BECKET, MA. -- I'm in the heart of a 163 acre campus known as Jacob's Pillow. Originally a family farm in the 1700s, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad a century later. It was founded as a center for dance in the early 1930s and held its first festival season in 1933. Jacob's Pillow is recognized the world over as the oldest dance festival in America.
For a couple of weeks now, we've been taking you on a tour of some of the Berkshires best arts and cultural destinations. We've heard people describe how the combination of those world class facilities and the area's natural beauty is unique and virtually unsurpassed anywhere else in the country. But many will tell you that Jacob's Pillow offers the best of both.
“You can fill up your entire time at Jacob's Pillow alone. But all of the things that are available here make it completely unique. I have never seen any place like it. Not only in the United States, but anywhere in the world,” said Ella Baff, Executive Director of Jacob’s Pillow.
Seventy-five years ago, a dancer named Ted Shawn brought a group of young male dancers to his retreat in Berkshire County. Intent on challenging the "sissy" image of men in dance, Shawn laid the ground work for what has become the oldest dance festival in the country. Ryan Peterson takes us behind the scenes of the world renowned Jacob's Pillow.
Nestled in the heart of the Berkshire hills in the sleepy town of Becket, Jacob's Pillow has been a center for dance innovation for over 70 years.
“It's a reference to the Bible and the story of Jacob. He laid his head on a bed of stones and had a great vision. That vision has been a sustaining idea of the pillow,” Baff said. “Ted Shawn kept the name. He brought his company of men dancers here in the 1930s. This was a very radical idea at the time. We owe him a great debt for breaking that ceiling.”
“Jacob's Pillow is really sacred ground when it comes to dance in America. There's a magic. There is something mystical that comes over you at the pillow,” said Tony Award winning choreographer Garth Fagan.
Considered America's oldest dance festival, the pillow is also known for its educational programs. The School at Jacob's Pillow is regarded as one of the premiere dance institutions in the world. Each summer, dancers from around the globe are hand selected to train with the best. Internationally acclaimed dancer Anna-Marie Holmes, who was the first North American dancer ever to perform in Russia, is in her eighth season as Ballet Program Director.
“All of the major companies recommend and they send their young, aspiring dancers. It's really exciting because they're at the brink of going from being in the core of the ballet to principal or they're on the brink of student to professional,” Holmes said.
Baff says the 2008 festival will be filled with world premieres, a British company's U.S. debut as well as new works from Italy, Japan and Brazil. In her eleventh year as Executive Director, she says her goal is to present work most people have never seen before.
“I love introducing artists who the public may not know anything about. Everybody is welcome and it's a great place to learn about dance in a very relaxed way,” Baff said.
Jacob's Pillow festival season kicked off on June 18th. This weekend features the Ballet Boyz from England as well as the technologically advanced, interactive Italian company known as T.P.O. The summer season wraps-up August 20th through 24th.