Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space located in

Becket, Massachusetts Becket is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,931 at the 2020 census. History Becket was first settled in 1740, and was o ...

, in the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

. The organization is known for a Summer dance festival. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives as well as year-round community programs. The facility itself was listed as a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in 2003.

History

The site of Jacob's Pillow in

was originally settled in 1790 by Jacob Carter III. Because of the zigzagging road leading to the hilltop property, it became known as "Jacob's Ladder", after the Biblical story, and a pillow-shaped rock on the property prompted the farm to acquire the name "Jacob's Pillow". The farm was purchased in 1931 by modern dance pioneer

Ted Shawn Ted Shawn (born Edwin Myers Shawn; October 21, 1891 – January 9, 1972) was a male pioneer of American modern dance. He created the Denishawn School together with his wife Ruth St. Denis. After their separation he created the all-male company Te ...

as a dance retreat. Shawn and his wife, Ruth St. Denis, led the highly regarded

Denishawn Company The Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn in Los Angeles, California, helped many perfect their dancing talents and became the first dance academy in the United States to produce a professiona ...

, which had popularized dance forms rooted in theater and cultural traditions outside European ballet. They were influential in training a host of dance pioneers, including Martha Graham, Charles Weidman,

Doris Humphrey Doris Batcheller Humphrey (October 17, 1895 – December 29, 1958) was an American dancer and choreographer of the early twentieth century. Along with her contemporaries Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham, Humphrey was one of the second gen ...

, and Jack Cole. Shawn's objective was to establish a dance organization for American men. The early corps of his all-male company built many of the structures on the Jacob's Pillow campus. This effort came to an end in 1940 with the advent of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

; Shawn's company disbanded and most of its members joined the military. Significant debt forced Shawn to consider sale of the property. In 1940, he leased the property to dance teacher Mary Washington Ball, but her summer festival was also financially unsuccessful. British ballet stars

Alicia Markova Dame Alicia Markova DBE (1 December 1910 – 2 December 2004) was a British ballerina and a choreographer, director and teacher of classical ballet. Most noted for her career with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and touring internation ...

and Anton Dolin learned of Shawn's financial difficulties, and decided to acquire the property. With financial backing and fundraising support from millionaire Reginald Wright, $50,000 was raised to purchase the property and construct a theater building. The summer dance festival was revived, and Shawn was retained as its director until his death in 1972. In 2003, the Jacob's Pillow property was declared a

by the federal government as "an exceptional cultural venue that holds value for all Americans." It is the only dance entity in the U.S. to receive this honor. In March 2011, Jacob's Pillow was named a recipient of the 2010 National Medal of Arts, a national award of distinction. The Doris Duke Theater, one of two indoor performance spaces, was destroyed in a fire on November 17, 2020.

Festival

The Pillow presents international dance in many forms, styles, and traditions, and approximately 200 events each season, including performances, lectures, tours, films, exhibits, and talks with artists from all over the world, culminating in approximately 80,000 visitors annually. Pillow founder Ted Shawn was instrumental in beginning the careers of Martha Graham and Jack Cole, and the Pillow has continued this mentoring role in the careers of artists such as

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Center ...

José Limón José Arcadio Limón (January 12, 1908 – December 2, 1972) was a dancer and choreographer from Mexico and who developed what is now known as 'Limón technique'. In the 1940s, he founded the José Limón Dance Company (now the Limón Dan ...

, and Mark Morris. Companies such as

Dance Theatre of Harlem Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served ...

, the

Parsons Dance Company Parsons Dance is a contemporary dance company founded by choreographer David Parsons. The company tours nationally and internationally, and includes an annual season in New York. Based in New York City, Parsons Dance was founded on July 17, 1985, ...

, and Trey McIntyre Project made their debuts at the Pillow, and international groups such as The

Royal Danish Ballet The Royal Danish Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and originates from 1748, when the R ...

, Nederlands Dans Theatre,

Black Grace Black Grace is one of New Zealand's leading contemporary dance companies. Founded by Neil Ieremia in 1995, Ieremia draws from his Samoan and New Zealand roots to create innovative dance works that reach across social, cultural and generational ...

and Hofesh Shechter Company have made their U.S. debuts here. World premieres have been commissioned from choreographers such as

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

and Paul Taylor, and artists such as

Margot Fonteyn Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (''née'' Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells ...

and Mikhail Baryshnikov have been showcased in works. Performances at Jacob's Pillow take place in two venues. The Ted Shawn Theatre went through a renovation which was completed in 2022 and included a new ventilation and air cooling system, creation of an orchestra pit, enhanced accessibility for artists backstage and audience seating, increased stage depth, new industry standard electrical system, expanded clearance height to 25 feet, a new indoor artist crossover, and a new lower level with flexible dressing rooms, wardrobe spaces, an elevator and accessible ramp system, and a maintenance space. The Ted Shawn Theatre has a capacity of 620 reserved seats. Talks by Pillow Scholars-in-Residence take place before every performance, and Post-Show Talks happen in the Ted Shawn Theatre on Thursdays, giving audiences an opportunity to engage with artists in moderated Q&A sessions. The second venue is the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, which presents the Inside/Out Performance Series, free performances of established and emerging artists from all over the world in an informal, outdoor venue set against a panoramic vista of the Berkshire hills. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays feature emerging artists, and Saturdays showcase the dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow. Each performance in the Inside/Out Series concludes with a Q&A session with the artists. Artist featured in Inside/Out include: Pilobolus Dance Theater, Nadine Bommer Dance Company, Reggie "Regg Roc" Gray, Michelle Dorrance with Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, Abarukas, Manuel Vignoulle, and Laurie M. Taylor.

Doris Duke Studio Theatre

The Doris Duke Theatre, built in 1990 as one of three primary performance spaces on Jacob’s Pillow’s 220-acre campus in

Western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as “Western Mass,” is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and u ...

, was lost to a structure fire the morning of November 17, 2020 beginning around 5am EST. The fire was contained to the building; no one was injured and no other buildings suffered damage. Firefighters from Becket Fire Department and surrounding towns responded to the call from an eyewitness just before 7am and arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The origin and cause of the fire at Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Theatre on November 17, 2020 was ruled undetermined by the Massachusetts State Police Fire Investigation led by Officer Daniel B. Quigley. Catastrophic damage of the site resulted in limited scene examination. The report, delivered to Jacob’s Pillow on February 12, indicated that the fire is believed to have originated in the southeast corner of the building where a vast amount of the building’s theatrical electrical equipment was located, including professional lighting and audio systems. The Massachusetts State Police Fire Investigation concluded that the theater’s sprinkler suppression system was inoperable or limited in its capabilities at the time of the fire and that a malfunction in the pump system failed to properly supply water to the sprinkler system and nearby hydrant. These issues slowed fire suppression efforts. There was no evidence of an incendiary act. Pending any new information, the case is considered closed. Immediately following the incident, Jacob’s Pillow initiated an internal site-wide safety audit, confirming reliability of all alarm and fire suppression systems and to better understand any further weakness to the safety and security of every building on its campus. In addition, the Pillow has engaged an outside risk management professional to further identify potential problems and has released a request for proposal (RFP) for an upgrade to its current fire-pump system. In the aftermath of the fire, Jacob’s Pillow received a tremendous outpouring of support from artists and audiences around the world. The Pillow was able to commit to move several of its on-site, COVID-compliant residences for dance companies that had been scheduled in the theater between December through May int
The Perles Family Studio
the other year-round rehearsal space on campus. Jacob’s Pillow is at the early stages of planning to rebuild the Doris Duke Theatre and has hired an external consultant to conduct interviews with artists, technicians, and audiences members as initial research. “Our hope is to build a theater that has all of the warmth and character of the Doris Duke Theatre while providing for the needs of artists and audiences in the 21st century,” says Executive & Artistic Director Pamela Tatge.

The School at Jacob's Pillow

The School at Jacob's Pillow
is based out of th
Perles Family Studio
and is a conservatory-style curriculum of five programs:

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, Contemporary Traditions, Cultural Traditions, Tap/Musical Theater, and th
Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography Fellows Program
The dancers’ schedule includes six days each week with four professional-level studio classes each day, coaching sessions, weekly performances for the public, master classes with Festival artists, talks led by Scholars-in-Residence, study assignments in the Pillow's Archives, and attendance at all Festival performances and events. The School at Jacob's Pillow is known for its faculty. Faculty of The School at Jacob's Pillow have included Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, Chet Walker, Nikolaj Hubbe, Anna-Marie Holmes, Milton Myers,

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ...

, Rennie Harris,

Matt Mattox Matt Mattox (August 16, 1921 – February 18, 2013) was an American jazz and ballet dancer. He was a Broadway performer and a specialty dancer in many Hollywood musicals. His best-known film role was as Caleb Pontipee in the 1954 film ''Seven Brid ...

, Soledad Barrio, Tim Rushton, Finis Jhung, Martin Santangelo, Mercedes Ellington,

Stephanie Saland Stephanie Saland (born ) is an American former ballet dancer and teacher. She was spotted by George Balanchine whilst a student at the School of American Ballet, then joined the New York City Ballet in 1972, and was promoted to principal dancer i ...

, Victor Plotnikov, Annie-B Parson, Paul Lazar, Aszure Barton, Helen Pickett, Banu Ogan, Mr. Wiggles, Marjory Smarth, Dana Moore, and Ric Ryder. Alumni of The School include MacArthur Grant-winner

Meredith Monk Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942) is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. From the 1960s onwards, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recordin ...

, choreographer

Mia Michaels Mia Michaels Melchiona (known professionally as Mia Michaels; born February 22, 1966) is an American choreographer and judge on the television show ''So You Think You Can Dance''. She has worked with Tom Cruise, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, M ...

, former Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and

Paul Taylor Dance Company Paul Taylor Dance Company, is a modern dance company, formed by dancer and choreographer Paul Taylor (1930—2018). The modern dance company is based in New York, New York and was founded in 1954. Taylor originally performed in the companies of ...

principal Linda Kent, artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet

Nikolaj Hübbe Nikolaj Hübbe (born 30 October 1967) is artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Career Since becoming artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet, Hübbe has successfully staged new productions of Bournonville's '' Napoli'' (2009) and '' ...

, recent winner of FOX's television show ''

So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...

'', Joshua Allen, and Robert Swinston of

Merce Cunningham Dance Company Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

References

{{authority control Dance festivals in the United States National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts United States National Medal of Arts recipients Dance schools in the United States Dance research Dance events Contemporary dance Dance in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

History

Festival

Doris Duke Studio Theatre

The School at Jacob's Pillow

Archives

See also

References