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February 2013
Greetings!
Black History Month offers us an excellent opportunity to call attention to a long and distinguished record of connections between the Pillow and artists from throughout the African diaspora. From an extraordinary film of Asadata Dafora's pioneering appearance in 1942 (when the Ted Shawn Theatre was literally brand-new) to this past season's performance by the ever-electrifying Bill T. Jones, it's all now at your fingertips. And you'll find much more described in this online brochure about the Pillow's African American History.
Celebrate with us as we pay tribute to some of the remarkable artists who have graced our stages, with many more to be discovered on your own.
Norton Owen
Director of Preservation
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival |
 Bill T. Jones as Storyteller
Winner of the 2010 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, Bill T. Jones is indisputably one of the dance world's most recognizable icons. In one of his most recent works, Story/Time, he positioned himself literally center stage and evoked John Cage's Indeterminacy by telling succinct one-minute stories while his dancers illustrated the text. Here's a glimpse of this complex and fascinating work at the Pillow last season.
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 Judith Jamison's Dance Roots An unforgettable highlight of the 2012 PillowTalk series, Judith Jamison's unusually candid and light-hearted interview attracted a capacity crowd to Blake's Barn. Memories of her early training and formative dance experiences with Agnes De Mille and Antony Tudor provide a rare look at what led to her trailblazing work with Alvin Ailey. This 14-minute excerpt from the talk is worth taking the time to experience in its entirety, and you can also see a rare Jamison dance clip here.
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 Robert Battle and Battleworks
It has been nearly 20 years since Robert Battle's first involvement at the Pillow as a dancer with David Parsons. Some of his first choreography was later presented here by the Parsons Dance Company and he has twice served on the faculty of the School at Jacob's Pillow. Now receiving acclaim as the Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Battle once led his own company, seen in this clip.
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Other Distinctive Black Artists in Pillow History
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 Jean-Léon Destiné
While he would have been an appropriate figure to highlight in this message anyway, we must sadly report that Jean-Léon Destiné died just last month at the age of 94. What makes his longevity all the more remarkable is that he directed the Pillow's Cultural Traditions Program in 2004 when we believed him to be 79. In fact, he was 86 at the time, though the passion and artistry that he shared with his students was ageless. This footage from 1950 captures his second Pillow appearance.
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 Camille A. BrownOne of the leading lights among young choreographers, Camille A. Brown has received a number of important commissions in addition to the work she creates for her own company. Her artistry can be appreciated in this quirky solo from The Evolution of a Secured Feminine, recorded during her debut Pillow engagement in 2010. You can also see her with Kyle Abraham in this clip.
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 Asadata Dafora
A true trailblazer, the Sierra Leone-born Dafora was the first artist to depict authentic African dance and music on the concert stage. And the equally-pioneering Pillow founder Ted Shawn was adventurous enough to include Dafora on the very first season in his new theater in 1942. This brief footage is the only known film in existence of Dafora, representing one of the rarest gems of the Jacob's Pillow Archives.
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 Katherine Dunham
In this extraordinary page from our country's history of race relations, the pioneering dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham tells about her response to a segregated Kentucky audience in the 1940s. After viewing this 3-minute excerpt from a 2002 PillowTalk, you might also enjoy seeing an excerpt from Dunham's Barrelhouse Blues, performed at the Pillow in 1996 by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble.
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In Case You Missed It... (still more artists who represent the African diaspora)
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Virtual Pillow Views represents the monthly culmination of many hours of research, curatorial selection, video editing, and writing. If you enjoy this publication, please consider making a donation to help us continue sharing the latest additions to Dance Interactive with you. 
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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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