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Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Announces Nine Weeks of Outdoor Performances
June 25 through August 23
Companies will perform on the picturesque outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage
as the Festival returns to its full presenting capacity for the first time since 2019
Member Pre-Sale begins Monday, March 3
with early access to tickets by Member level
Tickets go on sale to the general public Thursday, April 10
February 27, 2025 (BECKET, Mass.)—Jacob’s Pillow announces today the slate of acclaimed dance companies performing on its iconic outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, rounding out the calendar of ticketed performances that will comprise the Dance Festival’s 93rd season in the Berkshires.
Leir Stage performances will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays for all nine weeks of Festival 2025, offering one-night and two-night engagements by companies dancing Afro-Caribbean, contemporary, swing, tap, ballet, jazz, Indigenous, modern, West African, and more. Performances by artists of the Berkshires on Community Day, and by the Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary, and Tap Dance ensembles of The School at Jacob's Pillow, round out the schedule.
Notably, in Festival Week 9 (beginning August 20), the Leir Stage performances will connect to the rich legacy of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—which performs as a full company in the Ted Shawn Theatre during this same week—and the amazing range of talent the company has fostered for almost 70 years. The program on the Leir Stage in this final week will feature dancers from the Ailey Extension program, as well as works by dance artists featured in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s recent exhibition Edges of Ailey. Leir Stage performance run times allow for audience members to attend the Ailey company’s evening performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre as well.
Companies performing on the Henry J. Leir Stage this summer are, in chronological order: Prehistoric Body Theater, Djapo: Marie Basse-Wiles and Omari Wiles, The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, New York Swings, KanKouran West African Dance Company, Indigenous Enterprise, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, Brother(hood) Dance!, VTDance, Red Clay Dance Company, The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble, Angkor Dance Troupe, Orlando Hernández, H.T. Chen & Dancers, BOCA TUYA, Bulareyaung Dance Company, Kara Jenelle & KaJe Movement Collective, H?lau Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o N?ioka, American College Dance Association, Ice Theatre of New York, Michela Marino Lerman, Benjamin Akio Kimitch, New York Theatre Ballet, Artists of the Berkshires, The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Tap Dance Performance Ensemble, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs with dancers from the Ailey Extension program, and HopeBoykinDance. An image gallery for these Festival artists can be accessed here.
Member Pre-Sale begins Monday, March 3, with tiered access available to Jacob’s Pillow Members on a range of dates based on Membership level. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, April 10. Learn more about Membership at Jacob’s Pillow at jacobspillow.org/membership. Audiences are encouraged to secure their seats early for this historic season.
In a notable change from previous years, outdoor programming will begin 30 minutes earlier, meaning that all Leir Stage performances will begin at 5:30pm. Tickets for select multi-night performances will be available from $35. Tickets for one-night-only performances and select multi-night performances will be available on a Choose What You Pay model, with a suggested ticket price of $25. Jacob's Pillow will also offer a limited number of "Rain or Shine" tickets per performance, which guarantee seating in an indoor venue if the performance is relocated due to inclement weather. The full calendar of Festival 2025’s outdoor and indoor performances is available at jacobspillow.org/festival.
"For decades, the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage has drawn audiences from all over the world to enjoy a thrilling range of dance performances for all ages, set against the beautiful Berkshire hills," said Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge, who highlighted that the dance festival now returns to its full presenting capacity for the first time since 2019.
"We are full of anticipation for this summer, especially," she said, "as audiences will be able to experience an outdoor performance at 5:30pm, followed by their choice of a performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre at 7:30pm, or a performance in our newly re-opened Doris Duke Theatre at 8pm. With three venues on our campus open once again, we can even more fully serve as a crossroads for global dance forms, and a lively meeting place for dance fans and arts supporters from all walks of life, which we have so valued for more than ninety years."
The 2025 Festival was curated by Tatge, Associate Artistic Director Kim Chan, and Associate Curator Melanie George, supported by International Advisor Cathy Levy and Producing Director Holly Jones. The complete program for Festival 2025 beyond onstage performances (including exhibits, PillowTalks, classes and workshops, opportunities to observe dancers in The School at Jacob’s Pillow, community events, livestreams and more) will be announced later this spring. Founded by American modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn in 1933, Jacob’s Pillow is home to the longest-running dance festival in the United States. Jacob’s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, a National Medal of Arts recipient, and a year-round center for dance research and development.
OUTDOOR HENRY J. LEIR STAGE – FESTIVAL 2025 PERFORMANCES
Artist dates and descriptions follow. Programs and casts are subject to change without notice.
Calendar At A Glance:
Festival Week 1
· Prehistoric Body Theater (Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26 at 5:30pm)
· Djapo: Marie Basse-Wiles and Omari Wiles (Friday, June 27 at 5:30pm)
· The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble (Saturday, June 28 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 1:
· The Center Will Not Hold: A Dorrance Dance Production (Ted Shawn Theatre)
Festival Week 2
· Almanac Dance Circus Theatre (Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30pm)
· New York Swings (Thursday, July 3 at 5:30pm)
· KanKouran West African Dance Company (Friday and Saturday, July 4-5 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 2:
· BODYTRAFFIC (Ted Shawn Theatre)
Festival Week 3
· No performance on Wednesday, July 9
· Indigenous Enterprise (Thursday, July 10 at 5:30pm)
· Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (Friday, July 11 at 5:30pm)
· Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (Saturday, July 12 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 3:
· Trinity Irish Dance Company (opens July 10) (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Opening Week Celebration (July 6-12) (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 4
· Brother(hood) Dance! (Wednesday, July 16 at 5:30pm)
· VTDance (Thursday, July 17 at 5:30pm)
· Red Clay Dance Company (Friday, July 18 at 5:30pm)
· The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble (Saturday, July 19 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 4:
· The Sarasota Ballet (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Andrew Schneider (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 5
· Angkor Dance Troupe (Wednesday, July 23 at 5:30pm)
· Orlando Hernández (Thursday, July 24 at 5:30pm)
· H.T. Chen & Dancers (Friday, July 25 at 5:30pm)
· BOCA TUYA (Saturday, July 26 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 5:
· Stephen Petronio Company (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Elle Sofe Company (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 6
· Bulareyaung Dance Company (Wednesday and Thursday, July 30-31 at 5:30pm)
· Kara Jenelle & KaJe Movement Collective (Friday, August 1 at 5:30pm)
· H?lau Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o N?ioka (Saturday, August 2 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 6:
· Sekou McMiller & Friends (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Eun-Me Ahn (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 7
· American College Dance Association (Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30pm)
· Ice Theatre of New York (Thursday, August 7 at 5:30pm)
· Michela Marino Lerman (Friday and Saturday, August 8-9 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 7:
· Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Shamel Pitts | TRIBE (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 8
· Benjamin Akio Kimitch (Wednesday, August 13 at 5:30pm)
· New York Theatre Ballet (Thursday, August 14 at 5:30pm)
· Artists of the Berkshires (Friday, August 15 at 5:30pm)
· The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Tap Dance Performance Ensemble (Saturday, August 16 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 8:
· Ballet BC (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Faye Driscoll (Doris Duke Theatre)
Festival Week 9
· Yusha-Marie Sorzano (Wednesday, August 20 at 5:30pm)
· Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs (Thursday and Friday, August 21-22 at 5:30pm)
· HopeBoykinDance (Saturday, August 23 at 5:30pm)
Also in Festival Week 9:
· Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Ted Shawn Theatre)
· Huang Yi (Doris Duke Theatre)
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Prehistoric Body Theater
Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
In a special kick-off to Festival 2025, Prehistoric Body Theater—an experimental paleo-art dance theater collective from Central Java in Indonesia who create "deep-time animal dance" by fusing paleontology with Indonesian traditional dance—will make its U.S. debut in association with New York’s Asia Society with Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda. This mesmerizing work eulogizes the raptors who perished in the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago, while celebrating the survival of our earliest primate ancestors in a world born anew.
Praised as "an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology" (Oxford University Press), the company fuses animal movement with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Co-created with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists, Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with international scientists to craft performances informed by cutting-edge paleontology—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.
Djapo: Marie Basse-Wiles and Omari Wiles
Friday, June 27 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Omari Wiles— a force in New York’s ballroom and dance scenes—joins his mother, Marie Basse-Wiles, a revered figure in African diasporic dance, for Djapo, a vibrant new work commissioned by Works & Process, bringing together their companies Les Ballet Afrik and Maimouna Keita School of African Dance.
Rooted in the rhythms of Senegal and Mali, this electrifying performance blends traditional West African dance with contemporary African club culture, Afrobeats, and live percussion, shaped through the duo’s intergenerational collaboration. Company dancers come together for an in-process performance of Djapo, exploring the evolution of movement, music, and community, celebrating the deep ties between past and present while amplifying the visibility of African cultural traditions in today’s global dance landscape.
Djapo’s development is supported by Works & Process LaunchPAD residencies at Bethany Arts Community, Watermill Center, Pocantico Center, and Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross. Music commission made possible by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. Additionally support provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble
Saturday, June 28 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
World Premiere
Performances by The School at Jacob’s Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a two-week Contemporary Ballet Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Director Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Guest Choreographer Durante Verzola.
Dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School’s professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.
Almanac Dance Circus Theatre
Wednesday, July 2 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Live Music
This summer, the award-winning Almanac Dance Circus Theatre returns to the outdoor stage (where they performed in 2023) with a signature blend of acrobatics, dance, and storytelling. Known for pushing artistic boundaries, the company creates genre-defying performances that fuse circus arts with narrative stories, inviting audiences into thrilling, immersive experiences.
With a diverse ensemble of dancers, acrobats, and theater artists, Almanac has premiered 11 full-length works, touring the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Their daring, improvisational performances have captivated audiences at New York Live Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and beyond. Also renowned for community-driven events like the acclaimed Cannonball Festival, Almanac continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary circus and dance.
New York Swings
Thursday, July 3 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Veteran Lindy Hop dancer Gaby Cook returns to Jacob’s Pillow this summer with her signature blend of swing dance and vernacular jazz to the outdoor stage. A prominent voice of the global Lindy Hop community, Cook shares dynamic performances centered in historical knowledge. Cook is a principal dancer in SW!NG OUT, which gave a show-stopping performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre in 2022.
Cook’s previous companies include Wild Rhythm Dance Company, which performed at the Pillow in 2018 and 2019, as well as Jazz as Movement (performances with Works & Process at the Guggenheim) and Gatsby Entertainment (performances in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center).
KanKouran West African Dance Company
Friday and Saturday, July 4-5 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Live Music
KanKouran, a beloved pillar of West African dance in Washington, D.C., returns to Jacob’s Pillow this summer after a thrilling Festival 2024 performance. Founded by Artistic Director Assane Konte and the late Abdou Kounta, the company brings together artists from the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean to preserve and promote traditional West African culture.
For over 40 years, KanKouran has been a cornerstone for generations of dancers, students, and musicians, fostering a deep sense of community and artistic excellence. The company has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and beyond. They now return to the Pillow for two nights to captivate audiences with their powerful rhythms, vibrant movement, and rich cultural heritage.
Indigenous Enterprise
Thursday, July 10 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Live Music
Indigenous Enterprise, a premier group of champion powwow dancers and cultural ambassadors, has brought the beauty and power of Indigenous traditions to audiences since 2015. Known for their dynamic performances blending dance, film, and fashion, the group has captivated audiences worldwide, with appearances at the Sydney Opera House and Lincoln Center. In 2022, they were featured in promotion by the NBA Phoenix Suns, which drew attention to all 22 Native tribes in Arizona. In February 2023, they became the first Indigenous dance troupe to perform at the Super Bowl.
Representing a diverse range of Native tribes and nations, Indigenous Enterprise showcases the vibrancy of the powwow way of life, with dancers and singers who embody cultural pride and excellence. Celebrated by outlets like Vogue and The New York Times, their innovative and inspiring performances continue to elevate and celebrate Indigenous culture, empowering audiences with every show.
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company
Friday, July 11 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Back by popular demand, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company returns to the Leir Stage to celebrate their cultural legacy with folkloric storytelling, dynamic dance and music, and colorful costumes. Described by The New York Times as "a terrific company of generous dancers [that] give a vibrant tour of Mexican traditions," Calpulli will present an excerpt from Monarcas—which celebrates the real life contributions and sacrifices by Mexican immigrants to and for the United States—and Viñedos, which honors laborers who became vineyard owners and proud makers of California wine.
Calpulli’s narrative-driven performances have captivated audiences across the United States and internationally, with debuts in Bahrain in 2013 and Turkey in 2019. Co-founded by Alberto Lopez Herrera and Juan Castaño, the company’s artistic vision is now led by Artistic Director Grisel Pren Monje, who continues to honor their rich cultural history through vibrant, passionate performances.
Sydnie L. Mosley Dances
Saturday, July 12 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (SLMDances), a dance-theatre collective making their Pillow debut this summer. SLMDances explores the real-life experiences of women and the Black community through experiential dance performances that blend modern technique, verbal performance, and the movement traditions of the African diaspora. They will present a program spanning years of work, in celebration of the company’s 15th anniversary.
The company creates works designed to provoke a visceral response and spark dialogue around gender and racial justice. SLMDances works nationally, with deep relationships in Harlem, New York City, and Baltimore. SLMDances actively partners with local artists and organizations driving community-based initiatives that amplify their mission for social change through dance theater and Black feminist performance art.
Brother(hood) Dance!
Wednesday, July 16 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Those who attended the opening of Jacob’s Garden in 2021 will remember Brother(hood) Dance!, a dynamic dance company that uses movement, agriculture, and technology to challenge norms and inspire social change. At the Pillow this summer, Brother(hood) Dance! will perform Black on Earth, a project that illuminates Black farmers' resilience, wisdom, and cultural heritage while addressing the urgent issues of food justice and sustainable farming practices.
Founded by Orlando Zane Hunter Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine, the company’s innovative work fuses the rhythms of the African diaspora with their research intosustainable agricultural practices, creating transformative experiences that connect people to the land, each other, and their shared histories. Their bold approach has earned them recognition as Bessie Award honorees in 2020.
VTDance
Thursday, July 17 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Vincent E. Thomas’ VTDance brings a bold, multi-dimensional approach to contemporary performance, blending dance, text, improvisation, and collaboration across artistic disciplines. With a keen sense of athleticism, wit, and emotional depth, VTDance crafts works that engage both heart and mind.
Thomas, an acclaimed choreographer and performer, has presented his work at national and international venues from New York to Scotland, Spain, France, and beyond. At the Pillow this summer, audiences can experience his signature fusion of movement, music, and storytelling—where gesture becomes poetry and every performance invites connection. Beyond the stage, Thomas is an educator who is deeply engaged in community work, and leads talks, master classes, and workshops with his signature athleticism and wit.
Red Clay Dance Company
Friday, July 18 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Chicago's top Afro-Contemporary dance company lives to awaken "glocal" Artivism through creating, performing, and teaching dances of the African diaspora. This Black female-led company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dancers that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally, including at the National Theater of Uganda.
Now in its 16th year, the company is committed to taking their signature "Artivism in Motion" from the stage into learning environments, and sees community engagement as a vital part of the creative process and village-building work. In December, the company's founder Vershawn Sanders-Ward was named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance by the Chicago Tribune.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble
Saturday, July 19 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
World Premiere
Performances by The School at Jacob’s Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a two-week Contemporary Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Director Milton Myers and Associate Program Director Francisco Martinez. The performance will feature work by guest choreographers Peter Chu, Andrea Miller, and Aszure Barton.
Dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School’s professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.
Angkor Dance Troupe
Wednesday, July 23 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Angkor Dance Troupe brings the breathtaking beauty of Cambodian classical dance to the stage, preserving a dance tradition nearly lost during the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1978). Founded in 1986 by Tim Thou and Cambodian refugees, the troupe has become a nationally recognized leader in traditional Cambodian performing arts, serving as the heart of a vibrant Cambodian American community in Lowell, Massachusetts.
With exquisite gestures, ornate costumes, and mesmerizing choreography, the troupe’s performances honor the resilience of Cambodian culture across generations. Today, Angkor Dance Troupe fosters a new generation of young dancers, blending revival, tradition, and innovation to create imaginative works. Through dance, the troupe connects past and present, ensuring this rich artistic legacy not only endures but evolves. Experience the grace, power, and storytelling of one of the most accomplished Cambodian dance ensembles in the United States.
Orlando Hernández
Thursday, July 24 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut | Live Music
Lauded as "a onetime tap prodigy who’s grown into a history-mining experimentalist" (The New Yorker), Orlando Hernández is a performer, choreographer, theater-maker, musician, and writer who came up in the tap dance community in New York. He now presents a variety of stories and shows that thrillingly blend live music, tap dance, theater and storytelling, and embodied rhythm. His play La Broa’ (Broad Street), composed of real-life stories from Latino communities in Rhode Island, was recently produced at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, in a run the Boston Globe called "heartwarming and magical."
As a member of the New York-based tap dance and live music company Music From the Sole, Hernández has performed at Jacob's Pillow, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, the Joyce Theater, Fall For Dance at New York City Center, and Vail Dance Festival. He is also a member of the Boston-based tap dance company Subject:Matter, directed by Ian Berg, and dances with Michela Marino Lerman’s Love Movement.
H.T. Chen & Dancers
Friday, July 25 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Under the direction of Artistic Director Dian Dong, H.T. Chen & Dancers is an innovative modern dance company that embodies its Asian American heritage. The company’s repertory is distinguished by authenticity and groundbreaking works celebrating Chinese culture in the Americas. This summer at the Pillow, the company will present two signature works: Opening the Gate (described by The New York Times as "a throbbing, swirling spectacle") and Mott Street, which celebrates the resilience and collective spirit of the Chinatown community.
Since its founding in 1978, the multicultural company has earned critical acclaim for New York performances, national and international tours, and award-winning educational programming. Founder Hsueh-Tung Chen, a pioneering Asian American artist, was a choreographer, performer, and arts advocate for six decades. The New York Times wrote of him: "[he] has long been one of New York dance’s most persuasive storytellers, addressing issues of acculturation well before they become fashionable in dance."
BOCA TUYA
Saturday, July 26 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
BOCA TUYA is a New York-based movement collective rooted in the rhythms, storytelling traditions, and cultural heritage of Puerto Rico. Founded in 2018 by choreographer Omar Román de Jesús—a member of the inaugural Jacob’s Pillow Hicks Choreography Fellowship Program, Princess Grace choreography awardee, Dance Magazine Harkness Promise awardee, inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Center Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, and current resident at 92NY—the company crafts immersive dreamscapes that blend vibrant cadence, surrealist narratives, and unforgettable characters.
Through global tours, educational outreach, and choreographic commissions, BOCA TUYA empowers artists and cultivates authenticity, equity, and innovation with a distinct Boricua heartbeat, making work that is "full of sensual vulnerability; the effect is hypnotic." (Fjord Review). Honoring traditions and the ancestors who came before, the company connects past and present, while championing the excellence of New York’s top contemporary dance artists.
Bulareyaung Dance Company
Wednesday and Thursday, July 30-31 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Tickets from $35
Pillow Debut
Founded in Taiwan in 2015 by choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, Bulareyaung Dance Company creates dance through a deep connection to nature and heritage. Training takes place in the mountains and by the waterside, where dancers sing old chants and develop movement rooted in their Indigenous culture.
The company’s works have earned critical acclaim, including the prestigious Taishin Arts Award. Through powerful performances, Bulareyaung Dance Company brings Indigenous stories to the stage with striking physicality and authenticity. The company has toured internationally, performing in Canada, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, and France. With each performance, they honor and celebrate the vibrancy of Indigenous culture while expanding the boundaries of contemporary dance.
Kara Jenelle & KaJe Movement Collective
Friday, August 1 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut | World Premiere
Kara Jenelle (KJ) Wade, MFA, is a powerhouse movement artist, choreographer, and teaching diplomat whose practice is deeply rooted in the African diaspora and Black social and street dance forms. With a movement style that blends West African, hip hop, dancehall, Afrobeats, and Afro-Caribbean techniques, she has captivated audiences worldwide. As both an artist and educator, KJ’s dynamic approach to choreography and teaching has taken her to studios and festivals across more than 15 countries, from the United States to Taiwan, France, Nigeria, and beyond.
She has performed alongside icons such as Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Beyoncé, and Will Smith, using her success to amplify Black artists and culture on mainstream platforms. Her debut dance film, ÌYÁguration, celebrates the history of resilience and sisterhood among Black women, and was featured in multiple festivals and publications.
H?lau Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o N?ioka
Saturday, August 2 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Live Music
Based in Honolulu and New York City, Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima o N?ioka returns to the Henry J. Leir Stage for the first time since 2012. The mission of this school for Hawaiian dance is to preserve and perpetuate Native Hawaiian arts and cultural traditions for future generations. At the core of this mission is the sharing of hula, which has been instrumental in the preservation and perpetuation of Native Hawaiian language, art, and cultural practices.
The h?lau provides training for children, teens, and adults, as well as introductory hula workshops and classes. Company founder and kumu hula (master teacher) Vicky Holt Takamine is recognized as a native Hawaiian leader for her artistry and advocacy on social justice issues, the protection of native Hawaiian rights, and the natural and cultural resources of Hawaii. She is the recipient of the 2024 Gish Prize.
American College Dance Association
Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Jacob’s Pillow proudly hosts a night of performances by college and university dance programs from around the country, all selected from their American College Dance Association regional conference. Details on the selected ensembles will be announced in June.
The American College Dance Association (ACDA) supports and promotes a wealth of talent and creativity from college and university dance departments. Each spring, ACDA organizes eleven regional conferences at various member colleges and universities around the country, featuring performances, workshops, panels, and classes. These regional conferences provide the opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and guest artists to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an anonymous and constructive setting. Adjudicators select works for the Gala Concert, a culminating event of the conference, and for the ACDA National College Dance Festival. Jacob’s Pillow will select work from the National College Dance Festival to present on the Leir Stage.
Ice Theatre of New York
Thursday, August 7 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut | World Premiere
Ice Theatre of New York is the first non-profit ice dance company in the nation, blending artistry and athleticism to elevate skating as a performing art. This one-night performance will allow Berkshire audiences a rare opportunity to enjoy ice skating in the summer, with dancers performing in skates atop a special flooring.
Founded in 1984 by Moira North, Ice Theatre of New York has presented over 125 original works from acclaimed skating, ballet, and modern dance choreographers. The company presents dozens of free public performances each season at iconic New York locations, including Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, and Central Park’s Wollman Rink. With a diverse ensemble of skaters and a commitment to innovation, Ice Theatre of New York is a unique gem of New York’s cultural scene, creating mesmerizing performances that merge dance, ice, and storytelling.
Michela Marino Lerman
Friday and Saturday, August 8-9 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Tickets from $35
Pillow Debut | Live Music
Michela Marino Lerman is a tap dancer, choreographer, musician, and educator, celebrated for her dynamic performances and innovative approach to tap. Recognized by Downbeat Magazine as "jazz’s premier tap dancer," her work explores the intersection of tap and jazz, elevating tap as both dance and music.
A lifetime honorary member of The Copasetics and recipient of the Hoofer Award, Marino Lerman has performed at iconic venues like the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Mentored by tap legends Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, and others, she has collaborated with jazz greats including Wynton Marsalis, Esperanza Spalding, and Jon Batiste. As a teacher, Marino Lerman shares her expertise at universities and tap festivals worldwide, continuing to push the boundaries of tap dance in music. In 2021, she was featured on one in a set of five Commemorative Forever Stamps, issued by the U.S. Postal Service, celebrating tap dance as an American art form.
Benjamin Akio Kimitch
Wednesday, August 13 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Brooklyn-based artist and producer Benjamin Akio Kimitch for his Pillow debut with Tiger Hands. Inspired by his varied training in Chinese dance and intimate encounters with Peking opera, Kimitch crafts a vivid, world-building performance that honors his late mother, a Japanese American folk dancer and taiko drummer.
In Tiger Hands, Peking opera technique becomes a channel for reconnection, transformation, and personal expression. In this cosmic work, Kimitch and his collaborators draw on the experimental energy that birthed this artform, simultaneously preserving and expanding tradition. A 2024 Asian Cultural Council Fellow and 2023 Bessie Award winner, Kimitch has premiered his works at The Shed, The Noguchi Museum, Danspace Project, and more.
New York Theatre Ballet
Thursday, August 14 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Live Music
New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns to Jacob’s Pillow for the first time since 2016, celebrating their 46th season now under the direction of Steven Melendez, with a compelling repertoire featuring live music. The company presents works by a wide variety of choreographers and composers, performing small classic masterpieces and new contemporary works for adults and young children alike. Their engagement at Jacob’s Pillow will be a mixed program that will include Gabrielle Lamb's Minetta Creek (a 2023 NYTB commission of new music and dance), Antony Tudor's Trio Con Brio (a revival of a piece first performed at Jacob’s Pillow in 1952 and recently rebuilt from archival film), and additional works.
Founded in 1978, New York Theatre Ballet has featured cutting-edge programming and an ever-expanding repertory. Carrying the modern sensibilities of both established and up-and-coming choreographers, the company has brought fresh insight to classic revivals, exploring the past while boldly taking risks on the future. The company tours nationally and abroad, and has become one of the most widely seen chamber ballet companies in the United States.
Artists of the Berkshires
Friday, August 15 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
The outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage hosts selected Berkshire-region artists for a special one-day-only performance on August 15, as part of Jacob’s Pillow’s annual Community Day. Tickets to this performance and all Community Day programs are free—or purchase a $15 Rain or Shine ticket to ensure access to our indoor performance venue in the event of inclement weather. Additional details about this program will be published soon.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow: Tap Dance Performance Ensemble
Saturday, August 16 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
World Premiere | Live Music
Performances by The School at Jacob’s Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a two-week Tap Dance Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Directors Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia.
Dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School’s professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.
Yusha-Marie Sorzano
Wednesday, August 20 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Yusha-Marie Sorzano is a dynamic dancer, choreographer, and educator. As a YoungArts alumni and graduate of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, she performed principal roles with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and toured nationally and internationally with companies such as Complexions Contemporary Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers. She has performed the works of choreographers including Dianne McIntyre, Kyle Abraham, Jermaine Spivey, and Spenser Theberge. Yusha is the choreographer of A Ballet Through Mud, a collaboration of music and dance by Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA.
For her Pillow debut, her collective Sorzano Dance Works will showcase works from her repertoire including To All Our Ends, Two Women, "Girl" (an excerpt from THREAT), and This World Anew. This World Anew was commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art on the occasion of their groundbreaking exhibition Edges of Ailey in fall 2024. Her engagement at Jacob’s Pillow complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Ted Shawn Theatre, as Ailey’s legacy resonates during this final week of Festival 2025. Tickets to indoor performances are sold separately.
Matthew Rushing’s Sacred Songs
Thursday and Friday, August 21-22 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Tickets from $35
Pillow Debut
Matthew Rushing joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a company member in 1992. Now more than 30 years later, Rushing serves as Interim Artistic Director. At Jacob’s Pillow, he and dancers from the Ailey Extension will present Sacred Songs, A Journey of the Spiritual, commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art on the occasion of their groundbreaking exhibition Edges of Ailey. The work resurrects the omitted songs from the original production of Revelations to speak to our present need for lament, faith, and joy.
Rushing is a YoungArts alum, the recipient of a Spotlight Award and a Dance Magazine Award, and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He has performed in Austria, Canada, France, Italy, and Russia, and for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House Dance Series. He has choreographed for PHILADANCO! and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In his time with the Ailey company, Rushing has choreographed four ballets: Acceptance In Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Hope Boykin and Abdur-Rahim Jackson; Uptown (2009); ODETTA (2014); and Testament (2020), a collaboration with Clifton Brown and Yusha-Marie Sorzano.
The Ailey Extension trains dancers through open classes taught by renowned instructors for people of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels from beginners to professionals. This two-night engagement complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and performances of Revelations in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Tickets to indoor performances are sold separately.
HopeBoykinDance
Saturday, August 23 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage | Choose What You Pay
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow is honored to present two-time Bessie Award-winning choreographer, writer, director, and filmmaker Hope Boykin in her highly anticipated Pillow debut, with HopeBoykinDance. An acclaimed former member of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, PHILADANCO!, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Boykin brings a compelling collaboration of contemporary-modern movement, spoken word, and storytelling to the stage.
Known for her deeply expressive movement-language, Boykin has most recently created new works for Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She has presented HopeBoykinDance at The Joyce Theater, 92NY, and The Kennedy Center, where she reimagined Jacqueline Woodson’s The Other Side and choreographed the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS. Her deep history as a 20-year Ailey company member and commissioned choreographer complements the week-long run of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the Ted Shawn Theatre.
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ABOUT JACOB’S PILLOW
Jacob’s Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival, which celebrates its 93rd season in Summer 2025. Jacob’s Pillow acknowledges that it rests on the ancestral homelands of the Muh-he-con-ne-ok or Mohican people. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors and elders past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all. In addition, we acknowledge the Nipmuc, the Wampanoag and other tribal nations who also made their homes in what is now known as Massachusetts.
Founded by Ted Shawn in 1933, each Festival includes national and international dance companies and free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, events, and community programs. The School at Jacob’s Pillow, a prestigious professional dance training center, advances the careers of the upcoming generation of performers and choreographers; during the Festival, 100 international dancers evolve as artists in ballet, choreography, contemporary, musical theatre, tap, and other genres, and year round, artist faculty and accomplished alumni nurture younger dancers in a series of Jacob’s Pillow 360 workshops and intensives offered in partnership with leading dance institutions worldwide. The Pillow also provides professional advancement opportunities across disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production through seasonal internships and a year-round Administrative Fellows program. Through its community engagement programs, the Pillow serves as a partner and active citizen in its local community. The Pillow’s extensive Archives, open year-round to the public and highlighted online at danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos.
Notable artists who have created or premiered dances at the Pillow include choreographers Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Kevin McKenzie, Twyla Tharp, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Trisha Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Wally Cardona, Andrea Miller, and Trey McIntyre; performed by artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen de Lavallade, Mark Morris, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, Rasta Thomas, and hundreds of others. On March 2, 2011, President Barack Obama honored Jacob’s Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. The Pillow’s Executive and Artistic Director since 2016 is Pamela Tatge. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.
MAJOR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT FOR JACOB’S PILLOW IS GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY: Arison Arts Foundation, Barr Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Doris Duke Foundation, Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and The Shubert Foundation. As of January 28, 2025.
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