In this behind-the-scenes conversation, Ephrat Asherie, Michelle Dorrance, and collaborators share the inspirations, practices, and lineages informing The Center Will Not Hold, including tap dance, hip-hop, breaking, house, Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin’, and body percussion.

Following the triumphant world premiere of I AM at the Pillow last summer, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award winner discusses her life leading Camille A. Brown and Dancers while building a robust career in theater, opera, and television, including two current shows on Broadway: Hell's Kitchen and Gypsy.

As the founders of AΦE (AE), Co-Artistic Directors Aoi Nakamura and Esteban Lecoq have danced with companies including Jasmin Vardimon and Punchdrunk, and are known for using technology to reinvent the audience’s experience. In this performative lecture, they reveal how the technologies of AI and extended reality were necessary to tell the story of Lilith, the youngest cryogenically frozen person using motion capture, machine learning, and Unreal Engine to redefine immersive storytelling.

Under Iain Webb’s leadership as artistic director, the Sarasota Ballet has performed over 185 ballets including 55 world premieres and 13 American premieres featuring choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, Jessica Lang, Christopher Wheeldon, and Twyla Tharp. In this PillowTalk, Webb will share his thoughts and inspirations for animating ballet today.

Longtime colleagues at Jacob’s Pillow and beyond, guest curator Wendy Perron and the Pillow’s Director of Preservation Norton Owen share stories and highlights celebrating Owen’s 50th anniversary at the Pillow and the 2025 exhibit Connecting through Time: 50 Seasons with Norton Owen.

Vicky Holt Takamine is a renowned kumu hula (master teacher of Hawaiian dance) and advocate for native Hawaiian culture and rights. She is also the 2024 recipient of the Gish Prize which is given annually to an individual who has “made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life."

Bill T. Jones is one of the dance world’s foremost trailblazers and a recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Award, two Tony Awards for Best Choreography, and the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award. Jones’ dances are invitations to celebrate humanity, beauty, and justice. This PillowTalk is a rare opportunity to hear him speak firsthand about art and life.

This marks Ballet BC’s first Pillow engagement since Medhi Walerski was appointed Artistic Director in July 2020. His leadership has been highlighted by an artist-centred approach and deep commitment to creation and innovation. Walerski has worked closely with many renowned choreographers, creating alongside and performing works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger, and Wayne McGregor among others.

In her first season as the Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alicia Graf Mack will share her ideas about the Ailey Company’s present and future and its legacy. In addition to her distinguished career leading the Dance Division at Juilliard, she has been a leading dancer for the Ailey company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet.