PillowVoices: Dance Through Time

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.

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.Interstitial music for this episode is from the live performance Hip Hop Across the Pillow as well as the All Styles Dance Battle event in 2023. Music: Darrin Ross, d. Sabela grimes ("All Goodness In," performed and written by Usual Rucker).Additional film and video from Hip Hop Across the Pillow can be found at: https://watch.jacobspillow.org/category/videos/hip-hop-across-the-pillowhttps://www.ladiesofhiphop.com/

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.Video links:Inside the Pillow Lab: Hari Krishnan/inDANCE (2024) https://youtu.be/rS1QWdC771E?si=RDdlOkle16g-EGQDInside the Pillow Lab: Aakash Odedra (2024) https://youtu.be/7rFjqCfVd78?si=ZdqRw1FqXUlyg12UInside the Pillow Lab: Ananya Dance Theatre (2022) https://youtu.be/KgH-aIm7Q5E?si=Blzt2goEa_pU7TOY

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.Full PillowTalk including commentary on video excerpts of the company's repertoire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VzzAG70B3o Video playlist 'Gotta Laugh' featuring excerpt of Paquita by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo:https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/playlists/gotta-laugh/ Video excerpt of Swan Lake by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/les-ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo/le-lac-des-cygnes-swan-lake-act-ii/  

Political analyst Rachel Maddow speaks with Pillow scholar 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.https://www.christianawarner.com/

In this episode of PillowVoices, we bring you an interview with choreographer Yin Mei. PillowScholar Suzanne Carbonneau sat down with Yin Mei to discuss her work titled Empty Traditions / City of Peonies in August, 1999. In a 1999 interview with Pillow Scholar Suzanne Carbonneau, Yin Mei talks about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, which stripped people of their history and traditions. She speaks of how her work combines her past with contemporary concerns, as she investigates and reclaims her heritage. Watch a clip of Empty Traditions / City of Peonies: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/yin-mei/empty-tradition-city-of-peonies/

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.Watch a clip of Por Um Fio:https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/mimulus-dance-company/por-um-fio/Insights and influences, Silvana Cardell:In Buenos Aires, Cardell learned under the mentorship of Chilean choreographer Ana Itelman and grew up attending  Oscar Araiz’s performances. From them, she understood what it took to become an artist. Their work was influenced by German expressionism's emotional depth and American dance's physicality. Iteman and Araiz were former students of German soloist dancer Dore Hoyer and American choreographer Miriam Winslow, who was strongly connected to Jacob Pillow, first as a Denishwan student in 1932 and later returning in the 1940s to perform her own work. These influences, along with a strong foundation in contemporary dance forms, ballet training, and traditional Argentinean dance forms, determined the quality of Cardell's early work, which connects to the Mimulus Dance Company’s style. Pursuing artistic growth, influenced by teacher Ana, who had been faculty at Bard College, Cardell moved between Buenos Aires and the U.S. throughout the late 1980s, first as a student at The University of the Arts,  finally settling in the U.S. in 2004 after graduating with an MFA at Temple University.  Her educational journey in Philadelphia led to work with key figures in the dance community, such as Manfred Fishbeck and Merian Soto, mentors and collaborators who fostered a creative dialogue that extends into her creative work, today.  

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.Watch an excerpt of Underground River: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/jane-comfort-and-company/underground-river/

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.

Poet and dance writer Karen Hildebrand hosts this episode focusing on how text and spoken word are used in dance. Included are examples from works by Liz Lerman, Joe Goode, and Carmen de Lavallade. Hildebrand is the former editorial director for Dance Magazine, and a past editor in chief of Dance Teacher magazine.*Of note: the music that underlies Martha Wittman's monologue in Liz Lerman's piece, "Of Fertile Fields," was composed by Robert Een.