PillowVoices: Dance Through Time brings listeners closer to notable dance artists connected with Jacob's Pillow, from 1933 to today. Each piece exemplifies Jacob's Pillow's mission to 'support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance' by utilizing archival recordings brought to life in the personal stories and narration of current thought-leaders and scholars. Jacob's Pillow, lauded by The New York Times as "the dance center of the nation," is a National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.
PillowVoices is directed and produced by Jennifer Edwards. Ellis Rovin and James Sleeman are our composers and engineers. Music for the opening is by J.S. Bach and the closing theme is by Jess Meeker, both performed by Meeker. Content curator is Norton Owen, and associate curator is Patsy Gay.
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PillowVoices: Dance Through Time brings listeners closer to notable dance artists connected with Jacob's Pillow, from 1933 to today. Each piece exemplifies Jacob's Pillow's mission to 'support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance' by utilizing archival recordings brought to life in the personal stories and narration of current thought-leaders and scholars. Jacob's Pillow, lauded by The New York Times as "the dance center of the nation," is a National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.
PillowVoices is directed and produced by Jennifer Edwards. Ellis Rovin and James Sleeman are our composers and engineers. Music for the opening is by J.S. Bach and the closing theme is by Jess Meeker, both performed by Meeker. Content curator is Norton Owen, and associate curator is Patsy Gay.
Norton Owen revisits PillowTalk highlights with Frederic Franklin, a beloved star of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, dance partner to Alexandra Danilova, and performer with American Ballet Theatre well into his nineties.
Audio description as access for blind and low vision audience members to enjoy dance is a field ripe with experimentation. Host Lisa Niedermeyer offers examples of audio description approaches from Pillow performances, while Thomas Reid and Cheryl Green, audio describers who also co-host a podcast called POD ACCESS for disabled creators, contribute their perspectives.
Dance scholar Nancy Wozny highlights the life and work of Moroccan and Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Cherkaoui was honored with the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2022 for his achievements in the worlds of both concert and commercial dance including choreography for Beyoncé and the Broadway production of Jagged Little Pill.
Norton Owen introduces highlights from past PillowTalks with choreographer Bill T. Jones, including reflections on his philosophy of partnering and its roots in contact improvisation. He also offers advice on how audiences might best approach his work and shares the personal story of a gift from two Pillow patrons.
Dance Scholar Mora-Amina Parker illuminates the historical and cultural context of Mr. Talley Beatty's choreography as well as the significant impact on in her course as a professional dancer after discovering his ballets.
Guest host Benjamin Richards focuses the lens on four different resident dance photographers: John Lindquist, Stephan Driscoll, Mike van Sleen and Christopher Duggan.
Highlights from a 2022 PillowTalk with Lynn Garafola, author of the biography La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern speaking with scholar-in-residence Brian Schaefer. Garafola illuminates Bronislava Nijinska’s life as a Russian born dancer, sibling to Vaslav Nijinsky, and groundbreaking 20th century ballet choreographer. Garafola also shares some fascinating documentation of Nijinska's pivotal connections to Jacob's Pillow.
Highlights from Carmen de Lavallade's Pillow debut as a dancer in Lester Horton's company in 1953, all the way through the premiere of her one woman show at the age of 83. Host Norton Owen guides us through the many spirited connections Ms. de Lavallade holds both in American dance history and with Jacob's Pillow.
Choreographer and teacher Maria Torres, historian Cassie Mey, and dancer Abdiel are each passing along Hustle social dance traditions in dynamic ways. Former Associate Curator Ali Rosa-Salas guides this 2022 PillowTalk about the origins of The Hustle, the resurgence of its popularity worldwide, and preservation efforts such as creating original theater works, oral histories, and producing intergenerational dance parties.
What could representation and opportunity for Hip Hop dance look like in the near future? Guest host Michele Byrd-McPhee revisits the 2023 conversation during PillowTalk: Hip Hop at 50, to build upon and expand into what is possible for the next 50 years.
Dance Scholar Dr. Arushi Singh dives into the historical and cultural context of three Contemporary Indian artists who are engaging with their own cultural inheritances as a vital aspect of reclaiming identity on their own terms.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo's Artistic Director, Tory Dobrin, speaks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence, Maura Keefe, in this 2024 PillowTalk. Dobrin shares his own firsthand stories and reflects on the impact of 50 years of blending serious ballet technique with comedy and drag in this all-male company.
Political analyst Rachel Maddow speaks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Suzanne Carbonneau in a 2009 PillowTalk. Maddow humanizes the political context of the early years of Jacob's Pillow and then offers her personal perspective on the meaningful role that the arts play within an evolving democracy.
In this excerpt from a 2004 PillowTalk, choreographer Shen Wei speaks with dance scholar Suzanne Carbonneau about his love of abstraction when making movement, stripping away narrative from musical scores, and integrating visual art into his stage works. Shen Wei also shares about his upbringing in the traditions of Chinese Opera and his early years after emigrating to New York City.
Christian Warner hosts this episode focused on the human body’s capacity to navigate collective grief, moving toward not only healing, but self-actualization. Warner is a Black interdisciplinary performer, choreographer, and director. He shares his own experiences as well as excerpts from conversations with dance artists Dormeshia, Camille A. Brown, Ronald K. Brown, and their collaborators.
In this episode of PillowVoices, we bring you an interview with choreographer Yin Mei. Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Suzanne Carbonneau sits down with Yin Mei to discuss her work titled Empty Traditions / City of Peonies in August, 1999.
In this episode, professor and choreographer Silvana Cardell contextualizes the work of the Mimulus Dance Company through the lens of adjacent histories and influences: Cardell from Argentina and Mimulus from Brazil.
Jennifer Edwards hosts this episode honoring the life and legacy of former New York City Ballet dancer, Jacques d'Amboise, in his own words. Recorded during his only Pillow appearance in 2008, d'Amboise reflects on his beginnings as a dancer and his efforts to welcome more young people into his beloved art form.
Lisa Niedermeyer hosts this episode exploring the connections between puppetry in contemporary dance and emerging technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence and spatial computing. The episode focuses on a piece titled "Underground River" which was conceived and directed by Jane Comfort and developed in residency at Jacob’s Pillow. We hear from puppet artist Basil Twist, the director and choreographer Jane Comfort, and one of the performers, Stephen Nunley.
Jacob's Pillow Associate Archivist Patsy Gay hosts this episode featuring excerpts of a 1998 PillowTalk. In this conversation between choreographers Ralph Lemon and Susan Marshall, we hear insights about their own beginnings in dance along with their individual ways of creating work.
PillowVoices: Dance Through Time brings listeners closer to notable dance artists connected with Jacob's Pillow, from 1933 to today. Each piece exemplifies Jacob's Pillow's mission to 'support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance' by utilizing archival recordings brought to life in the personal stories and narration of current thought-leaders and scholars. Jacob's Pillow, lauded by The New York Times as "the dance center of the nation," is a National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.
PillowVoices is directed and produced by Jennifer Edwards. Ellis Rovin and James Sleeman are our composers and engineers. Music for the opening is by J.S. Bach and the closing theme is by Jess Meeker, both performed by Meeker. Content curator is Norton Owen, and associate curator is Patsy Gay.
