BECKET, MA: Jacob's Pillow Hosts free Community Day on June 11
Company:
Jacob's Pillow
JACOB’S PILLOW HOSTS PRE-FESTIVAL COMMUNITY DAY
WITH FREE FAMILY-FRIENDLY CLASSES, PERFORMANCES, AND ACTIVITIES
SATURDAY, JUNE 11 AT NOON
What: Following the success of last year’s Community Day, Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark, home to America’s longest-running dance festival, and recipient of the National Medal of Arts, again hosts their pre-Festival Community Day with free, family-friendly dance classes, performances, and activities beginning at noon on Saturday, June 11.
A campus-wide event, the festivities will include free dance classes for participants of all ages in varying dance styles, as well as a special children’s beginning ballet class taught by Berkshire Pulse instructor Sarah Daunt. Chuck Paquette, faculty member of Williams College and Berkshire Dance Theatre, will teach an all levels Modern Class in the historic Sommers Studio at noon followed by an all-levels Zumba class taught by certified Zumba instructor Rachael Plaine. All Community Day participants will have the opportunity to learn a hip-hop combination at the outdoor Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space from Berkshire-based company dysFUNKcrew and Berkshire Dance Theatre.
Family-friendly Inside/Out performances will occur on the breathtaking Henry J. Leir Stage in the Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space throughout the day, featuring performances by local Berkshire County dance companies including Olga Dunn Dance Company, Berkshire Pulse, Earthdance, dysFUNKcrew & Berkshire Dance Theatre, and a special collaboration between Albany Berkshire Ballet and the Norman Rockwell Museum.
A full schedule of dance-themed children’s activities will also be available including story time, games, scavenger hunts, and historic tours led by Jacob’s Pillow staff members and tailored for smaller attention spans.
Throughout the day, designs submitted to the 2016 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival youth t-shirt contest will be on display in the Tea Garden outside the Bakalar Studio. The contest was open to elementary school students in the towns of Becket, Lee, and Otis. All submissions will be displayed, including that of contest winner Kelly Couch of Farmington River Elementary School. Couch’s design appears on the Festival 2016 youth t-shirt, and is available for purchase at The Pillow Store.
Both The Pillow Store and No. Six Depot Snack & Coffee Bar, a new onsite location at Jacob’s Pillow this year, will be open for Community Day. Pillow staff will also be offering tours of the historic grounds throughout the day.
For a full schedule and more information about Community Day at Jacob’s Pillow, please visit: http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/JacobsPillowDance_2016CommunityEvents.pdf
Who: Community Day is free and open to the public, all-ages welcome.
When: Beginning at noon on Saturday, June 11. Scheduled activities end at 3pm.
Where: Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA 01223.
ABOUT THE PILLOW
Jacob’s Pillow, celebrating its 84th Festival in 2016, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest-running international dance festival. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 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 Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow’s extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and an extensive schedule of 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 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. The Pillow’s digital initiatives are 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 social media. An important part of the Pillow’s digital presence, 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, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.
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