Jacob’s Pillow, home to the longest-running dance festival in the United States, launches a Virtual Festival with eight weeks of free programming, from July 7-August 29. Weekly highlights feature streams of beloved Festival performances from the past 10 years, a series of new PillowTalks with leaders in the dance field, an online version of the beloved intergenerational movement class Families Dance together, and a new Master Class Series from The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Attendees are encouraged to make a contribution in lieu of purchasing a ticket, and 50 percent of donations for performances will be shared with the artists featured. Community Engagement events will share proceeds with local community organizations.
“After we canceled our on-site Festival due to the global pandemic, we soon realized the need to fulfill our mission by engaging artists and audiences in a quintessential summer experience from Jacob’s Pillow virtually,” says Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge. “The civic organizing and protests confronting racism and inequality in our country greatly impacts our organization’s decision-making. The model we envision is one that is free for all, made more accessible by being entirely online, pays artists and scholars for their time, and provides artists with additional support during a time when many have lost their income. I’m excited to think about all the people who will now have the chance to ‘visit’ our campus and experience the crossroads of dance that is Jacob’s PIllow.”
Fifty percent of donations received from performances are shared directly with the featured artists in support of their continued work; all donations for Families Dance Together will be contributed to the NAACP Berkshire County Branch; 50 percent of proceeds raised from Dog Dance (August 1) will be shared with the Berkshire Humane Society; and all donations for The Land on Which We Dance (August 5) will be shared with the artists in support of their important work.
Performances, PillowTalks and Master Classes will premiere weekly on YouTube. Families Dance Together and Special Events will take place on Zoom. Performances will be made available for 48 hours after the premiere; PillowTalks will be available through August 31; Master Classes and Families Dance Together will not be accessible after the duration of the event. All events are free; an RSVP is required for all events to gain access to direct links to join.
Jacob’s Pillow announced the cancellation of its 10-week Festival for the first time in the organization’s 88-year history in March, due to the novel coronavirus.
The lineup of Jacob’s Pillow Virtual Festival includes: Limón Dance Company (July 9 at 7pm EDT), Circa (July 16 at 7pm EDT), Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE (July 23 at 7pm EDT), Royal Danish Ballet (July 30 at 7pm EDT), Dance Theatre of Harlem (August 6 at 7pm EDT), Bereishit Dance Company (August 13 at 7pm EDT), Tero Saarinen Company and The Boston Camerata (August 20 at 7pm EDT) and And Still You Must Swing (August 27 at 7pm EDT).
For more information, regular updates and to RSVP, visit jacobspillow.org/virtual-pilllow.
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