Ted Shawn News

In advance of the full Festival announcement in mid-December, Jacob's Pillow announces four companies that will be presented in 2019. Following the record-breaking ticket sales of Festival 2018 and amidst a robust season of artist residencies in the Pillow Lab and new programming which serves Berkshire County's year-round population, America's longest-running dance festival gears up for its 87th consecutive summer, June 19-August 25. Compañia Irene Rodriguez brings a particular vision of flamenco that is both Spanish and Cuban, featuring a world premiere; Caleb Teicher & Company presents More Forever, a highly anticipated new collaboration with innovative composer/pianist Conrad Tao; the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates female power with Graham classics, a suite of Lamentation Variations, and a new work by Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene Smith; and Boston Ballet returns for the first time in over a decade with works by William Forsythe, resident choreographer Jorma Elo, and twentieth century Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Paradise Square: An American Musical. The world premiere is helmed by acclaimed director Moises Kaufman, with choreography by the legendary Bill T. Jones and a book by Marcus Gardley, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan. Music by Jason Howland and Larry Kirwan, with lyrics by Nathan Tysen, and based on the songs of Stephen Foster. Paradise Square is produced by special arrangement with Garth H. Drabinsky in association with Peter LeDonne and Teatro Proscenium Limited Partnership.

The School at Jacob's Pillow, a world-renowned center for professional advancement in artistic excellence, announces 2019 programs in Contemporary Ballet, Flamenco, Contemporary, Tap, Choreography, and Dance Photography. Situated in the heart of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the longest-running dance festival in the United States, The School has been instrumental to the careers of dance artists for over 80 years, connecting them to highly-acclaimed choreographers of the day in a curriculum made current by one of the most influential international dance networks in the field-a network dancers join as School alumni.  

One month after the close of its 86th season, Jacob's Pillow announces record-breaking ticket sales for its acclaimed summer dance festival. The organization reports over $2.5 million in ticket sales, an increase of 13% when compared with 2017; over 40,000 tickets were sold, an increase of 5%, when compared with last year. The season boasts 10,000 unique ticket buyers, an increase of 8% and the largest number since the organization began tracking this particular indicator in 2005.

Jacob's Pillow announces the second season of residencies offered through the Pillow Lab, a year-round incubator of new work that encompasses a robust series of customized artist residencies. Built from the Jacob's Pillow mission as an integral component of Vision '22-the organization's five-year strategic plan which drives the Pillow's transition into a year-round institution-the Pillow Lab strengthens the artistic core of Jacob's Pillow by increasing resources that nurture the process of choreography and proactively investing in the development of new work.

Bringing together some of today's most remarkable ballet talents, Daniel Ulbricht's Stars of American Ballet returns to Jacob's Pillow, appearing in the Ted Shawn Theatre August 22-26. A principal dancer with New York City Ballet since 2007, Ulbricht is lauded as "one of the best male ballet dancers in New York" (Dance Magazine). As Artistic Director, curator, and performer, Ulbricht brings a unique vision and perspective to performance. With a cast highlighting 14 powerhouse dancers of New York City Ballet, this collective celebrates the legacy of choreographic legend Jerome Robbins with a program of his masterpieces on the occasion of his centennial, augmented by two Robbins-related PillowTalks.

Adam H. Weinert performs Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn's epic work Dance of the Ages, the first evening-length modern dance work ever presented, in celebration of the work's 80th anniversary. This exclusive engagement transforms the Pillow's campus to reflect the original performance as first experienced in 1938, featuring use of the Pillow's original barn studio, now known as the Bakalar Studio, traditional production components, and an authentic pre-performance Tea Garden lecture.

Highly acclaimed for her "fierce choreographic imagination" (The New York Times), Netta Yerushalmy makes her Pillow debut with the world premiere of Paramodernities, August 8-12. By deconstructing and re-examining iconic works by choreographers Vaslav Nijinsky, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Bob Fosse, and George Balanchine, Yerushalmy dismantles the modern tradition with both reverence and intensity. Performed by a diverse cast of dancers alongside contributions by scholars and writers, Paramodernities assembles some of today's best and brightest minds to bridge the sometimes disparate worlds of dance and academia.

Highly acclaimed for her "fierce choreographic imagination" (The New York Times), Netta Yerushalmy makes her Pillow debut with the world premiere of Paramodernities, August 8-12. By deconstructing and re-examining iconic works by choreographers Vaslav Nijinsky, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Bob Fosse, and George Balanchine, Yerushalmy dismantles the modern tradition with both reverence and intensity. Performed by a diverse cast of dancers alongside contributions by scholars and writers, Paramodernities assembles some of today's best and brightest minds to bridge the sometimes disparate worlds of dance and academia.

On the occasion of their 40th anniversary, world-renowned Hubbard Street Dance Chicago returns to Jacob's Pillow with a diverse program featuring today's leading contemporary choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, and founder Lou Conte. Praised as "a near-perfect storm of movement, music, and choreography" (Los Angeles Times), Hubbard Street brings an eclectic repertoire performed by an impeccably strong, technically-driven ensemble of dancers to the Ted Shawn Theatre, August 1-5.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces a one-on-one networking event with commercial and indie producers, Writer-Producer Speed Date onJuly 15, 2018 with coaching sessions at 4:30pm and 5:30pm at Studios 353,353 W 48th St, NYC.

The Young Ensemble performs the Bessie Award-winning Naharin's Virus in the Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, July 4-8. The work showcases the "superhumanly spry" (The New York Times) abilities of the Israel-based contemporary dance company, a second branch of Batsheva Dance Company. Batsheva and The Young Ensemble have gained international recognition for their use of the innovative movement research Gaga, developed by Artistic Director Ohad Naharin. With Gaga as their primary tool, The Young Ensemble lets go of the constraints of their technical training and unleashes the "free, exhilarating range of their movement" (The Guardian).

The first installation of the Contemporary Dance Series, curated by Tiffany Rea-Fisher (which runs Fridays from June 22-July 20 at 6pm) kicked-off with a strong start on the debut evening with performances from Harlem School of the Arts, AThomasProject, Eryc Taylor Dance and Graham 2.

Award-winning Pilobolus returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre with Come To Your Senses, a program about accessing all five senses, June 27-July 1. The "mind-blowing troupe of wildly creative and physically daring dancers" (NY Newsday) guides audiences through a multi-sensory experience alongside repertory classics and new work, including the first all-women trio in the company's history. The Washington Post praises, "Pilobolus embodies a large part of what the best in contemporary dance is all about: discovery."

The Royal Danish Ballet, the third oldest ballet company in the world, returns to The Ted Shawn Theatre to open the 2018 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, June 20-24. Through an impeccable mastery of the Bournonville tradition, principals and soloists of this historic company perform excerpts from classical ballet's enduring masters including August Bournonville, Marius Petipa, and Jules Perrot.

For the Saturday 7:30 PM performance, Company alum will return to appear in 'Still Night': Artists and other company affiliations - pre and post Mao Dance *  Kevin Predmore (also danced with Martha Graham Dance Company) *  Virginie Mecene (Graham) *  Lisa Viola (Paul Taylor) *  Kristin Draucker (Paul Taylor) *  Penny Freeh (James Sewell) *  Greg Nuber (Cliff Keuter, Mark Morris companies) *  Alan Hineline (Cincinnati Ballet) *  Lauren Jaeger (Buglisi Dance, Momix) *  Karen Nicely ('Color Purple' on Broadway, and Keith Lee) *  Donna Schenherr (Hubbard Street Dance)

Dance We Must: Treasures from Jacob's Pillow, 1906-1940 explores the contributions of Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn and the iconic Ruth St. Denis to American modern dance. Gathering over 350 materials, including more than 30 costumes and accessories, over 200 photographs, five original antique costume trunks, and a dozen original artworks from both the Jacob's Pillow Archives and Williams College Special Collections, the exhibition contextualizes the pioneering work of Shawn and St. Denis within the scope of American art history through artifacts that have never been seen before. Dance We Must will be on view at Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) from June 29 through November 11, 2018. The opening celebration will take place on July 2, featuring performances by Adam H. Weinert and Williams College Artist-in-Residence in Dance Erica Dankmeyer.

Axelrod Performing Arts Center proudly presents the full company of 18 dancers of the Paul Taylor Dance Company (PTDC) to its stage on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m

Choreographer Michael Mao presents the 25th Anniversary Season of Michael Mao Dance with a program of company favorites and guests Virginie Mecene, Kevin Predmore and other artists who are Mao Dance alumni (at the Saturday 7:30 PM performance only).  

Shakespeare Theatre Company today announces the cast of Lerner and Loewe's multiple Tony Award-winning musical Camelot. Directed by STC Associate Artistic Director Alan Paul (Kiss Me, Kate; Man of La Mancha), the classic musical will play at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St NW) from May 22 through July 1, concluding STC's 2017-2018 mainstage season.