This week at the Jacob’s Pillow, a diverse array of artists will grace the stage, each bringing a unique blend of passion and artistry. The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance marks its Pillow debut with a captivating program featuring works like Kyle Abraham’s Medulla Problems and Jackie Kopcsak’s Sweet Nothings, showcasing the versatility and skill of its students. Sekou McMiller & Friends will present Shine, an homage to the golden age of mambo at New York’s Palladium, blending dance and music in a celebration of cultural unity. Next, the Dancers of Damelahamid will bring Indigenous traditions to life with Spirit and Tradition, sharing masked dances that honor ancestral teachings from the Northwest Coast of Canada. Read below to hear more about each performance from the artists themselves.
USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance
How does it feel to make your Pillow debut?
It’s an incredible feeling to make our Pillow debut. The festival’s history and legacy—and its significance in the dance world—are unique. It is an honor to perform on the same stage that other significant artists have done before us.
Tell us a bit about the work you’ll be presenting this week.
We’re presenting a mixed program of four works, each created specifically for our students. It includes Medulla Problems by Kyle Abraham, … Loving Well by Hope Boykin, L/Anding by Nina Flagg, and Sweet Nothings by Jackie Kopcsak. Each has its own distinct style and flavor and really highlights the versatility of our students.
How have you prepared for this performance?
Our students have been working hard here in LA. They’ve spent the last few weeks in rehearsal re-learning or learning the choreography for the first time. We’re prepared to put our best foot forward.
What are you most excited about for this performance on the Leir Stage?
USC Kaufman loves an audience. But the Leir Stage is unlike anything we’ve done before. To perform outside in such a beautiful setting, among other artists and audience members who are so invested in dance and the history of JP, will be a life-changing experience.
What do you want audiences to think about when watching this performance?
We want audiences to be awed by the repertory and our students. Our mission is to train and educate future leaders in dance, the arts, and beyond. We hope people see dance’s future and know it is in good hands.
Sekou McMiller & Friends
How does it feel to make your Pillow debut?
It feels absolutely amazing to be making our pillow debut on the Henry J Leir Stage. This iconic picturesque outdoor stage is filled with rich dance history and its more than an honor to join the ranks and legacy.
Tell us a bit about the work you’ll be presenting this week.
Our new work Shine is inspired by the golden age of mambo at the Palladium nightclub in New York City during the 1940s, ‘50s and ’60s. To bring the work to life, I’ve curated a collective of skilled dancers, musicians, composers, and performers. The result is a masterful show that fuses music and dance while uniting interconnected cultures.
How have you prepared for this performance?
Our Pillow Lab earlier in the season, begin our preparation, and since then we’ve done more research and on stage showings to fine tune.
What are you most excited about for this performance on the Leir Stage?
The feeling of connecting with nature and enjoying the breeze on our skin while living our best life.
What do you want audiences to think about when watching this performance?
The interconnectivity of our humanity, and what a joy it is to move.
Dancers of Damelahamid
How does it feel to make your Pillow debut?
We are excited to bring our work to Jacob’s Pillow, not only for our company’s debut, but as part of a bigger movement that we are seeing in the presentation and understanding of Indigenous dance. We have witnessed and experienced an immense shift emerging in the world of dance as a result of our collective efforts to create space for Indigenous dance practices.
Tell us a bit about the work you’ll be presenting this week.
The Dancers of Damelahamid will be sharing masked dances from the Northwest Coast of Canada through the production Spirit and Tradition. The dancers are a family that carry a dance lineage that embodies the landscapes of these beautiful territories. Spirit and Tradition conveys ancestral teachings on balance, interconnectedness, and community.
How have you prepared for this performance?
Our company will be sharing a new transformation mask as part of the production. The mask represents ancestral teachings connected to the alpine environments of the Northwest Coast and speaks to resurgence and renewal.
What are you most excited about for this performance on the Leir Stage?
We are really looking forward to bringing our work to the beautiful outdoor setting of the Henry J. Leir Stage. Our dances are deeply connected to land and story. It is the perfect setting to connect audiences with our values of land stewardship and reciprocity.
What do you want audiences to think about when watching this performance?
For some Spirit and Tradition will be a first introduction to Indigenous dance, for others it will layer upon previous performances by Indigenous dance artists. It is our hope that by sharing in song and dance, we breathe strength into one another and our arts.
Can’t make it in-person? We will be sharing free a livestream presentation of The Dancers of Damelahamid’s July 27th performance at 6pm! Register here!
This Pillow Pick was written by Marisa Davis, and published on July 19, 2024.