Press Release

1. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT:
Mariclare Hulbert, Director of Marketing and Communication
413.243.9919 x130
mhulbert@jacobspillow.org
-or-
Toni Bolger, Public Relations Coordinator
413.243.9919 x132
tbolger@jacobspillow.org
JACOB’S PILLOW CLOSES
80TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH
THE JOFFREY BALLET
IN A RARE EAST COAST APPEARANCE
FEATURING A WORLD PREMIERE
BY HOUSTON BALLET’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR STANTON WELCH
SON OF CHAMBER SYMPHONY
August 19, 2012–(Becket, MA) The Joffrey Ballet, one of America’s pioneering ballet companies of
the 20th century, makes a rare East Coast appearance to conclude the Jacob’s Pillow 80th
Anniversary Season August 22–26. The Joffrey Ballet returns for the first time since its high-profile
appearances at the Pillow in the 1950s and 60s, presenting an impressive program that features
Taiwanese-American choreographer Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, Russian choreographer
Yuri Possokhov’s Bells, and the world premiere of Son of Chamber Symphony by Stanton Welch,
Artistic Director of Houston Ballet.
The program opens with Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, set to music by prolific postmodern
composer Philip Glass and the award-winning film composer Thomas Newman. The work is inspired
by the writings of Jane Austen and illustrates the spirit of women in the Victorian era despite societal
constraints. The work will feature a different cast for every performance. Liang’s choreography
complements Maria Pinto’s “thoughtful costume design [which] cements the 18th/19th century vibe
without being too literal” (Catherine L. Tully, The Huffington Post). The ensemble work hearkens to
the English country dances so significant in Austen literature, and the expressive pas de deux
segments reflect the deepening emotional connection between the men and women in a time of
emotional repression. Funded by the Prince Prize to commission original work, Age of Innocence
premiered in 2008 and was proclaimed a “newly minted masterpiece” by Hedy Weiss of the Chicago
Sun-Times. Liang, a former dancer of New York City Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater, is well
known for his acclaimed works Flight of Angels and Distant Cries.
The second work in the triple bill is the luxurious ballet Bells by Yuri Possokhov, former Bolshoi
Ballet dancer and resident choreographer of the San Francisco Ballet. Set to seven piano
compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Bells “mixes classic form with seething intensity…Possokhov
embraces an often exhilarating tradition only to tease and tickle it whenever the mood strikes” (The
Chicago Tribune). This work, a meditation on the nature of relationships, features 10 dancers in
each of the two casts that display inventive partnering and impressive unison work. Flicked wrists,
gyrating hips, and sharp leg movements blend with fluid and lyrical ballet language in a work that
manifests a union between the Russian tradition and the American innovations. Bells features
costumes by award-winning designer Sandra Woodall, who is credited with the costume design for
over 200 productions all over the world, and has worked with some of the most highly-regarded
companies such as the Bolshoi Ballet and the San Francisco Ballet.

2. The program concludes with the world premiere of Australian choreographer and current Artistic
Director of Houston Ballet Stanton Welch’s Son of Chamber Symphony, set to the eponymous score
by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams. Welch, a former dancer and resident
choreographer of The Australian Ballet, has created works for leading companies such as American
Ballet Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet, among many others. A Joffrey
commission, Son of Chamber Symphony features costume designs by Travis Halsey and lighting
design by Jack Mehler. This will be Welch’s second world premiere at the Pillow; in 2011 he
choreographed a work on the students of the The School at Jacob’s Pillow Ballet Program for the
Season Opening Gala. Welch has been named “an undisputed talent” by Anna Kisselgoff and “a
staple of the international ballet scene,” by Jennifer Dunning, both of The New York Times.
The Joffrey Ballet, founded by Robert Joffrey in 1956 and co-directed for many years by Gerald
Arpino, has been considered “America’s Company of Firsts:” the first company to perform at the
White House, the first to appear on television, and the first and only company thus far to appear on
the cover of Time magazine, among other achievements. Currently led by Artistic Director Ashley C.
Wheater, himself a former Joffrey dancer, and Executive Director Christopher Clinton Conway, the
company is based in Chicago, Illinois. Its diverse repertoire includes narrative classical ballets,
reconstructions of masterpieces, and commissioned contemporary works. The Joffrey Ballet,
comprised of 45 dancers, “has long been known for its versatility, moving as it has from one
divergent style to another with easy verve for half a century” (Jennifer Dunning, The New York
Times).
Pillow founder Ted Shawn championed Robert Joffrey's work from the very beginning of his career,
presenting some of Joffrey's earliest works in 1952 and 1953 and again in 1957. The company had
its Pillow debut in 1960, when Shawn presented The Robert Joffrey Ballet with Maria Tallchief as
guest artist. When the company lost the substantial support of arts patron Rebekah Harkness,
Joffrey created an entirely new organization and the Pillow played an important role in showcasing
this newly-reorganized group in 1965.
This will be The Joffrey Ballet’s first appearance since 1965. In this historic return engagement three
dancers set to perform, Graham Maverick, Ricardo Santos, and Jenny Winton, are alumni of The
School at Jacob’s Pillow. Wheater, Welch and Possokhov have previously served as faculty
members of The School’s Ballet Program. Additionally, the company’s Stage Manager is an alumna
of the Intern Program at Jacob’s Pillow.
RELATED EVENT
Free PillowTalk: Joffrey’s Past, Present, and Future
Friday, August 24, 5pm
Since Robert Joffrey’s first Pillow performances 60 years ago, his company has enjoyed a dynamic
relationship with audiences, and this unique story is explored by current director Ashley Wheater.
FREE
Performance and Ticket Information
The Joffrey Ballet
Ted Shawn Theatre
Wednesday, August 22–Saturday, August 25, 8pm
Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26, 2pm
Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered in Blake’s Barn
30 minutes before every performance.
A Post-Show Talk with Ashley C. Wheater and a Pillow Scholar will take place onstage on
Friday, August 24.
Tickets $75. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person
at the Jacob’s Pillow Box Office.

3. Box Office hours: Monday and Tuesday, 10am–6pm, Wednesday through Saturday 10am–
8pm, and Sunday 11am–5pm.
Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east
on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theatres are
handicapped-accessible.
IN THE DORIS DUKE THEATRE, AUGUST 22–26
Doug Elkins and Friends’ Fräulein Maria
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, August 22 – Saturday, August 25, 8:15pm
Saturday, August 25 & Sunday, August 26, 2:15pm
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Performed at Jacob’s Pillow in 2009, Fräulein Maria is an astute, hilarious, and moving production
adored by non-dance audiences and dance experts alike. A marvelous deconstruction of Rodgers
and Hammerstein’s musical The Sound of Music, Fräulein Maria is performed to the complete film
score. Ballet, hip-hop, and modern dance merge with intelligent yet laugh-out-loud humor and
cheeky theatricality. Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe comments, “The icing on the cake is the
depth and range of the choreography. Elkins integrates disparate elements with such fluidity it’s like
a whole new language, and his dancers are spectacular.” Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times
calls Fräulein Maria, a “mini-masterpiece of a certain kind, encompassing everything that is brilliant
about Mr. Elkins’s choreography: his skillful craftsmanship; his musicality and timing; the effortless
melding of every kind of dance technique you can think of, mediated by his own inimitable, highly
coordinated physical style.” Tickets $43, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.
FREE THIS WEEK AUGUST 22–26
Free Inside/Out Performance: Amy Cova Dance
Wednesday, August 22, 6:15pm
Amy Cova's work a very fast man in a very short skirt, inspired by the ancient rituals of the
Tarahumara Indians is set to an original score by composer Brian Trahan. The dancers evoke play
as a means to explore the physical and mental strength required for growth, success and happiness.
FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Mariah Maloney Dance
Thursday, August 23, 6:15pm
Mariah Maloney, a former member of Trisha Brown Dance Company, presents her new work Sliver,
inspired by a recent trip to Finland and choreographed in collaboration with visual artist Cinda Kelly’s
set design, which explores visibility, liquidity and time. Rock, an edgy female sextet, merges delicate
physicality with aggressive movement and gesture and is danced to music ranging from Brazilian
Girls to Carl Orff. Irish Solo: Turas is vibrant solo dance infused with the mood, rhythms and
textures of traditional Irish music, played by Lad Lane. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Joffrey’s Past, Present, and Future
Friday, August 24, 5pm
Since Robert Joffrey’s first Pillow performances 60 years ago, his company has enjoyed a dynamic
relationship with audiences, and this unique story is explored by current director Ashley Wheater.
FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Out Innerspace Dance Theatre
Friday, August 24, 6:15pm
ME SO YOU SO ME, by Canadian dance artists Tiffany Tregarthen and David Raymond, is a duet
that draws on inspirations as disparate as Japanese pop culture and classical Indian tabla rhythms.
Physical comedy and quirky movement suggest Saturday morning cartoons, as Tregarthen's

4. bending and stretching is juxtaposed with Raymond's angular lunges and squats. The surreal quality
of the work is heightened by experimental Japanese percussionist Asa Chang's score. FREE
Free PillowTalk: Gene Kelly Centennial Salute
Saturday, August 25, 4pm
On the occasion of his 100th birthday, screen icon Gene Kelly’s legacy is explored in film clips and
conversation with eminent film historian Jeanine Basinger. FREE
Free Inside/Out Performance: Houston Met Dance Company
Saturday, August 25, 6:15pm
Showcasing their technical prowess and versatility, the Houston Met Dance Company performs
Stand Back, a tango for three men and three women choreographed by Lar Lubovitch Dance
Company member Kate Skarpetowska, and Larry Keigwin's Air, which transforms dancers into sassy
flight attendants. FREE
FREE EXHIBITS—OPEN JUNE 20–AUGUST 26
Decades of Dance
Blake's Barn
Open Tues-Sun, noon to approx 10pm
From its inception in 1933 to the present day, Jacob's Pillow has been home to extraordinary dance
from around the world. In celebration of the Pillow's 80th Anniversary Season, remarkable images
from each decade are grouped thematically in a unique commemorative exhibition. Culled from the
extensive Jacob's Pillow Archives, this cornucopia of treasures includes a virtual Who's Who of the
dance world and features rare materials never before exhibited. FREE
Old / Pillow
Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes before every Ted Shawn Theatre performance
New York photographer Toby Old has focused his lens on specific locations like Coney Island and
Times Square, and explored themes such as fashion shows, nightclubs, and boxing matches. His
Jacob’s Pillow visits over the past five years have yielded images that capture both the place and the
people who enliven it. Some of these photographs were recently featured in a Paris gallery; this
exhibit marks the first time they have been shown in the U.S. FREE
Ivan Chermayeff Designs
Doris Duke Theatre Lobby
Open 60 minutes before every Doris Duke Theatre performance
A celebrated designer, illustrator, and artist, Ivan Chermayeff has created familiarly iconic images for
hundreds of prominent clients such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian and has won
numerous awards. In 1955, with Tom Geismar, he co-founded the internationally-known New York
City design firm Chermayeff & Geismar. Chermayeff's designs for Jacob's Pillow in the 1980s and
90s are still remembered for their bold vision and originality, and many are collected here for the first
time. FREE
Precious Medals
Blake's Barn
Open Tues–Sun, noon to approx 10pm
When President Barack Obama presented the National Medal of Arts to Jacob's Pillow at the White
House last year, the Pillow became the first dance presenting organization ever to receive this
distinction. The medal itself and the signed presidential proclamation are on display in this exhibit
along with some of the other awards received by the Pillow and its founder, Ted Shawn, including
the Capezio Award, the Commonwealth Award, Shawn's medal from the King of Denmark, and other
treasures. FREE
Anniversary Highlights, Part 2

5. Bakalar Studio
Open to the public whenever classes or rehearsals are not in session
Photos from past Pillow seasons traditionally line the Bakalar Studio walls, and the current 80th
Anniversary Festival offers a special opportunity to look back at memorable images from the
Festival's history. FREE
Jacob's Pillow Dance Archives
Blake's Barn
Open Tues–Sun, noon to approx 10pm
This informal library and reading room allows impromptu visitors to view videos, browse through
books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs
and photographs. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare
film clips ranging from the present-day back to the 1930s, and the Dance Heritage Coalition's new
Secure Media Network features videos from other archives throughout the country. FREE
Jacob’s Pillow, celebrating its 80th Anniversary Festival in 2012, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of
Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. The Festival includes more than 50 national and
international dance companies and 300 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at
Jacob’s Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of
Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various departments of
arts administration and production. The Pillow’s extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of
dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of
children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events. Through Jacob’s
Pillow Curriculum in Motion®, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students
grades K-12, transforming existing curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning
experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy
unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award all support visionary
dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to
experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and mobile
social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, is a curated online video collection of dance
highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacob’s Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the
highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacob’s Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this
prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.
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