Orlando Hernández

Thursday, July 24 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 
Pillow Debut | Live Music

Lauded as “a onetime tap prodigy who’s grown into a history-mining experimentalist” (The New Yorker), Orlando Hernández is a performer, choreographer, theater-maker, musician, and writer who came up in the tap dance community in New York. He now presents a variety of stories and performances that thrillingly blend live music, tap dance, theater and storytelling, and embodied rhythm. His play La Broa’ (Broad Street), composed of real-life stories from Latino communities in Rhode Island, was recently produced at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, in a run The Boston Globe called “heartwarming and magical.”

As a member of the New York-based tap dance and live music company Music From the Sole, Hernández has performed at Jacob’s Pillow, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, Fall For Dance at New York City Center, and Vail Dance Festival. He is also a member of the Boston-based tap dance company Subject:Matter, directed by Ian Berg, and dances with Michela Marino Lerman’s Love Movement.

Red Clay Dance Company

Friday, July 18 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut

Chicago’s top Afro-Contemporary dance company lives to awaken “glocal” Artivism through creating, performing, and teaching dances of the African diaspora. This Black female-led company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dancers that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally, including at the National Theater of Uganda.

Now in its 16th year, the company is committed to taking their signature “Artivism in Motion” from the stage into learning environments, and sees community engagement as a vital part of the creative process and village-building work. In December, the company’s founder Vershawn Sanders-Ward was named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance by the Chicago Tribune.

Almanac Dance Circus Theatre

Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Live Music

This summer, the award-winning Almanac Dance Circus Theatre returns to the outdoor stage (where they performed in 2023) with a signature blend of acrobatics, dance, and storytelling. Known for pushing artistic boundaries, the company creates genre-defying performances that fuse circus arts with narrative stories, inviting audiences into thrilling, immersive experiences.

With a diverse ensemble of dancers, acrobats, and theater artists, Almanac has premiered 11 full-length works, touring the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Their daring, improvisational performances have captivated audiences at New York Live Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and beyond. Also renowned for community-driven events like the acclaimed Cannonball Festival, Almanac continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary circus and dance.

Kara Jenelle & KaJe Movement Collective

Friday, August 1 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut | World Premiere

Kara Jenelle (KJ) Wade, MFA, is a powerhouse movement artist, choreographer, and teaching diplomat whose practice is deeply rooted in the African diaspora and Black social and street dance forms. With a movement style that blends West African, hip hop, dancehall, Afrobeats, and Afro-Caribbean techniques, she has captivated audiences worldwide. As both an artist and educator, KJ’s dynamic approach to choreography and teaching has taken her to studios and festivals across more than 15 countries, from the United States to Taiwan, France, Nigeria, and beyond.

She has performed alongside icons such as Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, and Will Smith, using her success to amplify Black artists and culture on mainstream platforms. Her debut dance film, ÌYÁguration, celebrates the history of resilience and sisterhood among Black women, and was featured in multiple festivals and publications.

Angkor Dance Troupe

Wednesday, July 23 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage 

Angkor Dance Troupe brings the breathtaking beauty of Cambodian classical dance to the stage, preserving a dance tradition nearly lost during the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1978). Founded in 1986 by Tim Thou and Cambodian refugees, the troupe has become a nationally recognized leader in traditional Cambodian performing arts, serving as the heart of a vibrant Cambodian American community in Lowell, Massachusetts.

With exquisite gestures, ornate costumes, and mesmerizing choreography, the troupe’s performances honor the resilience of Cambodian culture across generations. Today, Angkor Dance Troupe fosters a new generation of young dancers, blending revival, tradition, and innovation to create imaginative works. Through dance, the troupe connects past and present, ensuring this rich artistic legacy not only endures but evolves. Experience the grace, power, and storytelling of one of the most accomplished Cambodian dance ensembles in the United States.

Michela Marino Lerman

Friday and Saturday, August 8-9 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut | Live Music

Michela Marino Lerman is a tap dancer, choreographer, musician, and educator, celebrated for her dynamic performances and innovative approach to tap. Recognized by Downbeat Magazine as “jazz’s premier tap dancer,” her work explores the intersection of tap and jazz, elevating tap as both dance and music.

A lifetime honorary member of The Copasetics and recipient of the Hoofer Award, Marino Lerman has performed at iconic venues like the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Mentored by tap legends Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, and others, she has collaborated with jazz greats including Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, and Jon Batiste. As a teacher, Marino Lerman shares her expertise at universities and tap festivals worldwide, continuing to push the boundaries of tap dance in music. In 2021, she was featured on one in a set of five Commemorative Forever Stamps, issued by the U.S. Postal Service, celebrating tap dance as an American art form.

Bulareyaung Dance Company

Wednesday and Thursday, July 30-31 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut

Founded in Taiwan in 2015 by choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, Bulareyaung Dance Company creates dance through a deep connection to nature and heritage. Training takes place in the mountains and by the waterside, where dancers sing old chants and develop movement rooted in their Indigenous culture.

The company’s works have earned critical acclaim, including the prestigious Taishin Arts Award. Through powerful performances, Bulareyaung Dance Company brings Indigenous stories to the stage with striking physicality and authenticity. The company has toured internationally, performing in Canada, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, and France. With each performance, they honor and celebrate the vibrancy of Indigenous culture while expanding the boundaries of contemporary dance.

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company

Friday, July 11 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage

Back by popular demand, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company returns to the Leir Stage to celebrate their cultural legacy with folkloric storytelling, dynamic dance and music, and colorful costumes. Described by The New York Times as “a terrific company of generous dancers [that] give a vibrant tour of Mexican traditions,” Calpulli will present an excerpt from Monarcas—which celebrates the real life contributions and sacrifices by Mexican immigrants to and for the United States—and Viñedos, which honors laborers who became vineyard owners and proud makers of California wine.

Calpulli’s narrative-driven performances have captivated audiences across the United States and internationally, with debuts in Bahrain in 2013 and Turkey in 2019. Co-founded by Alberto Lopez Herrera and Juan Castaño, the company’s artistic vision is now led by Artistic Director Grisel Pren Monje, who continues to honor their rich cultural history through vibrant, passionate performances.

Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs

Thursday and Friday, August 21-22 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage

Matthew Rushing joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a company member in 1992 and served as Interim Artistic Director from 2023 until this year. At Jacob’s Pillow, he and dancers from the Ailey Extension will present Sacred Songs, A Journey of the Spiritual, commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art on the occasion of their groundbreaking exhibition Edges of Ailey. The work resurrects the omitted songs from the original production of Revelations to speak to our present need for lament, faith, and joy.

Rushing is a YoungArts alum, the recipient of a Spotlight Award and a Dance Magazine Award, and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He has performed in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Russia, and for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House Dance Series. He has choreographed for PHILADANCO! and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In his time with the Ailey company, Rushing has choreographed four ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009); ODETTA (2014); and Testament (2020), a collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano.

The Ailey Extension trains dancers through open classes taught by renowned instructors for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels from beginners to professionals. This two-night engagement complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and performances of Revelations in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Tickets to indoor performances are sold separately.

VTDance

Thursday, July 17 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut

Vincent E. Thomas’ VTDance brings a bold, multi-dimensional approach to contemporary performance, blending dance, text, improvisation, and collaboration across artistic disciplines. With a keen sense of athleticism, wit, and emotional depth, VTDance crafts works that engage both heart and mind.

Thomas, an acclaimed choreographer and performer, has presented his work at national and international venues from New York to Scotland, Spain, France, and beyond. At the Pillow this summer, audiences can experience his signature fusion of movement, music, and storytelling—where gesture becomes poetry and every performance invites connection. Beyond the stage, Thomas is an educator who is deeply engaged in community work, and leads talks, master classes, and workshops with his signature athleticism and wit.