Wednesdays

7:00 pm-8:30 pm

Online

1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17

(No class on 2/24)

Five Sessions

This course is offered online via the easy-to-use Zoom program.

Heading into its 89th season as one of the pillars of the cultural scene in the Berkshires, Jacob's Pillow possesses a rich history, a vital year-round presence, and a challenging future full of new initiatives. All of these aspects will be explored by three knowledgeable Pillow figures who can narrate the organization's story through incomparable video resources and complementary perspectives. No in-depth dance background is necessary to appreciate this insightful five-part presentation which promises to trace how a remote abandoned farm in Becket became a National Historic Landmark known around the world. 

Suggested Reading: 

A Certain Place, Norton Owen [Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 2002].

Online materials found in the Themes/Essays area of Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive 

Pamela Tatge is the Executive & Artistic Director of Jacob's Pillow since 2016, responsible for setting the artistic vision and strategic goals for all aspects of the organization, including Festival programming, education, preservation, audience engagement, residency programming and artist support, long-term planning, collaborative programming, fundraising, marketing, and more. Tatge spearheaded the creation of Vision '22, a strategic approach to the Pillow's development through 2022 and a blueprint enabling Jacob's Pillow to become a year-round center for dance research and development. For nearly 17 years, Tatge served as the Director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University, overseeing robust programming and acclaimed artistic initiatives for dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. Tatge was named one of "The Most Influential People in Dance Today" by Dance Magazine in 2017 and is the recipient of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' 2010 William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and Sustained Achievement in Programming.  

Norton Owen is a curator, writer, and archivist with more than 45 years of professional experience in the dance field. He has been associated with Jacob’s Pillow since 1976 and has been Director of Preservation since 1990, overseeing the PillowTalks series as well as projects involving documentation, exhibitions, audience engagement, and archival issues.  He is the curator of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, an acclaimed online video resource that reaches audiences worldwide, and was Institute Director of the José Limón Dance Foundation for many years.  In 2000, Dance/USA selected him for its Ernie Award, honoring “unsung heroes who have led exemplary lives in dance.” He has also received awards from the Theatre Library Association and Dance Films Association, and he is a past chair of the Dance Heritage Coalition as well as President of the O’Donnell-Green Music and Dance Foundation.  In recognition of his 40^th anniversary at Jacob’s Pillow, the Norton Owen Reading Room was dedicated in his honor.  

Patsy Gay is the Associate Archivist at Jacob’s Pillow, where she is integrally involved in interpreting the Festival's history for scholars, researchers, artists, and the general public, both onsite and online. She has moderated PillowTalks, co-curated exhibitions, and conceived and hosted several episodes for the PillowVoices podcast series. Before assuming her current position in 2017, she was Archivist and Associate Producer for Pick Up Performance Co(s); a Dance Heritage Coalition fellow working with David Gordon at Pick Up Performance Co(s), Dance Theatre of Harlem, Eiko & Koma, and Lar Lubovitch; and Adjunct Instructor for Dr. Sally Sommer's Florida State University in NYC program. Patsy received her MA in American Dance Studies at FSU and an MSLIS at Pratt Institute.  

Additional Recommended Resources from Jacob's Pillow:

Resources about Jacob's Pillow History:

· A Certain Place: The Jacob's Pillow Story, book by Norton Owen

· Ted Shawn: His Life, Writings, and Dances, book by Paul Scolieri

· The History of American Dance at Jacob's Pillow: The Summer of 1942, National Arts Club presentation by Norton Owen

Resources from the Jacob's Pillow Archives:

· Jacob's Pillow Archives catalog: Our online catalog listing everything in the Jacob's Pillow Archives. Programs and some photos are viewable online, while videos and other archival collections must be viewed at Jacob's Pillow in the onsite Reading Room.

· Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive: An ever-growing resource for exploring hundreds of video excerpts, dozens of curated playlists, and over 70 multimedia essays.

· PillowVoices: Dance Through Time: Our monthly podcast featuring curated archival talks, interviews, and more.

Videos from Jacob's Pillow in 3D Class 1 (January 20, 2021):

· 1933 – Ted Shawn's Men Dancers Sixth Prelude from The Well Tempered Clavichord

· 1936 – Ted Shawn's Men Dancers Finale from The New World

· 1942 – Anna Duncan Unidentified dance by Isadora Duncan

· 1948 – Talley Beatty "Mourner's Bench" from Southern Landscape

· 1949 – Tom Two Arrows Iroquois Indian Dance

· 1955 – Soloists of the Royal Danish Ballet Konservatoriet

· 1963 – Carola Goya and Matteo

· 1977 – Dennis Wayne’s Dancers Etude aux Objets

Other links shared in the chat:

• For a deeper dive into Ted Shawn Shawn + Ruth St. Denis and cultural appropriation + exchange read “Culture in Context, As Import, and In Exchange” on Jacob's Pillow Dance Interactive
• Talley Beatty essay on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive
• Red Sky Performance video excerpt on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive
• More info on The Land on Which We Dance 2018 week-long landmark celebration of Indigenous culture.
• Why is it called 'Jacob's Pillow' Dance Festival? video tour of The Pillow Rock with Norton Owen

Videos from Jacob's Pillow in 3D Class 2 (January 27, 2021):

• Blondell Cummings: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/blondell-cummings/hes-got-whole-world-hands/
• Liz Lerman: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/liz-lerman/9-short-dances-defense-budget-military-matters/
• Trisha Brown: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/themes-essays/women-in-dance/trisha-brown/
• Barton Mumaw:
  https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/barton-mumaw/o-brother-sun-sister-moon/
• Sam Miller in a larger podcast episode about Merce Cunningham, Technology, and Archiving Dance: https://pillowvoices.org/episodes/merce-cunningham-part-1
• Pillow Archives promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Oh_YVjh9g
• Meredith Monk: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/themes-essays/women-in-dance/meredith-monk/
• Elizabeth Streb: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/themes-essays/women-in-dance/elizabeth-streb/
• Dance Theatre of Harlem: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/dance-theatre-of-harlem/the-lark-ascending/
• Erick Hawkins Dance Company: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/erick-hawkins-dance-company/heyoka/

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