Ted Shawn News

Known for its "cutting-edge contemporary work" (Jason Vondersmith, The Portland Tribune), NW Dance Project makes its Jacob's Pillow debut, June 28-July 2 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Based in Portland, Oregon and led by former Royal Winnipeg Ballet principal dancer Sarah Slipper, the company is composed of a cast of classically-trained, versatile contemporary dancers. The program includes works by a range of accomplished choreographers and rising talents: Post-Traumatic-Monster by Felix Landerer, choreographer in residence for Scapino Ballet in the Netherlands; At Some Hour You Return by former Nederlands Dans Theater dancer Ji?i Pokorný; Le Fil Rouge by 2011 Sadler's Wells Global Dance Contest winner and NW Dance Project resident choreographer Ihsan Rustem; and MemoryHouse by Artistic Director Sarah Slipper.

Miami City Ballet returns to Jacob's Pillow for the first time since 1998, to open the Festival's 85th Anniversary Season June 21-25, in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Led by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer who later directed The George Balanchine Foundation, the company performs a program with a trio of works by master ballet choreographers,

The Jacob's Pillow 85th Anniversary Season kicks off with the Season Opening Gala, the Pillow's signature fundraising event, Saturday, June 17. The event embodies the start of the summer season in the Berkshires, and features exclusive programming, unique and delicious food and drink, and plenty of dancing and live music.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival has added two more opportunities for audiences to experience Trisha Brown Dance Company. Originally a five-performance run, August 16-19 in the Ted Shawn Theatre, the Pillow has added a Thursday matinee to the company's schedule. Members of Trisha Brown Dance Company will also perform the site-specific work Trisha Brown: In Plain Site at the Clark Art Institute on Sunday, August 13, a co-presentation of Jacob's Pillow Dance and the Clark. An icon of American dance with extensive Jacob's Pillow connections spanning more than 30 years, choreographer Trisha Brown died March 18, 2017. In a New York Times obituary, chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay wrote “Few dance inventors have so combined the cerebral and sensuous sides of dance as Ms. Brown did, and few have been as influential. Her choreography…helped shape generations of modern dance creators into the 21st century.”

April 27-30, 2017 was a special limited engagement to celebrate the history and scope of Indian dance in America at the Theater at the 14th Street Y. The production is part of the a series of dances by the collective, From the Horse's Mouth, conceived and directed by Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham. This particular program was curated by Rajika Puri- an internationally acclaimed Indian classical dancer. The show was dedicated to the late Balasaraswati- a celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer who was instrumental in making the South Indian classical dance style popular throughout different parts of India and around the world.

The 2017 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2017, the first programmed exclusively by new Director Pamela Tatge, is full of exciting programming featuring world premieres, commissions, site-specific work, international artists, live music, and Pillow-exclusive engagements, all to celebrate a momentous 85th Anniversary Season. Running June 21-August 27, Festival 2017 includes more than 200 free events, performances, exhibits, and talks, as well as many new offerings and initiatives launched under Tatge's leadership. In keeping with the Jacob's Pillow mission to engage and educate the community through the depth and breadth of dance, the genres and styles presented as part of the 85th Anniversary Season are far-reaching and inclusive, encompassing modern, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, improvisation, flex, tap dance, step, Brazilian social dance, dance theater, traditional Native American, Bharatanatyam, musical theater dance, classical Cambodian, Latin ballroom, capoeira, and traditional Korean movement styles.

In celebration of the history and scope of Indian dance in America, From the Horse's Mouth will dedicate its next theater/dance performance event to this storied art form, including its early connections to Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Jack Cole, and the fascinating early Indian dancers in America Balasaraswati, Ragini Devi, Indrani, and many more. Live music will be included in this colorful tribute, curated by Rajika Puri, doyenne of Indian Dance in NYC.

The 2017 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, a prestigious honor that carries a $25,000 cash prize, will be presented to choreographer, performer, writer, educator, and speaker Liz Lerman in acknowledgement of her vision and outstanding contributions to the dance field.  Long ago dubbed the “Democrat of Dance” by Alan M. Kriegsman of The Washington Post, Lerman's extraordinary career of the past four decades includes a wide range of groundbreaking work. Established in 2007, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award's previous recipients include the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham; MacArthur Fellows Michelle Dorrance and Kyle Abraham; and choreographer, performer, and artistic director Camille A. Brown, among others.

Jacob's Pillow Dance announces a major expansion of its popular curated online video collection, Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive. Beginning today, the site will feature a series of multimedia essays from renowned dance scholars on three distinct themes: Tap, Women in Dance, and Dance of the African Diaspora.

In celebration of the history and scope of Indian dance in America, From the Horse's Mouth will dedicate its next theater/dance performance event to this storied art form, including its early connections to Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Jack Cole, and the fascinating early Indian dancers in America Balasaraswati, Ragini Devi, Indrani, and many more. Live music will be included in this colorful tribute, curated by Rajika Puri, doyenne of Indian Dance in NYC.

Cultural partners Jacob's Pillow Dance and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) present a one-night-only work-in-progress showing of performing artist, choreographer, and TEDGlobal Oxford Fellow Richard Move's XXYY on January 20 at 8pm in MASS MoCA's Hunter Center.

Cultural partners Jacob's Pillow Dance and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) present a one-night-only work-in-progress showing of performing artist, choreographer, and TEDGlobal Oxford Fellow Richard Move's XXYY on January 20 at 8pm in MASS MoCA's Hunter Center.

Artistic Director Julie Kent is delighted to announce The Washington Ballet's participation in the 85th Anniversary Season of the 2017 Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival at the invitation of Jacobs Pillow Director Pamela Tatge.

Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking attendance of Festival 2016, Jacob's Pillow Dance announces its 85th Anniversary Season of exciting programming featuring world premieres, commissions, site-specific work, international artists, live music, and Pillow-exclusive engagements.

In the summer of 2017, The School at Jacob's Pillow, a world renowned center for professional dance training will present Professional Advancement Programs in Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theatre Dance, and a Tap Program led by Michelle Dorrance.

Following the record-breaking success of Festival 2016 and in the midst of a robust artist residency season, Jacob's Pillow Dance is planning its momentous 85th Anniversary Festival.

Strengthening its role as a center for artist research and development, Jacob's Pillow Dance announces an active, year-round season with its expanded 2016-2017 Creative Development Residency program. This season brings new additions to the program including two technical residencies, cross-genre collaborations, and invited audiences of college students, as well as a diverse roster of 10 artist residencies, the Pillow's largest residency season yet.

Following the record-breaking success of Festival 2016 and the increased demand for its resources, Jacob's Pillow Dance announces year-round online access to its impressive Archives through a robust new website. Beginning this year, digitized content and a large amount of information is available to the public, offering an unprecedented resource to the global dance community.

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival brings FLEXN, an electrifying street dance to the Ted Shawn Theatre stage, August 17-20. Created by flex dance pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray with visionary theatre and opera director Peter Sellars, FLEXN confronts today's complicated social justice issues by combining raw personal perspectives with powerful and provocative movement. In order to contextualize the topics addressed in the performance, the show will open with an onstage panel discussion with artists and community leaders debating the current socio-political climate and its impact on Berkshire County.

The Hudson Village Theatre continues its Games We Play theme with Noel Coward's hilarious romp, Private Lives, playing August 10 to 28.