Mark Morris Launches Pillow Season
The Look of Love to Music of Burt Bacharach
By: Pillow - May 31, 2023
Mark Morris Dance Group will kick off Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2023, with the evening-length work The Look of Love as the season’s first week-long engagement in the Ted Shawn Theatre, from June 28-July 2. Due to demand, an additional Thursday matinee has been added to Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pillow performance schedule, at 2pm on June 29, for a total of 7 performances. Week 1 of the Festival will also feature one-night-only performances on the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage by Kyle Marshall Choreography on June 28, Te Ao Mana on June 29, and SOLE Defined on June 30—tickets for which are available on a Choose What You Pay model. Tickets for all performances are now on sale.
In addition to these onsite and online performances, a free PillowTalk will be offered on Sat., July 1, when Mark Morris will join the company’s executive director, Nancy Umanoff, to discuss their partnership and decades-long teamwork. Also on Saturday, The School at Jacob’s Pillow will present the Contemporary Ballet Program on the Leir Stage, featuring works created for the dancers by guest choreographer Andrew McNicol and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award recipient and Program Director Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
“It brings us all such joy to open the Festival with Mark Morris Dance Group, a fan favorite and a company that has been coming to the Pillow regularly since its first performance in 1986, amassing the most extensive performance record of any company in our history,” said Jacob’s Pillow Executive and Artistic Director, Pamela Tatge. “And we're excited to kick off the series on our outdoor stage with Kyle Marshall Choreography in their first Pillow appearance since 2019.”
A longtime Pillow favorite, Mark Morris Dance Group will bring audiences The Look of Love, an homage to the music of the late Burt Bacharach, which had its world premiere in 2022 and which Fjord Review called “a breath of fresh, brilliant, joyous—and much needed—air.” A towering figure of popular music, Bacharach is known for his soaring melodies and unique orchestrations influenced by jazz, rock, and Brazilian music. The work features original choreography by Morris and new musical arrangements by Ethan Iverson, performed live by an ensemble of piano, trumpet, bass, and drums, with singer, actress, and Broadway star Marcy Harriell on lead vocals.
On the outdoor Henry J. Leir Stage, Week 1 features a series of one-night-only “choose what you pay” performances. On June 28, Kyle Marshall Choreography will perform Onyx, a work that digs into the origins of rock and roll, revealing the Black and Brown people whose sounds, performances, and personalities created this revolutionary genre. Onyx is a continuation of Kyle Marshall’s incorporation of history and social reform in his work, which views dance as a medium to encourage empathy with others. This socially significant choreography aims to expand our view on the cultural experience of Black Americans while celebrating these innovative musicians.
Te Ao Mana will make their Pillow debut on the Henry J. Leir Stage on Thursday evening, June 29, performing works with Polynesian influence. Led by directors Anthony Aiu and Kaina Quenga—lifelong practitioners of Hula and Ori Tahiti—the intergenerational group emphasizes community and storytelling in their performances, creating space for their rich culture through dance.
SOLE Defined’s unique percussive dance is coming to the Leir Stage on Friday evening, June 30 once again to perform works that use human bodies as instruments. Their choreography is an innovative convergence of traditional musical, percussive dance, and multi-media, combining singing and acting to create an inventive twist. A BIPOC-led company based in Washington D.C., SOLE Defined charms and excites their audiences with high energy and musical expression.
Mark Morris Dance Group
June 28-July 2, Wed., Thurs. and Sat. at 8pm; Thurs.-Sun. at 2pm
Ted Shawn Theatre
Tickets from $65
Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745
Kyle Marshall Choreography
Wed., June 28, 6pm
Henry J. Leir Stage
Choose What You Pay
Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745
Te Ao Mana
Thurs., June 29, 6pm
Henry J. Leir Stage
Choose What You Pay
Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745
SOLE Defined
Fri., June 30, 6pm
Henry J. Leir Stage
Choose What You Pay
Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745