Recently honored by President Barack Obama with the National Medal of Arts, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2011 will officially commence with a star-studded Season Opening Gala performance and celebration on June 18. A dance photography exhibit by Annie Leibovitz, created especially for the Pillow, will be on display in an exclusive preview.
The National Medal of Arts is awarded to individuals or organizations who 'are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.' Named a National Historic Landmark in 2003, Jacob's Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive a National Medal of Arts.
Jacob's Pillow Dance announces the conclusion of an artistically and fiscally successful Festival, complete with record-breaking attendance numbers and increased ticketed income. Executive Director Ella Baff maintained her continued commitment to presenting work that challenges and excites audiences, presenting diverse dance artists, world premieres, U.S. debuts, live music, and exclusive programs from around the globe. Fifty-three dance companies and more than 400 dance artists from Australia, Canada, the Republic of Georgia, India, Israel, Thailand, Spain, Sweden, and across the United States participated in the 78th season. This year, Jacob's Pillow hosted more than 89,000 free and ticketed visitor experiences, the highest visitor experience numbers in Pillow history.
The general public contributed in excess of $150,000 to the "Save the Inside/Out Stage" public fundraising campaign during the 2010 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, far exceeding the organization's original $100,000 goal. More than one thousand people donated during the Festival and gifts ranged from one dollar bills donated by children too short to see over the top of the donation baskets, to multi-thousand-dollar pledges from private donors. The Inside/Out stage hosts more than 40 free public dance performances each season in the Pillow's outdoor Marcia and Seymour Simon Performance Space. Described by The New Yorker as "a breathtaking outdoor stage overlooking the lush Berkshire hills," Inside/Out has become a tradition for audiences from Berkshire County and around the world. "The outpouring of public support we received during this initiative is inspiring, and very moving. We've shot past our goal and the donations are still coming in," comments Ella Baff, Executive Director of Jacob's Pillow. "We had members of the community who gave every time they attended a performance, children donated their allowances, tourists and newcomers to dance were inspired to give, alumni of The School at Jacob's Pillow and our Intern Program contributed online from across the country and around the world, entire families pooled donations together to honor the memory of loved ones with named benches and picnic tables, and countless others." Baff continues, "Thanks to the amount of public support we have received we will be able to begin construction of the new stage in the spring. Any funds not needed for construction will be reserved for the stage and site's ongoing maintenance, equipment, and free dance programming. This will ensure that free performances will continue at Inside/Out for generations to come." Originally built in 1981 to provide additional rehearsal space for The School at Jacob's Pillow, the Inside/Out stage does not meet today's construction standards and must be completely rebuilt in order to be in operation next season. A new foundation, steel framing, and complete reconstruction of the stage and dance surface are required. The rebuild also enables improvements in stage size, entrances, a dressing area for the artists, and a musician's platform. In addition, the seating area will be re-graded and the existing benches re-set for better sightlines. Care is being taken in planning these changes to ensure that the site's beloved simplicity and natural charm is maintained. Construction is slated to start in the spring and be completed by June 2011. Inside/Out is a public stage which features free performances by emerging and established dance companies from all over the world and showings by dancers of The School every Wednesday through Saturday during the Festival. This season, the Inside/Out series included performances by hip-hop group Rennie Harris RHAW, contemporary company Yesid Lopez Contemporary Dance, Czech choreographer Dušan Týnek, and many others. The 2010 Inside/Out series attracted more than 17,500 audience members, marking the highest audience numbers in Inside/Out history and exceeding last season's audiences by 3,000 people. The Save the Inside/Out Stage initiative to raise $100,000 launched in June and ran throughout the 2010 Festival to the end of August. After each of the 40 free public dance performances offered on the Inside/Out stage, various members of the community, including past performers, faculty of The School at Jacob's Pillow, local politicians, Pillow Board members, and other community leaders spoke passionately about what the stage and its free performances meant to them, and the urgent need to rebuild it. Audience members responded generously with donations on the spot and via mail, by phone, and online. The funds raised during the Save the Inside/Out Stage initiative complete a $1.1 million fundraising effort to improve selected amenities and facilities at the Pillow. The reconstruction of the Inside/Out stage is part of a $400,000 Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund matching grant. Jacob's Pillow celebrated its 78th anniversary in 2010 and is home to a renowned international dance Festival, presenting and commissioning works of artists and companies from throughout the world. The School at Jacob's Pillow encompasses a professional training program in the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary Traditions, Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, and a Choreographers Lab, as well as an Intern Program in arts administration and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public free of charge, chronicle more than a century of the often ephemeral art form of dance in photos, print, video, and more. Jacob's Pillow's year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults including Jacob's Pillow Curriculum-in-Motion® a nationally-recognized program for educational settings, and the Creative Development Residency and commissioning programs support artists as they create work. In 2003, Jacob's Pillow was declared a National Historic Landmark and is the first and only dance entity in the U.S. to achieve this honor. As of August 2010, major support for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival has been provided by: Asian Cultural Council; The Cricket Foundation; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Frances Alexander Family Fund; The Howard Gilman Foundation; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation, Inc.; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; Leading for the Future Initiative, a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation; Bessie Pappas Charitable Foundation, Inc.; The Prospect Hill Foundation; The Roxe Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Spingold Foundation, Inc.; The Walbridge Fund, Ltd.; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; MassDevelopment; National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Save America's Treasures; CEC ArtsLink and the Open World Leadership Center; ALEX®; Capezio/Ballet Makers Dance Foundation; Greylock Federal Credit Union; The Legacy Banks Foundation; Quality Inn; Rodeway Inn; The Pillow Business Alliance; and Jacob's Pillow Members. Major endowment support is provided by The Barrington Foundation, Inc.; The William Randolph Hearst Foundation; The Leir Charitable Foundations, In Memory of Henry J. Leir; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Onota Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Surdna Foundation; and Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Thought-provoking New York-based choreographer Yin Mei returns to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival August 4-8, in an evening-length contemporary dance-theatre work that merges sensual movement, paper and ink, and video projections with stirring live and recorded music.
Thought-provoking New York-based choreographer Yin Mei returns to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival August 4-8, in an evening-length contemporary dance-theatre work that merges sensual movement, paper and ink, and video projections with stirring live and recorded music.
Hailed as 'one of the wittiest young choreographers around' (Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice), Monica Bill Barnes brings her trademark blend of theatricality, intelligence, humor, and physicality to Jacob's Pillow Dance, July 28-August 1.
Madrid-based contemporary dance company CND2 (Compañía Nacional de Danza 2) performs at Jacob's Pillow July 28-August 1, in their final engagement under departing founder and Artistic Director Nacho Duato. Nacho Duato announced in April of 2010 that by the end of July he would step down as Artistic Director of both CND2 and the parent company CND after founding both companies and twenty years at the helm. For this very special engagement, CND2 will perform the U.S. premiere of Insected by co-Artistic Director Tony Fabre, and acclaimed dancemaker Duato's movingly spiritual works Kol Nidre and Gnawa.
Hailed as 'one of the wittiest young choreographers around' (Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice), Monica Bill Barnes brings her trademark blend of theatricality, intelligence, humor, and physicality to Jacob's Pillow Dance, July 28-August 1.
Madrid-based contemporary dance company CND2 (Compañía Nacional de Danza 2) performs at Jacob's Pillow July 28-August 1, in their final engagement under departing founder and Artistic Director Nacho Duato. Nacho Duato announced in April of 2010 that by the end of July he would step down as Artistic Director of both CND2 and the parent company CND after founding both companies and twenty years at the helm. For this very special engagement, CND2 will perform the U.S. premiere of Insected by co-Artistic Director Tony Fabre, and acclaimed dancemaker Duato's movingly spiritual works Kol Nidre and Gnawa.
Thought-provoking New York-based choreographer Yin Mei returns to Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival August 4-8, in an evening-length contemporary dance-theatre work that merges sensual movement, paper and ink, and video projections with stirring live and recorded music.
In an exclusive engagement, independent contemporary ballet duo Jacoby & Pronk will perform at Jacob's Pillow with four other international dance stars, July 21-25 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk performed with leading contemporary ballet companies before eschewing the typical dancer's career path to become freelance artists, touring as an independent duo and appearing as guest artists with companies such as the Dutch National Ballet and Morphoses. The duo will perform an excerpt of Christopher Wheeldon's Rhapsody Fantaisie, three world premieres by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Leo Mujic, and Lauri Stallings, and a pas de deux by Hans van Manen. Jacoby and Pronk are joined in this engagement by fellow international dance stars David Hallberg of American Ballet Theatre; former member of Nederlands Dans Theatre Shirley Esseboom; dancer/choreographer Leo Mujic (Béjart Ballet Lausannet, Ballett Frankfurt, Paris Opera Ballet); and Victor Mateos Arellano of Dresden SemperOper Ballett. Short films directed by noted photographer and filmmaker Alvin Booth, starring Jacoby and Pronk, serve as interludes between works.
Hailed as 'one of the wittiest young choreographers around' (Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice), Monica Bill Barnes brings her trademark blend of theatricality, intelligence, humor, and physicality to Jacob's Pillow Dance, July 28-August 1.
In an exclusive engagement, independent contemporary ballet duo Jacoby & Pronk will perform at Jacob's Pillow with four other international dance stars, July 21-25 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk performed with leading contemporary ballet companies before eschewing the typical dancer's career path to become freelance artists, touring as an independent duo and appearing as guest artists with companies such as the Dutch National Ballet and Morphoses. The duo will perform an excerpt of Christopher Wheeldon's Rhapsody Fantaisie, three world premieres by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Leo Mujic, and Lauri Stallings, and a pas de deux by Hans van Manen. Jacoby and Pronk are joined in this engagement by fellow international dance stars David Hallberg of American Ballet Theatre; former member of Nederlands Dans Theatre Shirley Esseboom; dancer/choreographer Leo Mujic (Béjart Ballet Lausannet, Ballett Frankfurt, Paris Opera Ballet); and Victor Mateos Arellano of Dresden SemperOper Ballett. Short films directed by noted photographer and filmmaker Alvin Booth, starring Jacoby and Pronk, serve as interludes between works.
The work of Bill T. Jones, eminent choreographer, Tony Award-winner, director, and recipient of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, is celebrated throughout the Pillow's 2010 Festival.
A U.S. premiere from Thailand arrives at Jacob's Pillow, America's longest-running international dance festival, July 14-18 in the Doris Duke Theatre.
Jacob's Pillow Dance presents Armitage Gone! Dance in Three Theories, July 14-18, a new contemporary ballet work choreographed by Artistic Director Karole Armitage and inspired by physicist Brian Greene's best-selling book The Elegant Universe. A former member of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Armitage has worked with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Merce Cunningham, and Madonna, and her dance repertoire ranges from ballet to a Tony Award nomination for the Broadway show, Hair.
Jacob's Pillow Dance presents Armitage Gone! Dance in Three Theories, July 14-18, a new contemporary ballet work choreographed by Artistic Director Karole Armitage and inspired by physicist Brian Greene's best-selling book The Elegant Universe.
In an exclusive engagement, independent contemporary ballet duo Jacoby & Pronk will perform at Jacob's Pillow with four other international dance stars, July 21-25 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk performed with leading contemporary ballet companies before eschewing the typical dancer's career path to become freelance artists, touring as an independent duo and appearing as guest artists with companies such as the Dutch National Ballet and Morphoses. The duo will perform an excerpt of Christopher Wheeldon's Rhapsody Fantaisie, three world premieres by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Leo Mujic, and Lauri Stallings, and a pas de deux by Hans van Manen. Jacoby and Pronk are joined in this engagement by fellow international dance stars David Hallberg of American Ballet Theatre; former member of Nederlands Dans Theatre Shirley Esseboom; dancer/choreographer Leo Mujic (Béjart Ballet Lausannet, Ballett Frankfurt, Paris Opera Ballet); and Victor Mateos Arellano of Dresden SemperOper Ballett. Short films directed by noted photographer and filmmaker Alvin Booth, starring Jacoby and Pronk, serve as interludes between works.
A U.S. premiere from Thailand arrives at Jacob's Pillow, America's longest-running international dance festival, July 14-18 in the Doris Duke Theatre.
Videos
