Beyond Ballet and Modern: LaTasha Barnes and
Creating in Jazz

A lauded dancer and one of the foremost tradition-bearers of Black American social dance, LaTasha Barnes has brought many forms of Jazz tradition to Jacob’s Pillow since her debut in 2021. This summer, Barnes continues to steward Jazz tradition as the Program Director of the Creating in Jazz Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

In this program, Barnes will bring together dancers and musicians dedicated to the practice of one or more Black American movements and music traditions. Together, artists will investigate Jazz traditions including Swing, play as a creative resource, improvisation, and call and response.

“Incorporating different forms of the Black Cultural Continuum into the program will offer a fertile and hopefully bold creative environment to acknowledge the connecting histories, rhythms, and experiences of the individual participants and their relationships to Jazz,” said Barnes. By creating a “play-centered space,” where artists are encouraged to investigate, share, and express, Barnes expects to see dancers generate “richer, more authentic and self perpetuating movement and works.”

The concept of the “Jazz Continuum” has been at the forefront of Barnes’ investigation for several years. The title of Barnes’ debut production at Jacob’s Pillow in 2021, The Jazz Continuum brought together seemingly distinct forms: vernacular Jazz, hip-hop, and house, not to distinguish them, but to bring these vital movement practices into conversation.

“The Jazz Continuum is not only bridging gaps in our understanding of the relationships between these forms;” wrote Jazz scholar and Jacob’s Pillow Associate Curator Melanie George, “By alternatively layering, fusing, and juxtaposing the movement, Barnes is weaving a new fabric in which the threads – be they historical or communal – are seamless, encouraging us to reframe the narratives we tell about these dances.”

Barnes is weaving a new fabric in which the threads—be they historical or communal—are seamless, encouraging us to reframe the narratives we tell about these dances.

Barnes’ own experiences are as encompassing as the productions and programs she creates. Steeped in the communities of hip-hop and house dance, Barnes went on to study Lindy Hop, in the process rediscovering embodied memories of dancing with the elders in her family. More than a performer, Barnes is a historian, archivist, community organizer, and activist—roles that are essential to advocating for American art forms deeply rooted in Black American aesthetics and traditions, says George.

As well as movement investigation, archival investigation will play an important role in the Creating in Jazz program this summer. With an “engaging historical scavenger hunt,” collaborative artists in the program will do a deep dive into not only the history of Jazz at Jacob’s Pillow, but also “how the facilities themselves have educated and inspired Jazz music and dance artists,” said Barnes.

Creating in Jazz offers participants a unique opportunity to be the agent in their own exploration and creation, working collaboratively and in conversation with other forms, mediums, and creative minds. Barnes offered a token of advice for future program participants:

“The advice I would most like to offer to the hopeful participants of this program is to be prepared for the creative experiences that they’ve dreamed of having in their efforts to embody and present through Jazz. Sit with your musical inspirations and grounding soundscapes, prepare your body to express at its highest level and engage with the written works about your favorite artist to be prepared to verbally articulate your experience about and works that will be created in this program.”