Jacob's Pillow
Encyclopedia
Jacob’s Pillow Dance is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts
, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives as well as year-round community programs. The facility itself was listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 2003.
. The zigzagging road from the bottom of the hill resembled the rungs of a ladder, so New England
ers named it "Jacob’s Ladder." A large, pillow-shaped boulder behind the Carter’s farmhouse was thought to resemble a pillow. The Carter farm acquired the name "Jacob's Pillow" as a combination of the story of Jacob from the Book of Genesis, which tells of Jacob laying his head upon a rock and dreaming of a ladder to heaven and the farm’s proximity to the "Jacob’s Ladder" road.
In 1931, modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn
bought the farm as a retreat. At the time of the purchase, Shawn and his wife, Ruth St. Denis
, led the highly regarded Denishawn Company. Their Denishawn Company had popularized a new dance form rooted in theatrical and multi-cultural traditions rather than those of European ballet. Their innovative work and cross-country tours paved the way for the next generation of dance pioneers: Martha Graham
, Charles Weidman
, Doris Humphrey
, and Jack Cole
were all Denishawn members. But Shawn and St. Denis had recently separated, personally and professionally, and in the fall of 1931, Shawn conducted the last rehearsals of the Denishawn era at Jacob’s Pillow.
One of Shawn's goals was to legitimize dance as a career for American men. In 1933, he recruited eight men, including Denishawn dancer Barton Mumaw and several physical education students from Springfield College
for his new company. Shawn and his dancers were intent on challenging the image of men in dance; they forged a new, muscular style. In their "off-time," they constructed buildings still used today at Jacob’s Pillow.
In July 1933, Shawn and his Men Dancers started giving public "Tea Lecture Demonstrations" to promote their work—and to raise money. Their audience expanded so that by summer’s end, audiences were being turned away at the door. During a period Shawn termed "seven magic years," Shawn and his Men Dancers toured throughout the United States and to Canada
, Cuba
, and England
, performing more than 1,250 times in 750 cities, and continued the summer "Tea Lecture Demonstrations" at the Pillow. Radical changes were necessitated by the Selective Service Act
of 1939, although Shawn also justifiably believed that his artistic statement had been made and that it was time to end his successful crusade. In May 1940, The Men Dancers disbanded and joined the armed forces.
Deep in debt, Shawn proposed selling Jacob’s Pillow to Mary Washington Ball, a dance teacher who leased the property and produced the Berkshire Hills Dance Festival on site in 1940. Shawn credited Miss Ball for beginning the diverse programming that was forever after the Pillow’s hallmark, but the summer was a financial failure. Shawn leased the Pillow again in 1941, this time to British ballet stars Alicia Markova
and Anton Dolin
. Their International Dance Festival was so successful that local supporters formed the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Committee, raised $50,000 to buy the property and to build a theater (performances had been held in the barn studio), and made Shawn director. Despite wartime hardships, such as gasoline and tire rationing, audiences climbed the hill on foot and horseback to attend a wide array of programs: ballet
, modern dance
, mime
, ballroom dance
, and folk dance
of many cultures.
On July 9, 1942, the Ted Shawn Theatre, the first theater in the United States designed specifically for dance, opened its doors. Architect Joseph Franz, who also built The Music Shed at Tanglewood
, had agreed with Shawn that the theater exterior must harmonize with the existing farmhouse and barns. Franz also hand cut the weathervane atop the theater, which depicts Barton Mumaw, Shawn’s leading dancer. Inside the theater on either side of the stage are life-size portraits of Shawn in his Hopi
Indian Eagle Dance and Ruth St. Denis as Kwannon—the Japanese Goddess of Mercy, painted during the Denishawn era by Albert Herter
.
Other than a year sabbatical for an Australian tour in 1947, Shawn remained at the helm of the Pillow until his death in 1972 at the age of 80. For a time the survival of Jacob’s Pillow seemed uncertain. Shawn’s designated successor, John Christian, was unable to serve more than one year (1972) due to illness. The next leader was dance critic Walter Terry (1973), but a huge deficit sent the Pillow’s Board of Directors searching again, and in the interim Charles Reinhart took on the Pillow in addition to the American Dance Festival (1974). A measure of stability came with the appointment of Norman Walker (1975–79), who revamped and upgraded the Pillow’s educational and presentational standards.
Liz Thompson launched a series of innovations between 1980 and 1990, such as the popular Inside/Out presentations and open access to the grounds and studios, that have continued to the present. Thompson was also the catalyst for the construction of the Doris Duke
Studio Theatre. Samuel A. Miller, who had worked in partnership with Thompson since 1986, followed (1990–94) with the renovation and enlargement of the Ted Shawn Theatre and the installation of Blake’s Barn. From 1995 through 1997, Sali Ann Kriegsman led the Pillow through a difficult period, eliminating a $4.8 million debt with the assistance of Board Chairman Neil Chrisman, orchestrating a range of new projects, and ending her successful tenure with a celebration of the 65th anniversary season. The Board then launched an extensive nationwide search and in 1998 selected Ella Baff as Executive Director, a position she currently holds.
In 2003, Jacob’s Pillow was declared a National Historic Landmark
by the federal government as "an exceptional cultural venue that holds value for all Americans." It is the only dance entity in the U.S. to receive this honor. The Pillow celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007, and has launched its first endowment campaign, The Fund for Jacob’s Pillow.
In March 2011, Jacob's Pillow was named a recipient of the 2010 National Medal of Arts
, an award of distinction given by President Barack Obama. This was the first time a dance presenting organization was honored. The medal was received from the President by Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob's Pillow, and Joan Hunter, Chair of Jacob's Pillow Board of Directors, on March 2 in a ceremony at the White House.
Pillow Founder Ted Shawn was instrumental in beginning in the careers of Martha Graham
and Jack Cole
, and the Pillow has continued this mentoring role in the careers of artists such as Alvin Ailey
, José Limón
, and Mark Morris
. Companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Parsons Dance Company, and Trey McIntyre Project made their debuts at the Pillow, and international groups such as The Royal Danish Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre
, Black Grace
and Hofesh Shechter Company have made their U.S. debuts here. World premieres have been commissioned from choreographers such as Merce Cunningham
and Paul Taylor, and artists such as Margot Fonteyn
and Mikhail Baryshnikov
have been showcased in works.
Performances at Jacob’s Pillow take place on three stages. The Ted Shawn Theatre, designed by Joseph Franz in 1942 as the first theater in America created specifically for dance, has a capacity of 620 reserved seats. The Doris Duke Studio Theatre, built in 1990 as a flexible, experimental space, has 220 general admission seats. Talks by Pillow Scholars-in-Residence take place before every performance in these two theaters. Additionally, Post-Show Talks happen in the Ted Shawn Theatre on Thursdays and in the Doris Duke Studio Theatre on Fridays, giving audiences an opportunity to engage with artists in moderated Q&A sessions.
The third stage is Inside/Out, which presents free performances of established and emerging artists from all over the world in an informal, outdoor venue set against a panoramic vista of the Berkshire hills. Wednesdays preview the Doris Duke Studio Theatre artists, Thursdays and Fridays feature emerging artists, and Saturdays showcase the dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Each performance at Inside/Out concludes with a Q&A session with the artists.
Another facet of Jacob’s Pillow’s ongoing educational efforts is the PillowTalk series, which covers the art of dance and artists performing each week through intimate panel discussions, interviews, film screenings, and book signings. Exhibits are free and open to the general public, as are The Archives, which offer the opportunity to view videos, read books, access the Pillow’s computer catalog, or view The Pillow's permanent collections of programs and photographs. Free historical walking tours are available to the public weekly during the summer.
The School at Jacob's Pillow’s conservatory-style curriculum includes five programs: Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary Traditions, Jazz/Musical Theater, and Choreographers’ Lab. The dancers’ schedule includes six days each week with four professional-level studio classes each day, coaching sessions, weekly performances for the public, master classes with Festival artists, talks led by Scholars-in-Residence, study assignments in the Pillow’s rare and extensive Archives, and attendance at all Festival performances and events.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow is known for its faculty. Faculty of The School at Jacob’s Pillow have included Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, Chet Walker, Nikolaj Hubbe
, Anna-Marie Holmes, Milton Myers, Katherine Dunham
, Rennie Harris, Matt Mattox
, Soledad Barrio, Tim Rushton
, Finis Jhung, Martin Santangelo, Mercedes Ellington, Stephanie Saland, Victor Plotnikov, Annie-B Parson, Paul Lazar, Aszure Barton, Helen Pickett, Banu Ogan, Mr. Wiggles
, Marjory Smarth, Dana Moore, and Ric Ryder.
Alumni of The School include MacArthur “Genius” Award-winner Meredith Monk
, choreographer Mia Michaels
, former Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and Paul Taylor Dance Company
principal Linda Kent, artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet Nikolaj Hübbe, recent winner of FOX’s television show So You Think You Can Dance
, Joshua Allen
, and Robert Swinston of Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
Each year, Berkshire County students and teachers choreograph dances to explore topics required for mastery in academic classes, including science, math, history, and communication. The Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion program, places Pillow artists in the classroom to develop and teach curricula that meet state and national arts and academic standards.
The Pillow partners with community organizations throughout Berkshire County to provide access to dance activities and learning from Festival artists and staff. A year-round partnership with the Railroad Street Youth Project promotes teen leadership and community involvement through the development of choreographic work. During the Festival, the Pillow partners with Berkshire Institute for Lifelong Learning; Elderhostel Programs; and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
’s Days In The Arts and Shakespeare & Co. Arts for All programs. The Pillow provides these groups with dance classes, guided tours, performance and School observation opportunities, and access to artists and staff.
The Archives is internationally recognized as a major repository of dance materials. Access to the research facility is open year-round by appointment and is available during the summer season from noon until the end of each performance, six days a week. Using the Archives are students, researchers, filmmakers, museum curators, scholars, artists, and the general public free of charge. The Archives collection is catalogued through an onsite computer database, much of which is accessible through the Archives page on the Pillow’s website.
Blake's Barn is an 18th century structure that was relocated and reconfigured specifically for preservation activity. This facility was donated by stage and screen dancer/actress Marge Champion and is named in honor of her late son. In addition to a central area for exhibits and lectures, the building houses a reading room with video stations providing access to the moving image collection. The lower level contains temperature-controlled storage areas and video production equipment.
Jacob's Pillow remains at the forefront of the dance preservation field partly through its active participation in the Dance Heritage Coalition, an alliance of the country's eight major dance collections including the Library of Congress, Harvard Theatre Collection, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Coalition is currently chaired by Norton Owen, the Pillow's longtime Director of Preservation.
In 2008, the Pillow was invited by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, to participate in the five-year Leading for the Future: Innovative Support for Artistic Excellence Initiative. With this funding, the Archives’ resources can be used in ways that add context and deepen understanding about individual artists and dance traditions, and help audiences around the world understand new and evolving forms.
In 2011 Jacob's Pillow launched Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive, an online resource of video clips curated from the Archives in Becket. The archive features performances that have taken place at the festival from 1937 to 2010, including footage rarely seen. This user-friendly free resource allows the user to browse dance footage by artist, genre, and era. The director of preservation, Norton Owen, curates the collection. Each entry includes a video clip, an informative paragraph describing the dancer/choreographer, and an artist portrait.
, Jacob’s Pillow Founder
“There is no place quite like Jacob’s Pillow.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov
"The Pillow has become a prestigious venue for dance companies from all over the world as well as a major source, and resource, for the education of young dancers and developing choreographers."
- Gradimir Pankov, Artistic Director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
“Dance fans love to revel in the festival’s history, because its story is a good one…Amid the illustrious names, the Pillow itself is always one of the chief attractions. It’s simply lovely to be there.” – The New York Times
“Architecture can give a permanent presence and identity to dance. To think of the Kirov Ballet is to picture its home, St. Petersburg’s Maryinsky Theatre, a pastel rococo confection. The Paris Opera Ballet is indelibly linked with the over-the-top Second Empire Opera Garnier. American dance is short on such landmarks. The most prominent exception is not a grand opera house, but the barns that make up Jacob’s Pillow—both authentic barns and buildings designed in the same spirit of New England frugality and simplicity.” – The Boston Globe
"Dance disappears. It's the most fleeting of the arts, the most difficult to pin down and preserve, even in the age of video and CD-ROMS. Which is why the recent opening of the Jacob's Pillow Archives at the famed dance festival in the Berkshires is so significant." – Christine Temin in The Boston Globe
“…the hub and Mecca of dancing in North America…” – TIME
“Dance fans love to revel in the festival’s history, because its story is a good one…
Amid the illustrious names, the Pillow itself is always one of the chief attractions. It’s simply lovely to be there.” – Jack Anderson, The New York Times
“No other American dance festival has its own permanent home…The Pillow isn’t borrowed; it belongs to dance and dancers…The institution…is a major success story in New England culture.” – Christine Temin, The Boston Globe
“A pilgrimage to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is almost always a pleasure.
There is the quality of the performances of course. But there are also the bucolic grounds of this Berkshires retreat, along with the ever-present aura of dance history.” – John Rockwell
, The New York Times
Becket, Massachusetts
Becket is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,779 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives as well as year-round community programs. The facility itself was listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 2003.
Mission statement
The Jacob’s Pillow mission is to support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance.History
The Pillow, as it is often called, was first settled in 1790 by the Carter family as a mountaintop farm at the crest of a stagecoach road between Boston, Massachusetts and Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. The zigzagging road from the bottom of the hill resembled the rungs of a ladder, so New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
ers named it "Jacob’s Ladder." A large, pillow-shaped boulder behind the Carter’s farmhouse was thought to resemble a pillow. The Carter farm acquired the name "Jacob's Pillow" as a combination of the story of Jacob from the Book of Genesis, which tells of Jacob laying his head upon a rock and dreaming of a ladder to heaven and the farm’s proximity to the "Jacob’s Ladder" road.
In 1931, modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
bought the farm as a retreat. At the time of the purchase, Shawn and his wife, Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis
Ruth St. Denis was an early modern dance pioneer.-Biography:Ruth St. Denis founded Adelphi University's dance program in 1938 which was one of the first dance departments in an American university...
, led the highly regarded Denishawn Company. Their Denishawn Company had popularized a new dance form rooted in theatrical and multi-cultural traditions rather than those of European ballet. Their innovative work and cross-country tours paved the way for the next generation of dance pioneers: Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, Charles Weidman
Charles Weidman
Charles Weidman is a renowned choreographer, modern dancer and teacher. He is well known as one of the pioneers of Modern Dance in America. He wanted to break free from the traditional movements of dance forms popular at the time to create a uniquely American style of movement...
, Doris Humphrey
Doris Humphrey
Doris Batcheller Humphrey was a dancer and choreographer of the early twentieth century. Humphrey was born in Oak Park, Illinois but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She was the daughter of Horace Buckingham Humphrey and Julia Ellen Wells and was a descendant of pilgrim William Brewster...
, and Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
were all Denishawn members. But Shawn and St. Denis had recently separated, personally and professionally, and in the fall of 1931, Shawn conducted the last rehearsals of the Denishawn era at Jacob’s Pillow.
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...
for his new company. Shawn and his dancers were intent on challenging the image of men in dance; they forged a new, muscular style. In their "off-time," they constructed buildings still used today at Jacob’s Pillow.
In July 1933, Shawn and his Men Dancers started giving public "Tea Lecture Demonstrations" to promote their work—and to raise money. Their audience expanded so that by summer’s end, audiences were being turned away at the door. During a period Shawn termed "seven magic years," Shawn and his Men Dancers toured throughout the United States and to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, performing more than 1,250 times in 750 cities, and continued the summer "Tea Lecture Demonstrations" at the Pillow. Radical changes were necessitated by the Selective Service Act
Selective Service Act
Selective Service Act may refer to:* Selective Service Act of 1917, or Selective Draft Act, which was passed by the Congress of the United States on May 18, 1917. It was for men to go to WWI at a young age....
of 1939, although Shawn also justifiably believed that his artistic statement had been made and that it was time to end his successful crusade. In May 1940, The Men Dancers disbanded and joined the armed forces.
Deep in debt, Shawn proposed selling Jacob’s Pillow to Mary Washington Ball, a dance teacher who leased the property and produced the Berkshire Hills Dance Festival on site in 1940. Shawn credited Miss Ball for beginning the diverse programming that was forever after the Pillow’s hallmark, but the summer was a financial failure. Shawn leased the Pillow again in 1941, this time to British ballet stars Alicia Markova
Alicia Markova
Dame Alicia Markova, DBE, DMus, was an English ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internationally, she was widely considered to be one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of the...
and Anton Dolin
Anton Dolin
Sir Anton Dolin was an English ballet dancer and choreographer.Dolin was born in Slinfold in Sussex as Sydney Francis Patrick Chippendall Healey-Kay but was generally known as Patrick Kay. He joined Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1921, was a principal there from 1924, and was a principal...
. Their International Dance Festival was so successful that local supporters formed the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Committee, raised $50,000 to buy the property and to build a theater (performances had been held in the barn studio), and made Shawn director. Despite wartime hardships, such as gasoline and tire rationing, audiences climbed the hill on foot and horseback to attend a wide array of programs: ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
, mime
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
, ballroom dance
Ballroom dance
Ballroom dance refers to a set of partner dances, which are enjoyed both socially and competitively around the world. Because of its performance and entertainment aspects, ballroom dance is also widely enjoyed on stage, film, and television....
, and folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
of many cultures.
On July 9, 1942, the Ted Shawn Theatre, the first theater in the United States designed specifically for dance, opened its doors. Architect Joseph Franz, who also built The Music Shed at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
, had agreed with Shawn that the theater exterior must harmonize with the existing farmhouse and barns. Franz also hand cut the weathervane atop the theater, which depicts Barton Mumaw, Shawn’s leading dancer. Inside the theater on either side of the stage are life-size portraits of Shawn in his Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
Indian Eagle Dance and Ruth St. Denis as Kwannon—the Japanese Goddess of Mercy, painted during the Denishawn era by Albert Herter
Albert Herter
Albert Herter was an artist and painter. He was born in New York, New York, and studied in Paris and then in New York's Art Students League...
.
Other than a year sabbatical for an Australian tour in 1947, Shawn remained at the helm of the Pillow until his death in 1972 at the age of 80. For a time the survival of Jacob’s Pillow seemed uncertain. Shawn’s designated successor, John Christian, was unable to serve more than one year (1972) due to illness. The next leader was dance critic Walter Terry (1973), but a huge deficit sent the Pillow’s Board of Directors searching again, and in the interim Charles Reinhart took on the Pillow in addition to the American Dance Festival (1974). A measure of stability came with the appointment of Norman Walker (1975–79), who revamped and upgraded the Pillow’s educational and presentational standards.
Liz Thompson launched a series of innovations between 1980 and 1990, such as the popular Inside/Out presentations and open access to the grounds and studios, that have continued to the present. Thompson was also the catalyst for the construction of the Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
Studio Theatre. Samuel A. Miller, who had worked in partnership with Thompson since 1986, followed (1990–94) with the renovation and enlargement of the Ted Shawn Theatre and the installation of Blake’s Barn. From 1995 through 1997, Sali Ann Kriegsman led the Pillow through a difficult period, eliminating a $4.8 million debt with the assistance of Board Chairman Neil Chrisman, orchestrating a range of new projects, and ending her successful tenure with a celebration of the 65th anniversary season. The Board then launched an extensive nationwide search and in 1998 selected Ella Baff as Executive Director, a position she currently holds.
In 2003, Jacob’s Pillow was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
by the federal government as "an exceptional cultural venue that holds value for all Americans." It is the only dance entity in the U.S. to receive this honor. The Pillow celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007, and has launched its first endowment campaign, The Fund for Jacob’s Pillow.
In March 2011, Jacob's Pillow was named a recipient of the 2010 National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
, an award of distinction given by President Barack Obama. This was the first time a dance presenting organization was honored. The medal was received from the President by Ella Baff, Executive and Artistic Director of Jacob's Pillow, and Joan Hunter, Chair of Jacob's Pillow Board of Directors, on March 2 in a ceremony at the White House.
The Festival
The Pillow presents international dance in many forms, styles, and traditions, and approximately 200 free events each season, including performances, lectures, tours, films, exhibits, and talks with artists from all over the world, culminating in approximately 80,000 visitors annually.Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
and Jack Cole
Jack Cole (choreographer)
Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as the father of theatrical jazz dance.-Early life:...
, and the Pillow has continued this mentoring role in the careers of artists such as Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey, Jr. was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Ailey is credited with popularizing modern dance and revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance...
, José Limón
José Limón
José Arcadio Limón was a pioneer in the field of modern dance and choreography. In 1928, at age 20, he moved to New York City where he studied under Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In 1946, Limón founded the José Limón Dance Company...
, and Mark Morris
Mark Morris
Mark William Morris is an American dancer, choreographer and director whose work is acclaimed for its craftsmanship, ingenuity, humor, and at times eclectic musical accompaniments...
. Companies such as Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Parsons Dance Company, and Trey McIntyre Project made their debuts at the Pillow, and international groups such as The Royal Danish Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theatre
Nederlands Dans Theatre
Nederlands Dans Theater is a Dutch contemporary dance company. NDT is headquartered at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague...
, Black Grace
Black Grace
Black Grace is an internationally-touring modern dance company, formed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1995. Neil Ieremia, the group's founder and choreographer, draws on Māori and Pacific Islander indigenous dance, as well as modern dance and hip hop...
and Hofesh Shechter Company have made their U.S. debuts here. World premieres have been commissioned from choreographers such as Merce Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
and Paul Taylor, and artists such as Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
and Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
have been showcased in works.
Performances at Jacob’s Pillow take place on three stages. The Ted Shawn Theatre, designed by Joseph Franz in 1942 as the first theater in America created specifically for dance, has a capacity of 620 reserved seats. The Doris Duke Studio Theatre, built in 1990 as a flexible, experimental space, has 220 general admission seats. Talks by Pillow Scholars-in-Residence take place before every performance in these two theaters. Additionally, Post-Show Talks happen in the Ted Shawn Theatre on Thursdays and in the Doris Duke Studio Theatre on Fridays, giving audiences an opportunity to engage with artists in moderated Q&A sessions.
The third stage is Inside/Out, which presents free performances of established and emerging artists from all over the world in an informal, outdoor venue set against a panoramic vista of the Berkshire hills. Wednesdays preview the Doris Duke Studio Theatre artists, Thursdays and Fridays feature emerging artists, and Saturdays showcase the dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Each performance at Inside/Out concludes with a Q&A session with the artists.
Another facet of Jacob’s Pillow’s ongoing educational efforts is the PillowTalk series, which covers the art of dance and artists performing each week through intimate panel discussions, interviews, film screenings, and book signings. Exhibits are free and open to the general public, as are The Archives, which offer the opportunity to view videos, read books, access the Pillow’s computer catalog, or view The Pillow's permanent collections of programs and photographs. Free historical walking tours are available to the public weekly during the summer.
The School at Jacob's Pillow
The School at Jacob’s Pillow is known for its faculty. Faculty of The School at Jacob’s Pillow have included Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, Chet Walker, Nikolaj Hubbe
Nikolaj Hübbe
Nikolaj Hübbe is artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He was born on 30 October th, 1967, and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. He began his dance training at age 10 at the Royal Danish Ballet School and became an apprentice to the Royal Danish Ballet in 1984. He was promoted soloist in 1988....
, Anna-Marie Holmes, Milton Myers, Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was an American dancer, choreographer, songwriter, author, educator, and activist...
, Rennie Harris, Matt Mattox
Matt Mattox
Matt Mattox is a jazz and ballet dancer.Mattox was a protegé of the legendary jazz dance pioneer Jack Cole, with whom he worked on Broadway in Magdalena . His other Broadway credits include Harry Beaton in the 1957 revival of Brigadoon. Mattox also performed concert engagements with his own...
, Soledad Barrio, Tim Rushton
Tim Rushton
Timothy John Rushton MBE is a British choreographer and artistic leader of the Copenhagen-based Danish Dance Theatre, Denmark's largest modern dance company....
, Finis Jhung, Martin Santangelo, Mercedes Ellington, Stephanie Saland, Victor Plotnikov, Annie-B Parson, Paul Lazar, Aszure Barton, Helen Pickett, Banu Ogan, Mr. Wiggles
Mr. Wiggles
Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente is a street dancer, noted for his popping skills. He is a member of the Rock Steady Crew, The Electric Boogaloos, Tribal Click and Zulu Nation. Wiggles has been active as a dancer, actor, choreographer, dance instructor, music producer and graffiti...
, Marjory Smarth, Dana Moore, and Ric Ryder.
Alumni of The School include MacArthur “Genius” Award-winner Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
, choreographer Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels
Mia Michaels is an American choreographer best known for her judging and contemporary choreography on the TV show So You Think You Can Dance . She has worked with musical artists such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Tom Cruise, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Prince...
, former Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a contemporary dance company, formed by Paul Taylor, an American choreographer of the 20th century. One of the early touring companies of American modern dance, the Company has "performed in more than 500 cities in 62 countries" and still spends more than half of each...
principal Linda Kent, artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet Nikolaj Hübbe, recent winner of FOX’s television show So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
, Joshua Allen
Joshua Allen
Joshua Allen is the winner of the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance. He had originally auditioned in Dallas, Texas with his friend and fellow contestant, Comfort Fedoke. Allen was announced winner of the show on August 7, 2008, winning $250,000.-Early life:Allen was born in Fort Worth,...
, and Robert Swinston of Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
Community Programs
Jacob's Pillow's Community Dance Programs annually reach more than 3,000 Berkshire children, students, educators, special needs groups, continuing education adult learners, and dancers of all ages and levels of experience. The programs take place at the Pillow, in schools and other settings, and are designed to connect a wide range of participants with the intellectual, emotional, inspirational, as well as physical, world of dance.Each year, Berkshire County students and teachers choreograph dances to explore topics required for mastery in academic classes, including science, math, history, and communication. The Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion program, places Pillow artists in the classroom to develop and teach curricula that meet state and national arts and academic standards.
The Pillow partners with community organizations throughout Berkshire County to provide access to dance activities and learning from Festival artists and staff. A year-round partnership with the Railroad Street Youth Project promotes teen leadership and community involvement through the development of choreographic work. During the Festival, the Pillow partners with Berkshire Institute for Lifelong Learning; Elderhostel Programs; and the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
’s Days In The Arts and Shakespeare & Co. Arts for All programs. The Pillow provides these groups with dance classes, guided tours, performance and School observation opportunities, and access to artists and staff.
The archives
The core collections preserved in the Archives at Jacob’s Pillow were originally assembled by founder Ted Shawn. Materials have been continually added since the 1930s by volunteers from the Pillow Board and staff. In 1991, Jacob’s Pillow created the position of Director of Preservation to direct the activities and maintenance of the Archives. The Archives at Jacob’s Pillow has approximately 6,000 films and videos from 1894 to present, 45,000 historic dance photos and negatives, 313,000 pages of unique printed materials, 27 trunks of costumes dating from 1915, and 2,000 books. The Archives is one component of the Pillow's Preservation Program, which organizes exhibits exploring various aspects of dance, oversees issues concerning the National Historic Landmark site, and records the ongoing activities of the Festival.The Archives is internationally recognized as a major repository of dance materials. Access to the research facility is open year-round by appointment and is available during the summer season from noon until the end of each performance, six days a week. Using the Archives are students, researchers, filmmakers, museum curators, scholars, artists, and the general public free of charge. The Archives collection is catalogued through an onsite computer database, much of which is accessible through the Archives page on the Pillow’s website.
Blake's Barn is an 18th century structure that was relocated and reconfigured specifically for preservation activity. This facility was donated by stage and screen dancer/actress Marge Champion and is named in honor of her late son. In addition to a central area for exhibits and lectures, the building houses a reading room with video stations providing access to the moving image collection. The lower level contains temperature-controlled storage areas and video production equipment.
Jacob's Pillow remains at the forefront of the dance preservation field partly through its active participation in the Dance Heritage Coalition, an alliance of the country's eight major dance collections including the Library of Congress, Harvard Theatre Collection, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Coalition is currently chaired by Norton Owen, the Pillow's longtime Director of Preservation.
In 2008, the Pillow was invited by the Nonprofit Finance Fund, with support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, to participate in the five-year Leading for the Future: Innovative Support for Artistic Excellence Initiative. With this funding, the Archives’ resources can be used in ways that add context and deepen understanding about individual artists and dance traditions, and help audiences around the world understand new and evolving forms.
In 2011 Jacob's Pillow launched Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive, an online resource of video clips curated from the Archives in Becket. The archive features performances that have taken place at the festival from 1937 to 2010, including footage rarely seen. This user-friendly free resource allows the user to browse dance footage by artist, genre, and era. The director of preservation, Norton Owen, curates the collection. Each entry includes a video clip, an informative paragraph describing the dancer/choreographer, and an artist portrait.
Quotes
“I believe that dance communicates man’s deepest, highest and most truly spiritual thoughts and emotions far better than words, spoken or written.” – Ted ShawnTed Shawn
Ted Shawn , originally Edwin Myers Shawn, was one of the first notable male pioneers of American modern dance. Along with creating Denishawn with former wife Ruth St. Denis he is also responsible for the creation of the well known all-male company Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers...
, Jacob’s Pillow Founder
“There is no place quite like Jacob’s Pillow.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
"The Pillow has become a prestigious venue for dance companies from all over the world as well as a major source, and resource, for the education of young dancers and developing choreographers."
- Gradimir Pankov, Artistic Director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
“Dance fans love to revel in the festival’s history, because its story is a good one…Amid the illustrious names, the Pillow itself is always one of the chief attractions. It’s simply lovely to be there.” – The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
“Architecture can give a permanent presence and identity to dance. To think of the Kirov Ballet is to picture its home, St. Petersburg’s Maryinsky Theatre, a pastel rococo confection. The Paris Opera Ballet is indelibly linked with the over-the-top Second Empire Opera Garnier. American dance is short on such landmarks. The most prominent exception is not a grand opera house, but the barns that make up Jacob’s Pillow—both authentic barns and buildings designed in the same spirit of New England frugality and simplicity.” – The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
"Dance disappears. It's the most fleeting of the arts, the most difficult to pin down and preserve, even in the age of video and CD-ROMS. Which is why the recent opening of the Jacob's Pillow Archives at the famed dance festival in the Berkshires is so significant." – Christine Temin in The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
“…the hub and Mecca of dancing in North America…” – TIME
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
“Dance fans love to revel in the festival’s history, because its story is a good one…
Amid the illustrious names, the Pillow itself is always one of the chief attractions. It’s simply lovely to be there.” – Jack Anderson, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
“No other American dance festival has its own permanent home…The Pillow isn’t borrowed; it belongs to dance and dancers…The institution…is a major success story in New England culture.” – Christine Temin, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
“A pilgrimage to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is almost always a pleasure.
There is the quality of the performances of course. But there are also the bucolic grounds of this Berkshires retreat, along with the ever-present aura of dance history.” – John Rockwell
John Rockwell
John Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...