Summer 2024 Community Engagement Intern
Kate Ross (she/her) is one of the 2024 Community Engagement Interns. Kate is originally from Ocala, Florida, and recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame this past May where she pursued American Studies and Journalism. During her last year of college, she wrote her senior thesis on the intersection between ballet class and the labor, bodily knowledge, and identity formation of American ballet dancers. Kate comes to the Pillow with a passion for fostering connection through the arts. Away from work, she is an observer and a mover, fascinated by different ways of knowing and modes of creativity.
Tuesday mornings mark the beginning of each full week for me as a Community Engagement Intern at Jacob’s Pillow. The day starts calmly: the rising sun presses through the blinds into my room and wakes me up amidst a peacefully quiet cabin, and I take a moment to reflect on all that my day at the Pillow will hold.
At 7:45am, I trek up the gravelly hill from the intern cabins to my desk in Avnet House, where the Community Engagement team is based. Although I still feel sleepy, my fellow intern, Caroline, and I get off to a swift start by preparing for today’s Morning Class: 9:00am ballet with Ian Spencer Bell. Today I am the “point-person,” which means I am the primary contact for the teaching artist and any questions that may need answering.
First, I check if there are any last minute registrations on Tessitura, our system of tracking who buys tickets to classes and performances, and update the list of participants who will be attending ballet that morning. Then, Caroline and I work as a team to fill our Morning Class go-bag with the necessary items: laptops, radios, and a basket filled with all of our marketing flyers for upcoming events and workshops. Once we’ve grabbed our sandwich-board signage and folding table, we are ready to head to Ruth St. Denis Studio.
We set up our supplies in the corridor of St. Denis, clean the studio floors, and grab some to-go breakfast from the Stone Dining Room. From 8:30am to 9:00am, people slowly trickle down the path and stop at our check-in table. Seeing who rounds the corner to our table is easily one of the best parts of my day. I look forward to seeing the familiar faces of our regular attendees, and love welcoming new participants into the space. Once we’ve checked everyone in, I always join the class. I grew up dancing, and feel lucky to be able to take ballet class every week from an amazing teacher like Ian.
Following ballet class, I clean the studio, change, and head back to the office to catch Company Management’s tour for the new artist of the week. This week, it’s Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, a world-renowned company from Switzerland. When they make their stop at Avnet House, we come out to greet them, and discuss the upcoming Workshop with Festival Artists on Sunday in the Perles Family Studio. I learn that two company members will be teaching the workshop, and I give their team a brief overview of how many people we anticipate will attend and when to arrive.
Then it’s lunch time, which means I get to enjoy “Taco Tuesday” at the Stone Dining Room, once again. I eat behind Hunter House with my fellow interns — and a perfect view of the Pillow Rock. Occasionally, staff members will host an informational session called a “Lunch & Learn.” This summer, I’ve attended sessions on how to sign a New York City lease, start my own business, budget, and determine if graduate school is right for me. Even if the session topics aren’t areas that I feel directly apply to me, I always try to sit in on each Lunch & Learn because I invariably gain great advice from the wise and generous Pillow staff.
From there, it’s back to the office. My duties vary from day to day, but I am usually found planning for future engagement events like Day at the Pillow Visits, Tours of Jacob’s Garden, or Community Workshops in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Some days this looks like a lot of work at my computer, creating event references and detailed itineraries, coordinating details cross-departmentally with Production or Marketing via email, or initiating outreach efforts to promote our upcoming events to new demographics from the local community. My office in Avnet House is central on campus, directly across from Bakalar Studio, and on sunny days we open our doors to let sunshine in and listen to the music that drifts over from Bakalar rehearsals or the Leir Stage soundchecks as we work. Other days, I am out and about, packing our wagon with supplies for Pittsfield events, maintaining the chalk art and highlighted stories in the Warren Davis Welcome Center on the Pillow campus, or driving to Great Barrington for community-based meetings. What I love about Community Engagement is that every day looks different, and I’m never in one place for too long.
Once it’s 5:00pm, I’m done working for the day and grab some dinner from the Stone. When it’s a performance night, I love going to see the company performing on the Henry J. Leir Stage or in the Ted Shawn Theatre, but tonight I prepare for a performance of my own: the intern showcase. All of the Jacob’s Pillow interns have the opportunity to put on an intern-run show, from dancing to choreographing to lighting the show. I spend the evening back in Ruth St. Denis studio rehearsing with one of my groups.
Finally, I walk back to my cabin where I find my friends hanging out in the common room. We spend the rest of the evening there snacking and watching reality TV or a movie. Even though I’m tired by the time I get back, I love ending the night here, spending time all together before we start a brand new day at the Pillow.
This Pillow Pick was written by Kate Ross and published on August 17, 2024.
Summer Festival Intern Program
Bring your passion for the arts to work at Jacob's Pillow, and be a member of the team behind one of the world’s most prestigious dance festivals!
