Jacob’s Pillow presents Compagnie Käfig June 26-30 in the Ted Shawn Theatre in Becket, MA. Compagnie Käfig is an international ensemble of dynamic hip-hop dancers led by universally acclaimed Artistic Director and choreographer Mourad Merzouki. They were the smash hit of Festival 2012 with sold-out shows and favorable reviews; the company performs in an encore program of two virtuosic works, Correria and AGWA, both bursting with athleticism, artistry, and drama.

A major figure on the hip-hop scene since the early 1990s, choreographer Mourad Merzouki works at the junction of many different movement disciplines, fusing circus, martial arts, fine arts, and music with a continuous exploration of all hip-hop styles. He is known for opening up new outlooks in dance, while honoring the hip-hop movement’s roots and its social and geographical origins.

About Mourad Merzouki

Born in Lyon, France, in 1973, Merzouki started learning martial arts and circus skills at age seven. At 15, he discovered hip-hop and began exploring the world of dance, orienting his hip-hop style towards more professional horizons and testing himself in other dance styles. With this experience came the urge to undertake his own artistic projects, mixing hip-hop with what he had learned about the performing arts. He created the Accrorap company, with other dancers, in 1989. In 1994, the company performed ATHINA at the Lyon Biennale de la Danse and was acclaimed for taking hip-hop from the street to the stage without losing its true identity. The troupe’s first international performance took them to refugee camps in Croatia, where they learned that dance can be a potent means of communication in extreme situations.

In 1996, Merzouki created his own company, Käfig. In May 2004, he received the award for Best Young Choreographer at the International Dance Festival in Wolfsburg, Germany. Other winners included Maurice Béjart, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Tero Saarinen. In July that same year, Merzouki was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) by the Minister of Culture and Communications. In 2006, Merzouki received the SACD’s New Dance Talent Award. In 2008, he received the Créateurs sans Frontières Award (Creators without Borders) from Bernard Kouchner, France’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs; the award singles out artists and cultural personalities who have had an impact on the international arts scene. In 2008, Merzouki joined the Board of Directors of the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin, France, for a three-year term and in 2009 he was appointed as Director of the Centre Chorégraphique National de Créteil/Val-de-Marne.

Contact info. and Directions to Jacob’s Pillow

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• 358 George Carter Road
• Becket, MA 01223
• Phone: 413.243.9919
• Web: jacobspillow.org

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

• Compagnie Käfig – Ted Shawn Theatre
• Wednesday, June 26 through Saturday, June 29 at 8pm
• Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at 2pm
• Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Philip Szporer is offered in Blake’s Barn 30 minutes before every performance.
• A Post-Show Talk with Compagnie Käfig and Pillow Scholar Philip Szporer will take place onstage on Friday, June 28.
• Tickets $39-$69. Under 35 Friday Tickets are available for $19 on Friday, June 28 (ages 18–35), two per person, must show I.D. when picking up tickets. $10 Youth Tickets, sponsored by ALEX®, are available for Friday, June 28 at 8pm and Saturday, June 29 at 2pm (must be accompanied by an adult ticket).
• Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacob’s Pillow Box Office. Under 35 Fridays Tickets and Youth Tickets are available by phone and in person only.
• 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, JUNE 26-30
LEO
Doris Duke Theatre
Wednesday, June 26–Saturday, June 29, 8:15pm
Saturday, June 29 & Sunday, June 30, 2:15pm
What would happen if the laws of gravity suddenly changed? This fantastical, touching, one-man show from Berlin blends brilliant physical theatre, acrobatics, and mind-bending animation, challenging perceptions of reality through the clever interplay of live performance and video projection. Total Theatre Magazine (U.K.) says “LEO is majestic. Simple and sophisticated…an ingenious, elegant show.” A gem for all ages! Tickets $22-$38, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745.

ALSO THIS WEEK, JUNE 26-30
FREE Inside/Out Performance: Naomi Goldberg Haas/Dances for a Variable Population
Wednesday, June 26 at 6:15pm
New York City-based Dances for A Variable Population (DVP), directed by Naomi Goldberg Haas, is a multigenerational dance company that brings dance to the community and brings the community into the concert hall. Through fun, lively choreography, DVP makes inclusive dance that engages communities both as participants and audience members, erasing the border between dancer and non-dancer. For this engagement, DVP brings a restaging of Washington Square Dances, inspired by Terry Riley’s landmark 1964 composition In C as remixed by contemporary composers. Washington Square Dances was created for the arrival of spring in New York City and the recent renovation of Washington Square Park. Audiences of all ages will have the opportunity to join DVP in a grand finale.

Inside/Out Performance: Peridance Contemporary Dance Company
Thursday, June 27 at 6:15pm
Peridance Contemporary Dance Company (PCDC) has been committed to presenting energetic and evocative dance since its inception in 1984, when it was founded by Artistic Director Igal Perry. Perry’s newest work, Infinity, is set to Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata: Adagio and inspired by the striking images of rural landscapes frequent in Salvador Dali’s paintings. Infinity depicts the vulnerability of the human image against a background of vast, open spaces. Dwight Rhoden’s Evermore was created on PCDC in February of 2013 and merges his dynamic style with the company’s physical strength and artistry. PCDC will also perform a duet excerpted from acclaimed Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin’s Mabul (1992) set to Vivaldi.

FREE PillowTalk: Physical Theatre as Dance
Friday, June 28 at 5pm
An exploration of how the circus and dance worlds intersect, with a look at the work of Elizabeth Streb, originator of STREB EXTREME ACTION, and the gravity-defying LEO, represented by Gregg Parks. Once called the Evel Knievel of dance, Elizabeth Streb’s choreography intertwines dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt-work. Creative Producer Gregg Parks discusses LEO, a blend of physical theatre, acrobatics, video animation, and imaginative humor.

FREE Community Event: Kids Corner
Friday, June 28, TIME TBD
Young dance enthusiasts are invited to the Jacob’s Pillow Kids Corner to enjoy a variety of movement activities and games.

FREE Inside/Out Performance: Jeremy McQueen
Friday, June 28 at 6:15pm
Jeremy McQueen, of the Broadway musicals Wicked and The Color Purple and a 2013 recipient of the Joffrey Ballet’s Choreographers of Color Award, returns to Inside/Out this summer with the New England premiere of Black Iris. Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1926 Black Iris III painting, McQueen’s Black Iris, performed en pointe and featuring a cast of 13, is set to Felix Mendelssohn’s “Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66.” “Black Iris is a work about what it means to be a modern Black woman, the push and pull of the beauty and the grounded-ness, and pursuit of a fulfilling existence against adversity and struggle” (Britt Julious, WBEZ 91.5 Chicago). McQueen’s choreographic work, which takes the form of contemporary, ballet-based movement, focuses on the artistry and emotion behind storytelling through movement.

FREE PillowTalk: Dancing on Ice
Saturday, June 29 at 4pm
Explore the lyricism and virtuosity of a distinct art form in this retrospective film program of significant moments in ice dancing history, narrated by founder/director of Ice Theater of New York, Moira North. Ice Theater of New York has advanced the form by commissioning many prominent contemporary choreographers.

FREE Inside/Out Performance: The School at Jacob’s Pillow Movin’ Commercial Program
Saturday, June 29 at 6:15pm
As part of their study in the Movin’ Commercial Program, dancers of The School at Jacob’s Pillow present commercial dance variations coached by program director Jeffrey Page.

Master Class: LEO
Sunday, June 30, 10am
For intermediate/advanced dancers, ages 16 and older. Pre-registration required. Call the Community Dance Hotline, 413.243.9919 x5. Registration opens the week of class; early registration is not possible.