Our 93rd summer festival will feature U.S.-based and international artists across three stages on Jacob’s Pillow’s campus in the Berkshires. Scroll to learn
about the artists to perform in the Ted Shawn Theatre, newly rebuilt Doris Duke Theatre, and outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage.

Schedule of Events:

Festival Week 1:

The Center Will Not Hold: A Dorrance Dance Production:
Wednesday, Jun 25, 7:30 PM
Thursday, Jun 26, 7:30 PM
Friday, Jun 27, 2:00 PM .
Saturday, Jun 28 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jun 28, 7:30 PM
Sunday, Jun 29, 2:00 PM

June 25-29, 2025:

The Center Will Not Hold: A Dorrance Dance Production: Ted Shawn Theatre
Jacob's Pillow fan favorites and close collaborators Michelle Dorrance and Ephrat Asherie kick off Festival 2025 with a lively celebration of street, club, and vernacular dances, born from their many years of creating together. Originally crafted in 2022 as a short duet, The Center Will Not Hold premiered as a 30-minute piece at New York City Center's 2023 Fall For Dance Festival.??

Now, in this reimagined evening-length work, Dorrance and Asherie offer an eclectic ensemble of 11 performers, each deeply rooted in regional music and movement—from tap dance and hip hop to breaking, house, Chicago footwork, Detroit jit, litefeet, Memphis jookin', and body percussion. The Center Will Not Hold features original music composed by Donovan Dorrance with live percussion by world-class drummer and percussionist John Angeles.

Jacob's Pillow has long been an artistic home for Michelle Dorrance, a tap performer, choreographer, teacher, and the Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance, which has headlined at the festival nine times, most recently in 2021 and 2023. An artist "with a transcendent strength of spirit" (The Washington Post), Dorrance received the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award in 2013 and a MacArthur "Genius" Award in 2015. Ephrat Asherie is a b-girl dancer and choreographer whose works are hailed as "a magnificent celebration of movement and art" (Charleston City Paper). She has performed at Jacob's Pillow numerous times since 2013, and her company, Ephrat Asherie Dance, developed its break-out work Odeon in the Pillow Lab in 2017 and had its world premiere at Festival 2018. Both based in New York City, Dorrance and Asherie have also served as Program Directors at The School at Jacob's Pillow.

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June 25-26, 2025

Prehistoric Body Theater: Henry J. Leir Stage:
In a special kick-off to Festival 2025, Prehistoric Body Theater—an experimental dance theater collective from Indonesia—channel dinosaurs as they explore themes of mass extinction, climate crisis, and evolutionary ancestry through movement. The group creates "deep-time animal dance" by fusing paleontology with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Prehistoric makes its U.S. debut in association with New York's Asia Society with Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda, a mesmerizing work that eulogizes the raptors who perished in the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago, while celebrating the survival of our earliest primate ancestors in a world born anew.

Praised as "an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology" (Oxford University Press), Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists as well as international scientists—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.

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June 27, 2025

5:30: Djapo: Marie Basse-Wiles and Omari Wiles: Henry J. Leir Stage:
Omari Wiles—a force in New York's ballroom and dance scenes—joins his mother, Marie Basse-Wiles, a revered figure in African diasporic dance, for Djapo, a vibrant new work commissioned by Works and Process, bringing together their companies Les Ballet Afrik and Maimouna Keita School of African Dance.

Rooted in the rhythms of Senegal and Mali, this electrifying performance blends traditional West African dance with contemporary African club culture, Afrobeats, and live percussion, shaped through the duo's intergenerational collaboration. Company dancers come together for an in-process performance of Djapo, exploring the evolution of movement, music, and community, celebrating the deep ties between past and present while amplifying the visibility of African cultural traditions in today's global dance landscape.

Djapo's development is supported by Works and Process LaunchPAD residencies at Bethany Arts Community, Watermill Center, Pocantico Center, and Prior Performing Arts Center at the College of the Holy Cross. Music commission made possible by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. Additional support provided by the New York State Council on the Arts.

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June 28, 2025

5:30pm :The School at Jacob's Pillow: Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble: Henry J. Leir Stage:
Performances by The School at Jacob's Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a two-week Contemporary Ballet Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Director Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Guest Choreographer Durante Verzola.

Dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School's professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.

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Festival Week 2:

Bodytraffic:
Wednesday, Jul 2 7:30 PM
Thursday, Jul 3 7:30 PM
Friday, Jul 4 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 5 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 5 7:30 PM
Sunday, Jul 6 2:00 PM

July 2-6, 2025

BODYTRAFFIC at Ted Shawn Theatre:
With a compelling style that reflects the "invention, attitude, and urban edge" (Boston Globe) of its Los Angeles home, BODYTRAFFIC returns to the Pillow with a program that dives into the power of memory sparked by unexpected reminders. Whether it's a painting, song, or sensation, the associations we make with the world around us forge lasting connections that provoke deep feelings of nostalgia.

For Festival 2025, BODYTRAFFIC will perform a program featuring Blue Until June—set to the songs of Etta James by their new Creative Partner Trey McIntyre—alongside works by Juel D. Lane and Matthew Neenan. This will be the company's Ted Shawn Theatre debut, having previously performed on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage in 2022, and in the original Doris Duke Theatre in 2013 and 2015.

Founded in 2007, BODYTRAFFIC tours the country and the globe spreading the joy and positive spirit of their home city. Dance Magazine named the company one of "25 to Watch" in 2013, and this past year, Forbes magazine wrote that BODYTRAFFIC's "incredibl" work in the decade since has "made the case for how Los Angeles is becoming a home for great dancers."

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July 2, 2025

5:30: Almanac Dance Circus Theatre at Henry J. Leir Stage:
his summer, the award-winning Almanac Dance Circus Theatre returns to the outdoor stage (where they performed in 2023) with a signature blend of acrobatics, dance, and storytelling. Known for pushing artistic boundaries, the company creates genre-defying performances that fuse circus arts with narrative stories, inviting audiences into thrilling, immersive experiences.

With a diverse ensemble of dancers, acrobats, and theater artists, Almanac has premiered 11 full-length works, touring the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Their daring, improvisational performances have captivated audiences at New York Live Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and beyond. Also renowned for community-driven events like the acclaimed Cannonball Festival, Almanac continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary circus and dance.

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July 3, 2025

5:30: New York Swings at Henry J. Leir Stage:
Veteran Lindy Hop dancer Gaby Cook returns to Jacob's Pillow this summer with her signature blend of swing dance and vernacular jazz to the outdoor stage. A prominent voice of the global Lindy Hop community, Cook shares dynamic performances centered in historical knowledge. Cook is a principal dancer in SW!NG OUT, which gave a show-stopping performance in the Ted Shawn Theatre in 2022.

Cook's previous companies include Wild Rhythm Dance Company, which performed at the Pillow in 2018 and 2019, as well as Jazz as Movement (performances with Works and Process at the Guggenheim) and Gatsby Entertainment (performances in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center).

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July 4-5, 2025

5:30: KanKouran West African Dance Company at Henry J. Leir Stage:
KanKouran, a beloved pillar of West African dance in Washington, D.C., returns to Jacob's Pillow this summer after a thrilling Festival 2024 performance. Founded by Artistic Director Assane Konte and the late Abdou Kounta, the company brings together artists from the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean to preserve and promote traditional West African culture.

For over 40 years, KanKouran has been a cornerstone for generations of dancers, students, and musicians, fostering a deep sense of community and artistic excellence. The company has performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and beyond. They now return to the Pillow for two nights to captivate audiences with their powerful rhythms, vibrant movement, and rich cultural heritage.

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July 9, 2025

Doris Duke Theatre Opening Program at Doris Duke Theatre:

Join us in celebrating the opening of the new Doris Duke Theatre, a living lab built to provide a space for cutting-edge artists to combine dance and creative technologies into unforgettable works.

Schedule of Events:

7pm: Historic Ribbon-Cutting Celebration
A historic ribbon-cutting on the veranda to open the new theater, which is free and open to the public.

8pm: Inaugural Program in the Doris Duke Theatre
The inaugural program in the Doris Duke Theatre will unite the past, present, and future with a thrilling performance by celebrated artists. Following an honor song performed by Shawn L. Stevens and Friends of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans from Bowler, Wisconsin, the program will feature:

A movement score by Annie-B Parson, performed by 12 renowned artists associated with the original Doris Duke Theatre: Bebe Miller, Susan Marshall, Brian Brooks, Eiko Otake, Irene Rodríguez, David Thomson, Liz Lerman, David Dorfman, Dianne McIntyre, Dormeshia, Doug Elkins, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar.
An excerpt performed by Shamel Pitts | TRIBE of the evening-length Touch of RED, a work developed during the last Pillow Lab residency held in the original Duke before it burned in 2020.
The U.S. premiere of an excerpt of OTMO Live, a groundbreaking duet by the U.K.'s Alexander Whitley Dance Company, where motion-capture technology connects a dancer in the Doris Duke Theatre with a dancer in the Ted Shawn Theatre—performing together in real time, even while apart.
An excerpt from the film Superradiance by Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter, which interweaves dance, poetry, music, and AI generative imagery.
A performance by body percussionist and Guggenheim Fellow Ryan Johnson, Artistic Director of SOLE Defined.
The program will culminate in a dance party featuring iconic musician JD Samson, best known as a member of the bands Le Tigre and MEN, performing two DJ sets. The dance party will be animated by Scuuulpt, an interactive augmented reality piece by Katherine Helen Fisher and Armon Naeini that employs immersive camera work and dynamic projections to engage with performers and audience alike.

Two Ways to Join the Magic:
Livestream and On-Campus Watch Party

We invite you to join the excitement of the inaugural program, performed for an invited audience in the Doris Duke Theatre, from wherever you are—whether its on campus in the Berkshires, or from the comfort of your home!

The program will be offered in real-time to audiences around the world as a livestream, free and open to anyone, anywhere. Livestream registration will be open soon.
Join us on-campus for a special watch party in the Ted Shawn Theatre, where ticket holders can enjoy a live screening of the opening program. Buy tickets here.

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Festival Week 3:

Trinity Irish Dance Company:
Thursday, Jul 10 7:30 PM
Friday, Jul 11 2:00 PM
Friday, Jul 11 7:30 PM
Saturday, Jul 12 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 12 7:30 PM
Sunday, Jul 13 2:00 PM

July 10-13, 2025

Trinity Irish Dance Company at Ted Shawn Theatre:

Pillow Debut, Live Music, 35th Anniversary Season:
Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) is a uniquely Irish-American company that is the high watermark for their art form. Called "sophisticated and commanding" by the Los Angeles Times and "impossibly complex" by The New York Times, TIDC makes their Jacob's Pillow debut this summer, presenting "everything you expect, but like nothing you'd imagine."

Performing in the Ted Shawn Theatre, TIDC's mixed program will represent their range of genre-defying repertoire as well as classic works, featuring a live band. Among the works presented will be Mark Howard's Soles, a tribal and timeless rhythmic study; Push, an explosion of hard-driving percussive power that exemplifies the company's consistent message of female empowerment; and Michelle Dorrance and Melinda Sullivan's American Traffic, a hybrid of Irish step and American tap that plays at the intersection of rhythmic sensibilities and rebellious histories.

Since 1990, TIDC has celebrated Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard's pioneering vision to fuse vibrant Irish traditions with ever-evolving innovation. TIDC is the birthplace of progressive Irish dance, Howard's innovative movement genre that "ushered in a new era for Irish step dance" (Chicago Tribune). Considered an American treasure by critics and enthusiasts worldwide, TIDC has performed sold-out tours globally, carving new traditions as they push the boundaries of an ancient and beloved art form. The company celebrates its 35th anniversary this season.

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July 10, 2025

5:30pm: Indigenous Enterprise at Henry J. Leir Stage

Live Music:
Indigenous Enterprise, a premier group of champion powwow dancers and cultural ambassadors, has brought the beauty and power of Indigenous traditions to audiences since 2015. Known for their dynamic performances blending dance, film, and fashion, the group has captivated audiences worldwide, with appearances at the Sydney Opera House and Lincoln Center. In 2022, they were featured in promotion by the NBA Phoenix Suns, which drew attention to all 22 Native tribes in Arizona. In February 2023, they became the first Indigenous dance troupe to perform at the Super Bowl.

Representing a diverse range of Native tribes and nations, Indigenous Enterprise showcases the vibrancy of the powwow way of life, with dancers and singers who embody cultural pride and excellence. Celebrated by outlets like Vogue and The New York Times, their innovative and inspiring performances continue to elevate and celebrate Indigenous culture, empowering audiences with every show.

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July 11, 2025

5:30pm: Calpulli Mexican Dance Company at Henry J. Leir Stage:

Back by popular demand, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company returns to the Leir Stage to celebrate their cultural legacy with folkloric storytelling, dynamic dance and music, and colorful costumes. Described by The New York Times as "a terrific company of generous dancers [that] give a vibrant tour of Mexican traditions," Calpulli will present an excerpt from Monarcas—which celebrates the real life contributions and sacrifices by Mexican immigrants to and for the United States—and Viñedos, which honors laborers who became vineyard owners and proud makers of California wine.

Calpulli's narrative-driven performances have captivated audiences across the United States and internationally, with debuts in Bahrain in 2013 and Turkey in 2019. Co-founded by Alberto Lopez Herrera and Juan Castaño, the company's artistic vision is now led by Artistic Director Grisel Pren Monje, who continues to honor their rich cultural history through vibrant, passionate performances.

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July 12, 2025

5:30pm: Sydnie L. Mosley Dances at Henry J. Leir Stage:

Pillow Debut:
Jacob's Pillow welcomes Sydnie L. Mosley Dances (SLMDances), a dance-theatre collective making their Pillow debut this summer. SLMDances explores the real-life experiences of women and the Black community through experiential dance performances that blend modern technique, verbal performance, and the movement traditions of the African diaspora. They will present a program spanning years of work, in celebration of the company's 15th anniversary.

The company creates works designed to provoke a visceral response and spark dialogue around gender and racial justice. SLMDances works nationally, with deep relationships in Harlem, New York City, and Baltimore. SLMDances actively partners with local artists and organizations driving community-based initiatives that amplify their mission for social change through dance theater and Black feminist performance art.

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Festival Week 4:

The Sarasota Ballet:
Wednesday, Jul 16 7:30 PM
Thursday, Jul 17 2:00 PM
Thursday, Jul 17 7:30 PM
Friday, Jul 18 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 19 2:00 PM
Saturday, Jul 19 7:30 PM
Sunday, Jul 20 2:00 PM

July 16-20, 2025

The Sarasota Ballet at Ted Shawn Theatre:

First Appearance Since 2015 World Premiere:
Beloved among ballet fans the world over, The Sarasota Ballet returns to Jacob's Pillow for the first time in ten years. Pushed to new heights under the leadership of director Iain Webb, assistant director Margaret Barbieri (both formerly of The Royal Ballet), and executive director Joseph Volpe (formerly of the Metropolitan Opera), the company has garnered a reputation for its truly diverse repertoire of works.

This summer, the company returns to the Ted Shawn Theatre with a mixed program including a piece by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere by American choreographer Jessica Lang, the Virginia B. Toulmin and Muriel O'Neil Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet, who has presented three previous world premieres at Jacob's Pillow with her own company, as well as two premieres with other groups.

The Sarasota Ballet is recognized for its unparalleled active repertoire of the choreography of Sir Frederick Ashton, and is known worldwide as the main exponent of his ballets outside of the United Kingdom. The company has presented an expansive range of over 180 ballets by acclaimed choreographers, including George Balanchine, Sir David Bintley, Gemma Bond, Sir Matthew Bourne, Michel Fokine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor, and Christopher Wheeldon. The company works to infuse their community and beyond with the highest quality and diversity of dance in America. According to The Guardian's review of the company's 2024 tribute to Sir Fredrick Ashton at The Royal Opera House: "the whole programme, danced with grace and care, is a history lesson and a delight."

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July 16, 2025

5:30pm: Brother(hood) Dance! at Henry J. Leir Stage:

Brother(hood) Dance! at Henry J. Leir Stage:
Those who attended the opening of Jacob's Garden in 2021 will remember Brother(hood) Dance!, a dynamic dance company that uses movement, agriculture, and technology to challenge norms and inspire social change. At the Pillow this summer, Brother(hood) Dance! will perform Black on Earth, a project that illuminates Black farmers' resilience, wisdom, and cultural heritage while addressing the urgent issues of food justice and sustainable farming practices.

Founded by Orlando Zane Hunter Jr. and Ricarrdo Valentine, the company's innovative work fuses the rhythms of the African diaspora with their research into sustainable agricultural practices, creating transformative experiences that connect people to the land, each other, and their shared histories. Their bold approach has earned them recognition as Bessie Award honorees in 2020.

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July 17, 2025

5:30pm: VTDance at Henry J. Leir Stage:

Pillow Debut:
Vincent E. Thomas' VTDance brings a bold, multi-dimensional approach to contemporary performance, blending dance, text, improvisation, and collaboration across artistic disciplines. With a keen sense of athleticism, wit, and emotional depth, VTDance crafts works that engage both heart and mind.

Thomas, an acclaimed choreographer and performer, has presented his work at national and international venues from New York to Scotland, Spain, France, and beyond. At the Pillow this summer, audiences can experience his signature fusion of movement, music, and storytelling—where gesture becomes poetry and every performance invites connection. Beyond the stage, Thomas is an educator who is deeply engaged in community work, and leads talks, master classes, and workshops with his signature athleticism and wit.

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July 18, 2025

5:30pm: Red Clay Dance Company at Henry J. Leir Stage:

Pillow Debut:
Chicago's top Afro-Contemporary dance company lives to awaken "glocal" Artivism through creating, performing, and teaching dances of the African diaspora. This Black female-led company is an award-winning ensemble of versatile and dynamic dancers that tour and perform locally, nationally, and internationally, including at the National Theater of Uganda.

Now in its 16th year, the company is committed to taking their signature "Artivism in Motion" from the stage into learning environments, and sees community engagement as a vital part of the creative process and village-building work. In December, the company's founder Vershawn Sanders-Ward was named Chicagoan of the Year in Dance by the Chicago Tribune.

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July 19, 2025

5:30pm: The School at Jacob's Pillow: Contemporary Performance Ensemble at Henry J. Leir Stage

World Premiere:
Performances by The School at Jacob's Pillow Performance Ensembles showcase the work of the next generation of dance artists. This performance is the culmination of a three-week Contemporary Program, featuring original repertoire by leading choreographers who serve as Artist Faculty: Program Director Milton Myers and Associate Program Director Francisco Martinez. The performance will feature work by guest choreographers Peter Chu, Andrea Miller, and Aszure Barton.

Dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow are apprentices, trainees, pre-professionals, and early-career professionals from around the world. The School's professional advancement programs are held onsite during the Festival to nurture the artistic voices and growth of the dancers.

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Andrew Schneider:
Wednesday, Jul 16, 8:00 PM
Thursday, Jul 17, 2:30 PM
Thursday, Jul 17 8:00 PM
Friday, Jul 18 2:30 PM
Saturday, Jul 19 2:30 PM
Saturday, Jul 19 8:00 PM
Sunday, Jul 20 2:30 PM

July 16-20, 2025

Andrew Schneider at Doris Duke Theatre:

Pillow Debut World Premiere Live Music:
Jacob's Pillow welcomes Obie Award-winning performer, writer, and artist Andrew Schneider, whose "inventive" and "astounding" work in interactive electronics "continually finds new ways … to surprise and mystify us." (The New York Times). In HERE, commissioned this year by the Pillow, Schneider joins with Berlin-based dancers and collaborators Margaux Marielle-Trehouart and Joel Suarez Gomez (Sasha Waltz and Guests, Mouvoir, Lausitz Festival) to tell the story of a single space over eons, in which innumerable lives, dreams, and travesties float through the present moment.

We know what it's like to miss someone because they are not here, but what does it feel like to miss someone because they are not now? Inspired by concepts of simultaneity and quantum entanglement, and using wireless in-ear technology and spatialized audio, Schneider and company explore the limits of connection and storytelling through hyper-precise attention to synchronicities of bodies in space over time—both cosmic and mundane.

Schneider has created Off-Broadway designs which include Dolphins and Sharks at the Labyrinth Theater; Small Mouth Sounds at Ars Nova and the Signature Theater; and Roosevelvis at the Vineyard Theater. He is a member of the arts incubator ONX in New York City, is a 2020 recipient of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award and a Sundance "Art of the Practice" fellow, and received a fellowship in 2022 from the Junge Akademie/Akademie Der Künste in Berlin. Schneider was a 2019 Professor of the Practice and Visiting Fellow in Theater Arts and Performance Studies through the Brown Arts Initiative at Brown University.

To complement his week-long performance run, Schneider has been commissioned by Jacob's Pillow to create an immersive / binaural sound experience that crossfades with reality. Audiences will access this experience using their own devices and headphones as they navigate the world around them.

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Festival Week 5:

July 25-29, 2025

Stephen Petronio Company at Ted Shawn Theatre

First Appearance Since 2003:
This summer, Jacob's Pillow is honored to welcome acclaimed director and choreographer Stephen Petronio to present the final performances of the Stephen Petronio Company (SPC), while also marking the culmination of SPC's 40th anniversary. Petronio, who is regarded as "one of the few contemporary dance makers who have created an instantly recognizable style infused with emotional texture and wit" (The New York Times), will sunset an accomplished 40-year run with his company as he moves into his next creative endeavor: Petronio Projects.

The company's Festival 2025 program in the Ted Shawn Theatre will include Chair Pillow by Yvonne Rainer as well as some of Petronio's signature works, including MiddleSexGorge (1990), BUD (2005), Broken Man (2002), the critically acclaimed American Landscapes (2019), and a new iteration of Petronio's solo Another Kind of Steve (2024). This appearance comes exactly 40 years after the company's Pillow debut in the first of three consecutive seasons when they were Artists-in-Residence here.

A recipient of numerous awards, including a New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award, SPC focuses on the creation and presentation of Petronio's existing and new works, alongside legacy initiatives meant to preserve the history of postmodern dance lineage. The company also advances the future of postmodern dance through new works that honor and extend the history, offering a platform for a greater inclusivity of artistic voices. SPC has performed in 40 countries throughout the world with numerous New York City engagements, including 25 seasons at The Joyce Theater.

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July 25-29, 2025

Elle Sofe Company at Doris Duke Theatre

U.S. Debut U.S. Premiere Live Music:
Hailing from Norway, Elle Sofe Company make their U.S. debut with Vástádus eana – the answer is land, a "powerful" (Vancouver Sun) and critically-acclaimed performance that combines dance with yoik, a traditional singing style of the Sámi people who are Indigenous to the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

Supported by polyphonic music and costumes inspired by traditional clothing, the piece is inspired by political demonstrations, Sámi spiritual practices, and formation dance. Vástádus eana – the answer is land explores community and kinship between people, nature, and the earth. The yoik, composed specifically for the performance, serves as a musical pillar throughout a performance that reflects on the power of standing together and the awareness of the earth we all stand on and share.

Company founder Elle Sofe Sara is a featured artist at the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad and a winner of the 2019 Moon Jury Award at the Imagine Native Film Festival. Now coming to the U.S. for the first time, Vástádus eana – the answer is land has toured internationally, and received the 2021/2022 Norwegian Critics Award for Dance.

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July 25, 2025

5:30pm: Angkor Dance Troupe at Henry J. Leir Stage

Angkor Dance Troupe brings the breathtaking beauty of Cambodian classical dance to the stage, preserving a dance tradition nearly lost during the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1978). Founded in 1986 by Tim Thou and Cambodian refugees, the troupe has become a nationally recognized leader in traditional Cambodian performing arts, serving as the heart of a vibrant Cambodian American community in Lowell, Massachusetts.

With exquisite gestures, ornate costumes, and mesmerizing choreography, the troupe's performances honor the resilience of Cambodian culture across generations. Today, Angkor Dance Troupe fosters a new generation of young dancers, blending revival, tradition, and innovation to create imaginative works. Through dance, the troupe connects past and present, ensuring this rich artistic legacy not only endures but evolves. Experience the grace, power, and storytelling of one of the most accomplished Cambodian dance ensembles in the United States.

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July 24, 2025

5:30pm: Orlando Hernández at Henry J. Leir Stage

Pillow Debut Live Music:
Lauded as "a onetime tap prodigy who's grown into a history-mining experimentalist' (The New Yorker), Orlando Hernández is a performer, choreographer, theater-maker, musician, and writer who came up in the tap dance community in New York. He now presents a variety of stories and performances that thrillingly blend live music, tap dance, theater and storytelling, and embodied rhythm. His play La Broa' (Broad Street), composed of real-life stories from Latino communities in Rhode Island, was recently produced at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, in a run The Boston Globe called "heartwarming and magical.'

As a member of the New York-based tap dance and live music company Music From the Sole, Hernández has performed at Jacob's Pillow, Works and Process at the Guggenheim, The Joyce Theater, Fall For Dance at New York City Center, and Vail Dance Festival. He is also a member of the Boston-based tap dance company Subject:Matter, directed by Ian Berg, and dances with Michela Marino Lerman's Love Movement.

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July 25, 2025

5:30pm: H.T. Chen and Dancers at Henry J. Leir Stage

Pillow Debut:
Under the direction of Artistic Director Dian ****, H.T. Chen and Dancers is an innovative modern dance company that embodies its Asian American heritage. The company's repertory is distinguished by authenticity and groundbreaking works celebrating Chinese culture in the Americas. This summer at the Pillow, the company will present two signature works: Opening the Gate (described by The New York Times as "a throbbing, swirling spectacle") and Mott Street, which celebrates the resilience and collective spirit of the Chinatown community.

Since its founding in 1978, the multicultural company has earned critical acclaim for New York performances, national and international tours, and award-winning educational programming. Founder Hsueh-Tung Chen, a pioneering Asian American artist, was a choreographer, performer, and arts advocate for six decades. The New York Times wrote of him: "[he] has long been one of New York dance's most persuasive storytellers, addressing issues of acculturation well before they become fashionable in dance."

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July 26, 2025

5:30pm: BOCA TUYA at Henry J. Leir Stage

Pillow Debut:
BOCA TUYA is a New York-based movement collective rooted in the rhythms, storytelling traditions, and cultural heritage of Puerto Rico. Founded in 2018 by choreographer Omar Román de Jesús—a member of the inaugural Jacob's Pillow Hicks Choreography Fellowship Program, Princess Grace choreography awardee, Dance Magazine Harkness Promise awardee, inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Center Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, and current resident at 92NY—the company crafts immersive dreamscapes that blend vibrant cadence, surrealist narratives, and unforgettable characters.

Through global tours, educational outreach, and choreographic commissions, BOCA TUYA empowers artists and cultivates authenticity, equity, and innovation with a distinct Boricua heartbeat, making work that is "full of sensual vulnerability; the effect is hypnotic." (Fjord Review). Honoring traditions and the ancestors who came before, the company connects past and present, while championing the excellence of New York's top contemporary dance artists.

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