American Repertory Ballet to Perform as Part of the Inside/Out Series at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, will present American Repertory Ballet as part of its Festival 2013 Inside/Out performance series on August 16 at 6:15pm on the open-air Henry J. Leir Stage, described by The New Yorker as "a breathtaking outdoor stage overlooking the lush Berkshire hills." American Repertory Ballet will perform Patrick Corbin's Follia and Resident Choreographer Mary Barton's Straight Up with a Twist.

Each year thousands of people from across the U.S. and around the globe visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts to experience the Festival; train at The School at Jacob's Pillow; explore the Pillow's rare and extensive dance Archives; and take part in numerous Community Programs designed to educate and engage dance audiences of all ages. As part of the Pillow's extensive audience engagement programming, the Inside/Out series showcases a different dance company every Wednesday-Saturday at 6:15pm during the Festival and is free and open to the public. Inside/Out performances have become a tradition for audiences from around the world and serve more than 17,000 community members annually.

"The Inside/Out series is a gateway for audiences to see a wide variety of dance companies and styles, from ballet to hip-hop, from all over the region and the world - free of charge " says Ella Baff, Jacob's Pillow Executive and Artistic Director. "It's an important part of the Pillow experience, discovering new talent, being in the beautiful setting of the Berkshires, spending time with family and friends, and meeting new and interesting people."

American Repertory Ballet will be performing contemporary works by choreographers with a strong voice in thecompany's current repertoire. Patrick Corbin's Follia is a contemporary dance work for men in a similarly bold, masculine spirit pioneered by Ted Shawn. Follia was created on the men of ARB in the spring of 2011 for the Company's first spring performance season under the direction of Douglas Martin. Resident Choreographer Mary Barton's Straight Up With a Twistwas created in the Fall of 2011 on ARB's dancers. It introduced ARB audiences to new sensual and vivacious energies in the company.

"The Pillow really is a magical place," says Managing Director Christine Chen. "I love that it is an all-encompassing experience for performers and audience members alike. Visitors who come can't help but be curious and engaged as they are immersed into in a world of watching and learning about dance. Everyone is so passionate about dance - it will be very inspiring for us to be there this year!"

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