconnection, and conflicts between people. They often take these works outside of the studio or theater, bringing them to public spaces to try to connect with more audience members.

The company has performed internationally in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Colombia, South Korea, Singapore, and Canada. In 2015, the company won an esteemed Max Award for the Performing Arts (Spain) in the category of Best Dance Show for Free fall.

PERFORMANCE & TICKET DETAILS

Compañía Sharon Fridman
Doris Duke Theatre, July 25-29

Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15pm;

Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm

$45, $35, $25

A limited number of $20 Under 35 tickets are available; adults ages 18-35 are eligible. One ticket per person; each guest must show valid I.D. when picking up tickets at Will Call.