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May 2012
Greetings!
While the dance field may be small-scaled in some ways, the geographical outlook from our rustic hilltop at Jacob's Pillow has always been of worldwide scope, from Ted Shawn's extensive tours to this summer's festival including a long list of companies from abroad. So it's a pleasure to focus exclusively on international artists in this particular issue of Virtual Pillow Views, with new videos spanning well over a half century of performances.
Please enjoy a few minutes of virtual globe-trotting (and time travel), courtesy of some world-class dance artists, and use the "Share" button provided at the bottom of each page to email your favorite clips to friends or post to your Facebook page.
Norton Owen
Director of Preservation
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
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 Alicia Alonso & Erik Bruhn The historical importance of this extended sequence from Giselle demands that we give it pride of place in this month's line-up. Havana-born Alonso and Danish star Bruhn danced together very rarely, and this is the only online footage available of an extraordinary partnership. This 1955 Pillow appearance marks the first and only time that Alonso danced here, and fortunately both of the pas de deux that she danced with Bruhn are fully documented in the Jacob's Pillow Archives.
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 Ballet Maribor
Romanian choreographer and company director Edward Clug re-imagined Romeo and Juliet in a most unconventional way, setting his full-evening work to the music of Radiohead and calling it Radio and Juliet. Pillow audiences called it "brilliant" and told their friends, resulting in droves of first-time dancegoers for this company hailing from Slovenia's second-largest city. The text that accompanies this excerpt will point you to two other modern-day variations on Romeo and Juliet that are available in Dance Interactive. |
 Carte Blanche
This was one of the most multi-cultural of all offerings during the 2011 Festival - a Norwegian company directed by a Belgian dancer, presenting two works by an Israeli choreographer (and all diplomatically covered under a French company name). Sharon Eyal's work had previously been seen at the Pillow in the repertory of Batsheva Dance Company, and this clip focuses on the six company women. |
 Hofesh Shechter Company
Following the all-female work by an Israeli choreographer above, here's an all-male work by another Israeli who has emerged from the fertile ground of Batsheva (though now headquartered in the UK). Uprising packs a wallop, and not just because of its hard-driving percussion score that was also devised by the multi-talented Hofesh Shechter.
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 The G�teborg Ballet
All kinds of "firsts" were associated with this particular 2010 engagement, as a venerable Swedish company was making its U.S. debut with three works, two of which had never before been seen in this country. All were inspired in some way by Ravel's Bolero, making this a most unusual evening that was much more varied than the overall concept would seem to indicate. The adventurous and talented young Alexander Ekman's Episode 17 is excerpted here. |
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More International Artists
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 Stockholm/59� North
This was the first of four Pillow appearances by a stellar offshoot of the Royal Swedish Ballet, documenting the group's 1997 world debut engagement. The clip is excerpted from American choreographer Ulysses Dove's Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, an iconic work which he made for these Swedish dancers just three years before his untimely death at age 49. It's a meditation on the themes of love and loss, and its power can be strongly felt in even this brief minute from the dance. |
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 The Peony Pavilion
One of the most truly historic events ever to take place at Jacob's Pillow, the three-month residency by a sizable group of Chinese actors, musicians, and theater technicians culminated in the private showing excerpted here. The project was a high-profile production of the 1999 Lincoln Center Festival, rescheduled from the previous year when the Chinese government refused to let the artists leave the country. Click the image to see an excerpt and learn more. |
 Tero Saarinen Company
with The Boston Camerata
Seldom has the Ted Shawn Theatre been used so evocatively as in Tero Saarinen's haunting Borrowed Light, first seen at the Pillow in 2006 in its U.S. premiere. Inspired by the Shakers and their spirit of community and devotion, it's ironic to see a Finnish choreographer sharing his views on a religious sect with substantial roots in Western Massachusetts. You can sample it here and see it live onstage July 11-15. |
In Case You Missed It... (More International Intrigue in Dance Interactive - click text to view)
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Header Photo Credits (left to right): Ted Shawn, photo Shapiro Studios; Drew Jacoby, photo Liza Voll; Cynthia Gregory, photo �Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos; Savion Glover, photo Len Irish; Shantala Shivalingappa, photo C.P. Satyajit
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