Washington Ballet To Close JACOB'S PILLOW Dance Festival Season, 8/23-27

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. The Washington Ballet (TWB) will close their season with seven performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre on Wednesday, August 23 through Sunday, August 27, 2017 and repertoire will include Alexei Ratmansky's Seven Sonatas, with music by Domenico Scarlatti, performed live, as well as additional repertoire to be announced. Tickets to Jacobs Pillow Members will be on sale in January 17th; single tickets will be on sale to the general public April 3rd and all tickets will be sold by Jacobs Pillow Dance.

Jacob's Pillow Dance is lauded worldwide as a "hub and mecca of dancing" (TIME Magazine) and by dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov "one of America's most precious cultural assets." Located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, "The Pillow" is a treasured 220-acre National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival. Each year thousands of people from the U.S. and around the globe attend with more than 50 dance companies participating in a variety of comprehensive activities including performances, dance training, talks and community programs that educate and inspire. The 2017 Festival runs from June 17 through August 27.

Kent is enthusiastic about this return to Jacob's Pillow, noting "The Washington Ballet returns to the Pillow for the first time since 1980. I am thrilled we were invited to perform in my first season at the helm of TWB and look forward to expanding our touring operation in the coming years. We appreciate this opportunity to share performances with new audiences and for our dancers to participate and benefit from the professional enrichment and collaboration of performing within a festival setting."

TWB Performance Schedule at the Ted Shawn Theatre:

Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at 8PM

Thursday, August 24, 2017 at 2PM

Thursday, August 24, 2017 at 8PM

Friday, August 25, 2017 at 8PM followed by a post-performance talk

Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 2PM

Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 8PM

Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 2PM

Ted Shawn Theatre address: 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01233

Ted Shawn Theatre Box Office 413.243.0745

To learn more about Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and its 2017 season, please visit jacobspillow.org.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON BALLET: The Washington Ballet (TWB) was originally founded as The Washington School of Ballet in 1944 by legendary ballet pioneer Mary Day and incorporated as a professional company in 1976. The Washington Ballet is one of the pre-eminent ballet organizations in the United States. TWB built an international reputation presenting bold works by choreographers from around the world, including Choo San Goh, Christopher Wheeldon, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Hans van Manen and Ji?í Kylián, as well as neoclassical masterworks and fresh staging of 19th century classics. Under the leadership of Interim Executive Director Shakira Segundo and Artistic Director Julie Kent, TWB continues to serve its three-part mission: ensuring excellence in its professional performance company; growing the next generation of dancers through its Washington School of Ballet; and serving the community in which it resides through robust community engagement programs.

ABOUT JACOB'S PILLOW: Jacob's Pillow, celebrating its 85th Festival in 2017, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacob's Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow's extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Notable artists who have created or premiered dances at the Pillow include choreographers Antony Tudor, Agnes De Mille, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Kevin McKenzie, Twyla Tharp, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Trisha Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Wally Cardona, Andrea Miller, and Trey McIntyre; performed by artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen De Lavallade, Mark Morris, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, Rasta Thomas, and hundreds of others. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacob's Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!