Jabob's Pillow Announces Residences
Monica Bill Barnes, Kyle Abraham and Camille A. Barnes
By: Ariel Petrova - Oct 17, 2009
In its first preview of the 2010 Festival, Jacob's Pillow Dance announces three world premieres which will be created at the Pillow in the coming months and then presented as part of the upcoming Festival. Monica Bill Barnes, Kyle Abraham, and Camille A. Brown are each creating new work at the Pillow through its Creative Development Residency program this fall and spring.
These artists, all young choreographers and artistic directors of New York City-based contemporary dance companies, will spend time at the Pillow developing new work, which will then premiere as part of the 2010 Festival. Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, and Camille A. Brown and Dancers will be presented in three separate week-long engagements in the Doris Duke Theatre, dates to be announced.
Monica Bill Barnes will be in residence October 18-25, Kyle Abraham arrives November 15-21, and Camille A. Brown in the spring of 2010, April 18-25. Each Creative Development Residency includes housing and unlimited studio use for the artists and their dancers, and concludes with an invitation-only, work-in-progress showing during which artists receive valuable creative feedback from audience members.
All three choreographers have performed at Jacob's Pillow; in 2005 Barnes' company was presented on Inside/Out, the Pillow's free outdoor venue, while Brown performed in the Ted Shawn Theatre with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, and Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion performed as part of the Inside/Out series in 2009.
Ella Baff, Jacob's Pillow Executive Director, comments, "These three original, innovative choreographers are part of the next generation of contemporary dance-makers who are taking the reins. And they are all star dancers in their own right, compelling and gorgeous to watch on stage. Keep an eye on them."
"Their choreographic styles are very different from one another," Baff continues. "Camille's work is highly expressive, dramatic, and entertaining. Monica creates incredibly witty and lively dance-theatre, and Kyle has a gift for provocative movement that draws the audience in. Choreographers often struggle to find affordable studio space, a place to do their work. Imagine other professions dealing with that challenge. Our Creative Development Residency Program is a service to the field, giving exceptional artists an incomparable environment, solitude, time in our Archives, and other resources of the Pillow to create new work. The program is also a service to audiences; engaging them in the process of creating art and giving the opportunity to participate in the excitement of three world premieres."
MONICA BILL BARNES: Named "one of the wittiest young choreographers around, by Deborah Jowitt of The Village Voice, Barnes' work has been presented in Italy , Russia , Germany , and across the United States . Known for her signature humor, use of gesture, and theatrical innovation, Barnes formed Monica Bill Barnes & Company and has created twelve evening-length works and numerous site-specific and cabaret pieces for the ensemble. Roslyn Sulcas of The New York Times comments, "Subtle gestures infused with meaning and power... [Barnes'] choreography has a genuine wit and humor." For more information visit www.monicabillbarnes.com.
KYLE ABRAHAM: Originally from Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , Abraham, an extraordinary dancer himself, brings together an ensemble from diverse personal and professional backgrounds to perform work rooted in his own life experiences. As a choreographer, Abraham intertwines sleek, sensual movement with a deep understanding of music, creating investigations of human behavior and emotion. He was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2009, and has been heralded by OUT Magazine as one of the "best and brightest creative talents to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama." Abraham has worked with such acclaimed contemporary dance companies as David Dorfman Dance, Nathan Trice/Rituals, and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He founded Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion in 2005, for more information visit www.abrahaminmotion.com.
CAMILLE A. BROWN: Brown, former star performer with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2006, has created work for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Hubbard Street II, Urban Bush Women, Ailey II, Ballet Memphis, and Philadanco. Described as "a pixie-ish powerhouse with the determined air of a high priestess" (The San Francisco Chronicle) and "a force of nature" (The New York Times), Brown's choreography is characterized by a lush, powerful, detailed movement style and dramatic flair. Camille A. Brown and Dancers debuted in 2006; to learn more visit www.camilleabrown.org.
The Creative Development Residency Program is part of Jacob's Pillow's core mission to support artists and their creative development. The program serves as a signature of the Pillow's artistic point of view and underscores its commitment to expand horizons, both of choreographers and audiences. During Creative Development Residencies, artists are invited to spend one to three weeks at the Pillow creating or rehearsing new work, with free housing for the company, unlimited use of studio space, and access to the Archives and other Pillow resources. In the quiet, retreat-like atmosphere of Jacob's Pillow, the residencies are rare opportunities for artists to focus on the creative process without distraction.
Following a residency with his company, choreographer Stephen Petronio observed, "Dancing at the Pillow was like being marooned in heaven." Choreographers who have created work at the Pillow include Bill T. Jones with his Last Supper at Uncle Tom's Cabin/The Promised Land; Mark Morris' collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Falling Down Stairs; Joanna Haigood's site-specific Invisible Wings; Annie B-Parson and Paul Lazar, Artistic Directors of Big Dance Theater, with their acclaimed work The Other Here; and Kate Weare's 2008 Bridge of Sighs.
Other notable artists who have created or premiered dances at the Pillow include choreographers Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Glen Tetley, Merce Cunningham, Donald McKayle, David Parsons, Kevin McKenzie, Twyla Tharp, Ralph Lemon, Susan Marshall, Trey McIntyre, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; premiered by such artists as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carmen de Lavallade, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villella, and thousands of others.
Jacob's Pillow operates year-round, offering numerous community and artist programs in the fall, winter, and spring. The Pillow will co-present a spring dance engagement with MASS MoCA, America 's largest contemporary art museum, to be announced in November. Jacob's Pillow Curriculum-in-Motion®, integrates artist educators into Berkshire County public schools and provides students with expanded methods of learning traditional subjects.
The Pillow's extensive Archives are also open to the public year-round: appointments are by request in the fall, winter, and spring and can be made by contacting Norton Owen, Director of Preservation, at 413-243-9919 x50. For additional information visit www.jacobspillow.org.