As we reflect on the lively events and transformative workshops during Festival 2024, we’re grateful for our community’s enthusiastic participation and the artists who brought their talents to our stages and workshops. Each event was a testament to the power of dance and movement to connect, inspire, and invigorate. We’re happy to share the highlights of a season that celebrated dance within our community in truly dynamic ways, both on the Pillow campus and in the Berkshire community.
June
Jacob’s Pillow On the Road
The first Jacob’s Pillow On the Road performance took place in June at Pittsfield’s First Friday at Five, featuring an all-ages street dance performance by New York City’s KR3Ts Dance Company. At the end of the performance, they were joined by Wandering Dance Society and led a dance circle open to all community members. In August, On the Road took dance off the mountain and into our own town of Becket at the Becket Arts Center. This performance featured a high-energy salsa lecture and demonstration with Boston-based salsa troupe Querencia Dance Company, led by Co-Directors Michelle Garcia and Julian De Las Nieves.
Morning Classes
Morning classes for Festival 2024 featured Ballet, Contemporary, West African & Spiritual Well-Being, and Hip-Hop/Street Styles. The classes were led by incredible Berkshire-based teaching artists including Ian Spencer Bell, Miranda Fern Katz, Truth Hunter, Tara Murphy, Noel Staples-Freeman, Shakia “The Key” Barron, Jesmyda Viyano, and Angelica Polk. These classes provided the perfect opportunity for community members of all ages and experience levels to start their day off with movement and study a variety of dance styles in the historic Pillow studios.
Workshops with Festival Artists
Every Sunday during the Festival, each of the nine companies that performed in the Ted Shawn Theatre taught an open dance class, giving community members the opportunity to learn more about the movement styles that were featured on the stage that week. From Tango to Ballet to Flamenca, participants got a taste of some of the most prominent dance artists in the world, right in our very own Perles Family Studio.
Community Workshops
In June, we hosted a multi-event community residency with Camille A. Brown’s community engagement initiative, Every Body Move, led by artists Ethel Calhoun and Maxine Montilus. These workshops empowered women and girls of all ages to develop pride, joy, collaboration, and confidence through the art of African American social dance and engaged participants in the rich history of African Diasporic dance. In between workshops, the participants formed friendships with one another during pizza lunches, bracelet making sessions, and coloring downtime, supported by Berkshire-based youth arts organization TG’s Clubhouse. This residency was done in partnership with Rites of Passage and Empowerment (R.O.P.E.), Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP), and NAACP Berkshire County Branch.
Additionally, we hosted an Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience Workshop with Sekou McMiller (who was also featured on our Henry J. Leir stage and one of the directors of our Musical Theatre program), where participants engaged with Caribbean dance and music cultures including Samba, Mambo, and Cha Cha. Lastly, we hosted a ‘Seniors Get Down’ Workshop with legendary choreographers/dancers David Dorfman and Lisa Race. This workshop was tailored to our senior population, exploring themes of joy and discovery through line dancing, disco, and improvisation.
Special thanks to Zion Lutheran Church for providing space for us to host these events.
July
Family Music and Dance
For families with young kids, we hosted Family Music and Dance taught by Sandy Russell, a cherished teacher with over 20 years of experience teaching in the Berkshires. This class fosters music and movement connections between adults and children, aiming to infuse everyday family life with the joy of music-making.
Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) Workshops
As a satellite of the nationally renowned Dance Education Laboratory (DEL), these dance education workshops brought together dance educators, college dance students, classroom teachers, and professional dancers to explore the fundamental principles of dance pedagogy. This summer’s DEL workshops focused on artists presented during the Festival, including Social Tango Project and The Royal Ballet.
Third Annual Du Bois Forum Roundtable & Celebration at Jacob’s Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow was honored to host a portion of the third annual Du Bois Forum, a retreat for writers, scholars, and artists founded by Tufts University historians Kerri Greenidge and Kendra Field, and Du Bois biographer David Levering Lewis. Throughout the evening, writers, scholars, artists and community leaders reflected upon the Black intellectual and artistic traditions that W.E.B. Du Bois shaped. The multi-part event included a roundtable discussion, a performance by Christal Brown’s INSPIRIT on the outdoor stage, and a Du Bois-inspired dinner, designed by Bryant Terry, a James Beard award-winning chef and author of Black Food. Many notable leaders and organizers from around the country were in attendance, including Roundtable speakers Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, Kendra Field, Kerri Greenidge, Brandon Terry, and Imani Perry.
Curriculum in Motion™ Institute Presentations
The culmination of a 10-month “dancemakers think tank,” participants in the Curriculum in Motion™ Institute gave inspiring and heartwarming presentations detailing their experiences working with partners including K-12 classrooms, museums, after-school programs, medical providers, businesses, civic and cultural organizations to solve challenges within their communities through dance and movement.
STEAM Team Summer Program
A summer program for rising third and fourth graders of Pittsfield Public Schools, the STEAM Team curriculum is created in partnership with the Berkshire Art Center, Flying Deer Nature Center, and Jacob’s Pillow. Held on the campus of Berkshire Community College, this program engages students in learning about local Berkshire ecology and the habitats of birds and insects. With a combination of visual arts, creative movement, outdoor recreation, and science labs, each one-week program culminated in a student-led showcase for families.
Day at the Pillow Visits
Day at the Pillow Visits connect the community to the varied experiences and resources of Jacob’s Pillow in tailored ways. This year, we welcomed groups from Latinas413, Volunteers in Medicine, Berkshire Hills Music Academy, Rites of Passage and Empowerment, Manos Unidas, and Days in the Arts (DARTS), among others. Visits included a guided tour, observing class at The School, seeing a performance, visiting the Pillow Archives, or taking a dance class. Thank you to the community members who spent their day with us!
August
Eastern Woodlands Homesite
This activation of a traditional Nipmuc homesite was led by Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr., founder of NO LOOSE BRAIDS along with Tracy Ramos, William SmallEarCoyote Connors, Miguel WanderingTurtle Garate, and Jenn Albertine. The homesite brings Eastern Woodlands peoples and the public together to highlight urgent issues of access, health, and the sustainability of cedar swamps in the Eastern Woodlands. View this video to learn more about Andre’s land stewardship work.
Community Day
An annual celebration of our Berkshire community, Community Day 2024 featured a range of events for all ages. Some highlights of the day include face painting, creative dance movement classes, TG’s Clubhouse arts and crafts, Cooper the Dancing Llama, a Drum Circle with Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center, led by Aimee Gelinas of Gaia Roots, Drag Story Hour with Drag Story Hour Berkshires, and more! Then on our outdoor Henry J. Leir stage, we presented a free performance featuring local and regional dance artists Eventual Dance Company, SHINE, Garet&Co, and a Zumba performance with Luana Dias David & Students.
Public Tour of Jacob’s Garden
Beginning with a stretch and movement meditation, two tours of Jacob’s Garden took place over the summer led by Adam Weinert. Visitors toured the gardens inspired by Ted Shawn’s “friendship gardens,” viewing the garden beds, apiary, rainwater harvesting system, and pollinator meadow. Participants had the chance to contribute to the garden’s health by turning the compost heap.
We look forward to welcoming our community back for more memorable experiences as we continue to celebrate and cultivate the art of dance in Berkshire County and beyond.
This Pillow Pick was written by Marisa Davis, and published on August 27, 2024.