The summer 2012 lineup at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival fills two stages in Becket.
The Joffrey Ballet is among those performers visiting Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this summer.The Joffrey Ballet, Bill T. Jones’ group and Tero Saarinen’s dance company highlight the impressive list of dance groups descending upon Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival this summer.
That’s why dance fans from around the world make the pilgrimage to Becket each year.
Luckily, we don’t have to travel as far as most people.
Instead, all that time you save driving there can be spent getting the most of your visit to this unique place listed as a National Historic Landmark.
Sure, there’s lots of great dance performances in Jacob’s Pillow’s two main theaters (the iconic barn transformed into the Ted Shawn Theatre and the smaller, newer Doris Duke Theatre) during the 10-week-long, 80th-annual festival, which runs from June 20 to Aug. 26. (There’s also a special opening night gala on June 16.)
Along with the three dance companies listed above, other highlights include the Brazilian company Mimulus (June 20-24), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (Aug. 1 - 5) and the Trey McIntyre Project (Aug. 8 -12).
But if you only attend performances featured in these two theaters, you’re only scratching the surface of everything available at the place people affectionately call “the Pillow.”
And depending on how ambitious you are, you could easily spend a long day there, from early in the morning until late into the night.
With that in mind, here’s how to get the most out of your day at the Pillow this summer, in the order listed below.
MOVE: Don’t just watch performers dance. Join in. Hours before most people even step foot on the grounds of the 163-acre property, the Pillow offers classes open to the public Monday through Friday mornings during the festival. The classes include Pilates, ballet and modern dance. And every Sunday morning during the festival, a Master dance class is led by one of the performers featured that week at the Pillow for higher-level dance students .But you don’t have to be the next Mikhail Baryshnikov to attend one of the seven classes offered on Thursdays in July and August. The Families Dance Together classes at the Pillow is offered to children of all ages accompanied by a parent, grandparent or another adult. In each case, call (413) 243-9919 for exact times and more details.
EXPLORE: After class or whenever you have the chance, make sure to explore the grounds itself. There’s a reason why founder and former Springfield College teacher Ted Shawn made this place his summer home. The natural beauty of the Berkshires feels alive there. You’re also often likely to stumble upon a class going on inside one of the many rehearsal studios. The Pillow encourages guests to observe students in The School at Jacob’s Pillow, an internationally-renowned dance school that attracts some of the best young dancers in the world. If you want to get off the beaten path, head to one of the walking trails located on the Pillow’s grounds. You’ll find the entrance to one of the nicer ones alongside the parking lot furthest from the main entrance. (If you’re walking from the Pillow’s theaters to the main parking lot, turn left.) This path leads through the woods and comes right back out into another part the main parking lot. And if you have kids with you, feel free to bring a soccer ball and play around on the great lawn, which ironically served as a parking lot until 1986.
STUDY: You don’t have to be a dance scholar to delve into the Pillow’s vast archives. Here, you can find thousands of hours of videos documenting many of the world-renowned dance companies that have performed at the Pillow. The Pillow’s archives located in Blake’s Barn also contains “correspondence, photographs, programs, board minutes, books, costumes, posters, films, audiotapes, and scrapbooks,” according to the Pillow’s website. The archives are open to the public during the festival Tuesdays through Sundays from noon until the final curtain. During the rest of the year, hours are by appointment and may be arranged by calling (413) 243-9919, extension 150.
EAT: If you took a class in the morning, explored the grounds and the archives, odds are you’ll be ready to eat. There are several places to dine at the Pillow. The Pillow Pub is a great option, but save that one for a drink or dessert later, especially after it gets dark and the small lights all around give the pub a warm, welcome glow. Like Tanglewood nearby, perhaps the best way to enjoy a meal at the Pillow is bring one yourself and dine outside. Also, if you plan on eating more than one meal here on the same day, you should probably eat the one simmering in the cooler baking in your car first. Or you can just grab one of the prepared picnic meals sold at the Pillow. If you don’t feel like spreading a blanket down on the grass, there are several picnic tables located on the grounds. Trust me. Friends who don’t even like dance will gladly come back to the Pillow time and again for a great picnic at the Pillow.
TALK: If it’s just after lunchtime on a weekend or just before dinner almost any day during the festival, you should have time to attend one of the many lectures taking place at the Pillow. Most of the talks take place in Blake’s Barn and focus on the groups performing that week in the Pillow’s two main theaters. Some talks feature dance scholars. Many feature the choreographers themselves. That’s one of the great things about the Pillow. You don’t just see the dancers from afar. You get to know firsthand what went into making the pieces performed on stage.
FREE: Not all the dance performances take place inside the two main stages on the grounds. Before or after you attend a show in the Shawn or Duke theater, watch one of the many free performances held on the stage outdoors at the Pillow. Known as the Inside/Out series, most of the shows start at 6:15 p.m. every Wednesday through Saturday during the festival. The free performances feature a wide range - from students at the Pillow’s school to sneak previews of companies performing in the main theaters to dance company’s you’ve probably never even heard of before. That’s the beauty of these free performances - and the Pillow itself. You never really know what to expect when you come here. Which is probably why so many people keep coming back year after year for more.
Jacob’s Pillow, located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, boasts an eclectic lineup. The season schedule appears below:
Ted Shawn Theatre
June 20-24 – Mimulus
June 27-July 1 – Morphoses
July 4-8 – Vertigo Dance Company
July 11-15 – Tero Saarinen Company
July 18-22 – Hong Kong Ballet
July 25-29 – Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company
Aug. 1-5 – Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Aug. 8-12 – Trey McIntyre Project
Aug. 15-19 – Compagnie Kafig
Aug. 22-26 – The Joffrey Ballet
Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets $39, 59, $64, $65 and $70 as well as Under 35 Fridays for young adults 18-35, and $10 Youth Tickets for select performances. For tickets, call (413) 243-0745 or online at www.jacobspillow.org
Doris Duke Theatre
June 20-24 – Circa
June 27-July 1 – Kidd Pivot
July 4-8 – LeeSaar The Company
July 11-15 – The Men Dancers: From the Horse’s Mouth
July 18-22 – Luna Negra
July 25-29 – Jessica Lang Dance
Aug. 1-5 – Jonah Bokaer x David Hallberg
Aug. 8-12 – Dance Heginbotham
Aug. 15-19 – Liz Gerring Dance
Aug. 22-26 – Doug Elkins and Friends’: Fraulein Maria
Wednesday-Saturday at 8:15 p.m., Saturday-Sunday at 2:15 p.m.
Tickets $22, $35 and $38. For tickets, call (413) 243-0745 or online at www.jacobspillow.org
Free Inside/Out performances are scheduled Wednesdays through Saturdays, 6:15 to 7 p.m. at the Marcia and Seymour Simon Performance Space.