Article by Dave Read.

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’s 2014 schedule lists some 52 companies presenting dance performances on three stages: Ted Shawn Theatre, Doris Duke Theatre, and the open-air Henry J. Leir Stage, home to the Pillow’s free Inside/Out Performance Series. The Jacob’s Pillow season runs June 14-August 24, 2014 and will include 350 free and ticketed dance performances, talks, tours, exhibits, films, classes, and community events.

Jacob’s Pillow and MASS MoCA will co-present David Neumann: Solo Works on April 26 at MASS MoCA. Crossing the lines between dance and theatre, performer and audience, Neumann will present a series of wry, witty works that span his 20-year career. Tickets available at massmoca.org.

Jacob’s Pillow Season Opening Gala, June 14

Carmen de Lavallade serves as Honorary Co-Chair for the 2014 Gala and will dance as part of the Gala performance. Members of The Hong Kong Ballet will also perform at the Gala. Dancers of the Ballet Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow will present a world premiere created for them in four days by Jessica Lang, whose company Jessica Lang Dance made its official company debut at the Pillow in 2012. Additional performers will be announced. This signature fundraising event also includes the presentation of the 2014 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, dinner by The Old Inn & Moore, a live auction, and dancing.

2014 Jacob’s Pillow program details by the month:

• Jacob’s Pillow schedule June 2014
• Jacob’s Pillow schedule July 2014
• Jacob’s Pillow schedule August 2014

Jacob’s Pillow Contact info. and links

Article by Dave Read.
Featured prformers and dance companies during June 2014 at Jacob’s Pillow are the Hong Kong Ballet, Carmen de Lavallade, Trey McIntyre Project, Decadancetheatre, Ephrat Asherie, The Wondertwins, and Storyboard P.

The Hong Kong Ballet – June 18-22 – Ted Shawn Theatre

The Hong Kong Ballet, directed by Madeleine Onne, former Artistic Director of The Royal Swedish Ballet, the company performs Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light and Shadow, set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Orchestral Suite in D Major No. 3. The company’s male dancers will present Nacho Duato’s commanding 2002 work Castrati, which explores themes of masculinity and sacrifice to the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Karl Jenkins. A poetic trio from A Room of Her Own, by National Ballet of China resident choreographer Fei Bo, closes the program. Jacob’s Pillow Contact info. and links

Carmen de Lavallade in As I Remember It – June 20-22 – Doris Duke Theatre

Carmen de Lavallade, who has performed with Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Alvin Ailey, and many others, has the longest Pillow performing career. She made her Jacob’s Pillow debut with Lester Horton Dance Theatre in 1953. In the world premiere of her new solo show, As I Remember It, de Lavallade combines poignant movement and storytelling to weave a theatrical memoir about her venerable life on stage. Limited engagement, only three performances.

Trey McIntyre Project – June 25-29 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Trey McIntyre Project performs a new work inspired by the surreal imagination of writer and illustrator Edward Gorey and his characteristic pen-and-ink drawings. Performances also include the East Coast premiere of Mercury Half-Life, which is set entirely to the music of the legendary rock band Queen and includes beloved ballads We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions as well as lesser known songs such as Love of My Life and Millionaire Waltz.

Unreal Hip-Hop – June 25-29 – Doris Duke Theatre

Unreal Hip-Hop, produced by Jacob’s Pillow, features Decadancetheatre, Ephrat Bounce Asherie, The Wondertwins, and street dancer turned international star Storyboard P.

Jacob’s Pillow 2014 tickets, contact info. map and directions

Ticket sales for Jacob’s Pillow members begin January 13, 2014; subscriptions for five or more performances go on sale to the public March 17, 2014 and single tickets for Festival 2014 go on public sale April 1, 2014.

Full Schedule Including 200+ Free Events: Further programming announcements will be made in April for more than 200 free events, including Inside/Out performances, PillowTalks, and exclusive exhibits.

Article by Dave Read.

The July 2014 program at Jacob’s Pillow is highlighted by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Compagnia T.P.O., Dance Theatre of Harlem, Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group, New York City Ballet dancers, Dorrance Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, Circa, Dance Heginbotham and Brooklyn Rider. Jacob’s Pillow Contact info. and links

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago – July 2-6 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is scheduled to perform Mediterranean-inspired work Gnawa, choreographed by Nacho Duato, Jirí Kylian’s Falling Angels PACOPEPEPLUTO, by Hubbard Street company member and resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo

Compagnia T.P.O. – July 2-6 – Doris Duke Theatre

In the Doris Duke Theatre, Compagnia T.P.O. presents Bleu!, an interactive production for children and the young at heart. Directed by David Venturini and Francesco Gandi, T.P.O. invites the audience to the stage to explore a mythical world of sea creatures and ancient legends.

Dance Theatre of Harlem – July 9-13 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Dance Theatre of Harlem performs Past-Cary-Forward, created for DTH by Tanya Wideman and Thaddeus Davis, to invoke the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. The program includes Donald Byrd’s Contested Space and late choreographer Ulysses Dove’s moving, elegiac ballet Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, danced to Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten by Arvo Pärt.

Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group = July 9-13 – Doris Duke Theatre

Reggie Wilson/Fist & Heel Performance Group will perform Moses(es), which was inspired by Zora Neale Hurston’s book Moses, Man of the Mountain as well as cultural explorations in Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. Moses(es) includes music by Louis Armstrong, The Klezmatics, Amahlokohloko, Ngqoko Women’s Ensemble, MaZarher, Aly-Us, Tiger, Bi Kidude, Southern Sons, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and traditional African-American spirituals Wade In the Water and Eli, Eli (Somebody Call Eli) sung live by the artists of Fist & Heel Performance Group.

BALLET 2014: Principals and Soloists of New York City Ballet – July 16-20 – Ted Shawn Theatre

New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with an ensemble of New York City Ballet dancers, including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, Teresa Reichlen. The program consists of Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy, danced to Arvo Pärt’s Fratres; Two Hearts, a collaboration between Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly; Furiant created by NYCB Soloist Justin Peck; Sunshine, a solo for Ulbricht by choreographer Larry Keigwin; a world premiere duet by Emery LeCrone; and Fancy Free, the first ballet created by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein in 1944, which led to On The Town.

Dorrance Dance – July 16 – 27 – Doris Duke Theatre

Dancer, choreographer, musician, and director Michelle Dorrance premieres a collaborative new show featuring b-girl Ephrat Bounce Asherie; innovative tap dance instruments created by STOMP and Dorrance Dance member Nicholas Young; and live music by vocalist Aaron Marcellus. Dorrance will also serve as director for The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s 2014 Tap Program, June 23-July 6.

Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble – July 23-27 Ted Shawn Theatre

Mark Morris is featured during an exclusive seven-show engagement, featuring talks, a concert by the MMDG Music Ensemble, music seminars and Mark Morris repertory taught in The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Each performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre includes Festival Dance, A Wooden Tree, set to words and music by Ivor Cutler; Crosswalk, one of Morris’s newest works; and Jenn and Spencer, all accompanied by live music. A special MMDG Music Ensemble concert will take place in the Ted Shawn Theatre, Sunday July 27 at 11am.

Circa – July 30-August 3 – Ted Shawn Theatre

The Australian company Circa, directed by Yaron Lifschitz, has scheduled its new production S, with seven performers including gymnasts, physical theatre and circus artists, and contortionists who are accompanied by Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, percussionist Samuli Kosminen, and The Kronos Quartet.

Dance Heginbotham and Brooklyn Rider – July 30-August 3 – Doris Duke Theatre

Dance Heginbotham and Brooklyn Rider present the world premiere of Chalk and Soot, a collaboration between choreographer John Heginbotham and violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen. Inspired by Vasily Kandinsky’s book of poems Sounds, this evening-length premiere features imaginative, theatrical choreography; music performed by string quartet Brooklyn Rider; and the vocals by Shara Worden, the singer-songwriter and founder of indie-pop group My Brightest Diamond.

Article by Dave Read.

During August 2014 at Jacob’s Pillow Pacific Northwest Ballet, David Rousseve/REALITY, Companhia Urbana de Danca, doug elkins choreography, etc., Chet Walker, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, LeeSaar The Company, will perform in the Ted Shawn and Doris Duke Theatres. Jacob’s Pillow Contact info. and links

Pacific Northwest Ballet – August 6-10 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Under the direction of former New York City Ballet principal Peter Boal, one of America’s top ballet companies makes a rare East Coast appearance. The company’s program includes British choreographer David Dawson’s exuberant A Million Kisses to My Skin and Nacho Duato’s Rassemblement, inspired by and danced to the music of Haitian singer Toto Bissainthe. The remarkable Twyla Tharp’s Scottish-inspired Brief Fling, originally created for American Ballet Theatre in 1990, openly contrasts the ballet vocabulary…with her own spiraling, slouching modern-dance idiom (Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times).

David Rousseve/REALITY – August 6-10 – Doris Duke Theatre

Victoria Looseleaf of The Los Angeles Times calls choreographer David Roussève’s latest contemporary dance-theatre work Stardust, a transcendent coming of age tale. In this 80-minute work, the exceptional performers of David Roussève/REALITY explore the world of a young, gay, African-American man through arresting choreography; video projections including unanswered texts; original music by composer d. Sabela grimes; and classic songs interpreted by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Mathis. Poignant, riveting, and challenging, Stardust depicts a moving portrait of the struggle for love and acceptance.

Companhia Urbana de Danca – August 13-16 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Choreographer and Artistic Director Sonia Destri Lie is recognized for combining hip-hop with dramatic, creative contemporary choreography. Her company, founded in Brazil in 2004, features dancers from the suburbs and favelas of Rio de Janeiro, who have developed a range of movement vocabulary that incorporates hip-hop, urban, contemporary, and Brazilian social dance. Following their Pillow debut in 2013, Companhia Urbana de Dança brings an all-new program of contemporary hip-hop dances. With recreated works like Na Pista and Suite Funk, the virtuosic dancers of Urbana burn up the floor with joy and athleticism.

doug elkins choreography, etc. – August 13-17 – Doris Duke Theatre

Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times calls Doug Elkins one of the most musical, witty and inventive choreographers of his generation. Following two sold-out Festival runs of Doug Elkins and Friends’ Fräulein Maria, a beloved re-imagining of the classic film The Sound of Music, the witty choreographer returns with new works. Mo(or)town/Redux explores Shakespearean themes of power, love, jealousy, and betrayal to a Motown-inspired soundtrack. Hapless Bizarre offers a cheeky mash-up of physical comedy, dance, and romance, performed by a merry band of dancers and one vaudevillian clown. The delightfully eclectic score includes music by the Swedish electronic jazz duo Koop, remixes and samples of 1950’s dating etiquette videos and more.

A Jazz Happening – August 17 – Ted Shawn Theatre

This benefit for The School at Jacob’s Pillow is a one-night-only event featuring the 22 international students of Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program. Directed by Broadway’s Chet Walker, A Jazz Happening features original choreography by faculty of The School and live music by an onstage jazz band. For Walker’s involvement with the current Broadway revival of Pippin, he received both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography. Walker has served as the Director of the Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program at the Pillow for 15 years. Proceeds benefit The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet – August 20-24 – Ted Shawn Theatre

Under the direction of Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet made its Pillow debut in 2003 and has since returned in three subsequent seasons. For the final week of the Festival, the company delivers three stylish contemporary ballets by international dancemakers. Spanish-born, Munich-based choreographer Cayetano Soto’s dramatic Beautiful Mistake was commissioned by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and premiered in 2013. Square None by rising young choreographer and Juilliard School graduate, Norbert De La Cruz III, mixes electronica music with arias by George Frideric Handel. Finland’s Jorma Elo, who is now resident choreographer for Boston Ballet, offers his vigorous Over Glow, with music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn, to close the season.

LeeSaar The Company – August 20-24 – Doris Duke Theatre

Actress, director, and writer Lee Sher and dancer/choreographer Saar Harari founded their dance company in Israel in 2000. In 2004, they relocated to New York City where they have been intriguing critics and audiences and receiving numerous prestigious awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship. The LeeSaar dancers hail from Taiwan, Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Canada and Israel and are expertly trained in Gaga technique, a dance style pioneered by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. This season LeeSaar performs Grass and Jackals, a sensual, inventive, and visually stunning spectacle of dance and light. With arresting, eccentric choreography and immersive lighting by Bueno Avi-Yona (Bambi), the acclaimed designer perhaps best known for his work with Batsheva Dance Company, Grass and Jackals pushes physical and emotional boundaries for both performers and audiences.

Nov. 21, 2013 article; by Dave Read

The 2014 Tanglewood schedule features the first appearances of Andris Nelsons as BSO Music Director Designate and the return of James Taylor on the 3rd and Fourth of July. The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer season in the Berkshires will run from June 28 through August 30, 2014. The Opening Night Gala program on July 5, 2014 is an All-American event with opera superstar Renée Fleming featured in an evening of music ranging from opera arias to popular song.

Featured artists on the 2014 Tanglewood schedule are Jason Alexander, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, Christoph von Dohnányi, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Josh Groban, Thomas Hampson, Garrison Keillor, Paul Lewis, Keith Lockhart, Yo-Yo Ma, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Gil Shaham, James Taylor, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Dawn Upshaw, and John Williams.

After the very popular programming of his West Side Story last summer, the 2014 season will include Leonard Bernstein’s Candide, in a concert performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and cast of singers led by Bramwell Tovey on Aug. 16. The big movie-related show this year, besides Film Night with John Williams (Aug. 2), will be a Boston Pops performance of the score to The Wizard of Oz, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, to accompany a brilliantly restored print of the universally beloved movie classic on Aug. 22.

20th Anniversary of Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood

As part of a season-long celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood will present two concert operas: Handel’s Teseo with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and soloists under the direction of Nicholas McGegan (8/14) and the new chamber version of American composer Jack Beeson’s opera Lizzie Borden with members of the Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra under the direction of David Angus (7/31).

James Taylor, A Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor

James Taylor, who was on song-writing hiatus from touring last summer, comes back to the Koussevitzky Music Shed, July 3 and 4. A spectacular fireworks display over the Stockbridge Bowl will follow the concert. Mr. Taylor, who regularly performs to sold-out audiences at Tanglewood, has returned to the festival 21 times since his first performances there in 1974. Tickets for James Taylor’s July 3 and 4 concerts go on sale Thursday, January 16. And, this will be the 15th consecutive Tanglewood schedule to include A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, broadcast live from the Shed on June 28.

Program details 2014 Tanglewood season

Linked below are progam details for the full 2014 season at Tanglewood:

• Pre-season week at Tanglewood – June 28 – July 4, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 1 program – July 5 – 10, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 2 program – July 11 – 17, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 3 program – July 18 – 24, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 4 program – July 25 – 31, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 5 program – August 1 – 7, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 6 program – August 8 – 14, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 7 program – August 15 – 21, 2014;
• Tanglewood week 8 program – August 22 – 30, 2014.

Driving directions to Tanglewood in the Berkshires

• 297 West Street (Rt. 183)
• Lenox, MA 01240
• Box Office: 617-266-1200; 888-266-1200
• Website: tanglewood.org

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Article by Dave Read

The 2014 Tanglewood schedule opens with a couple audience favorites, A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood with Garrison Keillor, live broadcast from the Koussevitsky Music Shed on Sat. June 28 and James Taylor returns after his song-writing hiatus for two concerts July 3 and July 4, with fireworks to follow the Fourth of July concert.

Tanglewood Saturday, June 28, 2014

Saturday, June 28, 5:45 p.m. Shed
A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood with Garrison Keillor; Live broadcast.
More about A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood.

Tanglewood Tuesday, July 1, 2014

• Tuesday, July 1, 8 p.m. Ozawa Hall
• Boston Symphony Chamber Players
• DEBUSSY Sonata for flute, viola, and harp
• New work, celebrating the 50th Anniversary Season of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players
• SCHUBERT Octet in F, D.803, for winds and strings

James Taylor at Tanglewood Thursday and Friday, July 3 & 4, 2014

James Taylor returns to his beloved Tanglewood with his extraordinary band for two 8 PM performances July 3 & 4, 2014.
Fireworks to follow the July 4 concert More about James Taylor, at Tanglewood, in the Berkshires.