FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT: Mariclare Hulbert, Director of Marketing and Communication 413.243.9919 x130 mhulbert@jacobspillow.

org -orAlyssa Mayfield, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator 413.243.9919 x132 amayfield@jacobspillow.org
TAP SENSATION DORRANCE DANCE TO PREMIERE THE BLUES PROJECT AT JACOBS PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL, JULY 2428 July 18, 2013 (Becket, MA) Jacobs Pillow presents Dorrance Dance and the world premiere of The Blues Project, July 2428 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Founded two years ago by 2013 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award recipient Michelle Dorrance, the company features some of todays best tap artists including co-choreographers of The Blues Project Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards. Award-winning musician, composer, and founder of the band BIGLovely Toshi Reagon created the music for The Blues Project, which will be performed live by Reagon and four other musicians on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drums and percussion, and violin. Praised as a talented choreographer, the most promising one in tap right now by Brian Seibert of The New York Times, Dorrance is among the most respected tap performers and choreographers of her generation. Earlier in the 2013 Festival, Dorrance accepted the seventh annual Jacobs Pillow Dance Award at the Pillows season opening Gala. Jacobs Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff comments: With this years Award, we recognize a hugely talented young artist who is experimenting with new ideas and moving the art of tap forward. We are also honoring the great American art form of tap, which has created some of the best dance and music-making ever. Dorrance was joined in the creation of The Blues Project by Grant and Sumbry-Edwards, both driving forces in the tap world and well-known for their dance captain roles in the hit Broadway musical Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk. Unlike her process on past projects, Dorrance did not use music as her initial inspiration for developing the choreography; in fact, Reagon challenged Dorrance, Grant, and Sumbry-Edwards to create the movement before she composed the music. I could do anything I wanted, Dorrance commented to Ken Ross of The Republican. The world was at my fingertips. The Blues Project is a creative collaboration that explores the relationship between music, sound, and movement. Dorrance noted that on top of loving [Reagons] music since I was 18 years old, I wanted to work with her because she wields music the way I want to wield tap danceby manifesting the spirit of the great American traditions. I see Derick K. Grant and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in a very similar light. Company History: Dorrance Dance aims to honor tap dances unique history in a new, dynamic, and compelling context. The form of the tradition is not stripped, but instead pushed rhythmically, aesthetically, and conceptually. In 2011, Dorrance Dances inaugural performances of Remembering Jimmy and Three to One at Danspace Project in New York City garnered a Bessie Award for blasting open our notions of tap. The company has performed as part of the Pillows Inside/Out series as well as Danspace Project, The Kennedy Center, The Yard, Symphony Space, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Barcelona Tap Festival, The D.C. Tap Festival, The North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, The Soul to Sole Festival, and Beantown Tap Festivals On Tap!, often to critical acclaim.

About Michelle Dorrance: Michelle Dorrance, founder and Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance, is one of the hottest tap artists of her generation (Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe). Dorrance is the 2013 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award winner, a 2012 Princess Grace Award Winner, 2012 Rockefeller Foundation & Mertz Gilmore-sponsored Field Dance Fund Recipient, and 2011 Bessie Award Winner. She performs, teaches, and choreographs throughout the world. Mentored by Gene Medler, Dorrance grew up performing with the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble and has since performed with STOMP, Manhattan Tap, Savion Glover's company Ti Dii, JazzTap Ensemble, Barbara Duffy & Company, Rumba Tap, Derick K. Grants Imagine Tap, and Jason Samuels Smiths Chasing the Bird. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from New York Universitys Gallatin School of Individualized Study and teaches on faculty at Broadway Dance Center. About Toshi Reagon: Toshi Reagon has been described as a talented, versatile singer, composer, producer and musician with a profound ear for sonic Americana from folk to funk, from blues to rock by critic/blogger Eva Yaa Asantewaa of InfiniteBody. She masters each of these genres with vocal strategies that easily spiral and swoop from the expressively sinuous to the hard-charging, a combination of warmth and mischief. Reagons expansive career has included notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House, and Madison Square Garden, as well as music festivals, intimate venues, or local clubs. Her dance and theater collaborations include work with Urban Bush Women, Jane Comfort and Company, and LAVA. She has also performed two operas with Robert Wilson and her mother, Bernice Johnson Reagon. She has been the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts award for Music Composition as well as The Black Lily Music and Film Festival award for Outstanding Performance. Reagon is a National Womens History Month Honoree and the 2010 recipient of OutMusics Heritage Award. In 2011 she received a Stonewall Honors Award with her partner J. Bob Alotta. Reagon also founded the festival Word*Rock*& Sword: A FESTIVAL Celebration of Womens Lives, which is now in its third year and will occur in September 2013 in New York City. About Derick K. Grant: Derick K. Grant is a performer, choreographer, and director with an established career that spans more than three decades. Under the direction of Tony Award-winner George C. Wolfe, Grant was an original company member and dance captain for Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk at both The Public Theater and on Broadway. He also starred in the role of da beat for the first National Tour of the musical. Grant created the critically acclaimed sh ow Imagine Tap!, his choreography has been featured on Foxs hit series So You Think You Can Dance, and he has performed and recorded with Grammy Award winner Dan Zanes. Grant is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award for Upcoming Young Artist, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Featured Actor, a Los Angeles Ovation Award for choreography and for Best Ensemble Performance in Noise/Funk, and was most recently recognized for Best Choreography for Imagine Tap!. Additionally, Grant was on faculty for the Tap Program of The School at Jacobs Pillow in 2010 and 2012. He is currently a corporate Tap Spokesperson for SDana and continues to transform and inspire dance communities around the world. About Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards: Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards has been a part of nearly every major tap film or production since the 1980s. She received a 2012 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance, the Hoofer Award from The American Tap Dance Foundation, Black Excellence Award Best Actress nomination for the lead role in the film The Rise and Fall of Miss Thang, and has appeared on the cover of Dance Magazine. Sumbry-Edwards continues to appear as a special guest for shows and festivals around the world, was elected to the advisory board for Dance Magazine, and is the official Tap Spokesperson for Capezio. Sumbry-Edwards career includes Black and Blue, Imagine Tap!, and Bring

In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk where she was a dance captain, principal dancer, and understudy to the lead role on Broadway as well as the national and international tours. Her choreography credits include Michael Jackson's music video Rock My World, and the Sophisticated Ladies, who are featured weekly at the Cotton Club in New York City. Sumbry-Edwards was also the private tap instructor to Michael Jackson for 11 years. She is currently working on the production Apollo Club Harlem, which debuts this year. Sumbry-Edwards continues to be revered as one of the most dynamic tap dancers in the industry today. About The Jacobs Pillow Dance Award: The Jacob's Pillow Dance Award is a significant way in which the Pillow supports the creativity of visionary artists. The Award was created in 2007 by an anonymous donor whose commitment to an ongoing annual gift to Jacob's Pillow of $50,000 is generous and far-reaching. The Award, presented each year at the Season Opening Gala to an artist of exceptional vision, carries a cash prize of $25,000 which the artist can use in any way they wish. The honoree also receives a custom-designed glass sculpture by Berkshire-based artist Tom Patti, whose work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among other prominent institutions worldwide. The remaining $25,000 of the annual gift supports Jacob's Pillow commissions, presentations, and the creation of new work through the Pillow's Creative Development Residency Program. During these 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 Pillow's rare and extensive Archives and other Pillow resources. In the retreat-like atmosphere of the Pillow, the Creative Development Residencies are rare opportunities for artists to focus on the creative process without distraction. Past recipients of the Jacobs Pillow Dance Award include Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, Alonzo King, Merce Cunningham, Bill T. Jones, Crystal Pite, and Kyle Abraham; Dorrance is the first tap artist to be honored. Festival Connections: Michelle Dorrance is the recipient of the 2013 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award; she first appeared at the Pillow in 2004 with Cintia Chamecki for the Inside/Out series, and then appeared with solo work for the Inside/Out series in 2011. The Blues Project choreographer and dancer Derick K. Grant has also spent time at the Pillow, serving as faculty for the 2010 and 2012 Tap Programs at The School at Jacobs Pillow. PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION Dorrance Dance Doris Duke Theatre Wednesday, July 24 through Saturday, July 27 at 8:15pm Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28 at 2:15pm Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacobs Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Suzanne Carbonneau are offered on the Doris Duke Theatre porch 30 minutes before every performance. A Post-Show Talk with artistic personnel from Dorrance Dance and a Pillow Scholar-in-Residence will take place onstage on Thursday, July 25. Tickets $22 $43. Box Office hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 11am5pm; Wednesday through Saturday 11am8pm. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacobs Pillow Box Office. Under 35 Fridays Tickets and Youth Tickets are available by phone and in person only. Jacobs Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacobs Pillow campus and theatres are handicapped-accessible.

RELATED EVENTS Master Class by Michelle Dorrance Doris Duke Theatre Sunday, July 28 at 10:30am For intermediate/advanced dancers, ages 16+. $15 per class. ($10 per class for dance teachers with appropriate I.D.) $80 for a 6-class card. Pre-registration required. Call the Community Dance Hotline, 413.243.9919 x5. Registration opens the week of class; no early registration. FREE to observe. PillowTalk: Music & Movement of Tap Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Saturday, July 27 at 4pm Tap goddess Michelle Dorrance and the musical powerhouse Toshi Reagon discuss the essential relationship between movement and music and talk about their new collaboration, The Blues Project, premiering this week. FREE IN THE TED SHAWN THEATRE, JULY 24-28 L-E-V Ted Shawn Theatre Wednesday, July 24 Saturday, July 27, 8pm Saturday, July 27 & Sunday, July 28, 2pm Sensational and avant-garde, Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar are two of Israels most talked-about innovatorsshe as a dancer and choreographer and he as an underground art and rave events producer. Known for collaborations with Batsheva Dance Company, they have just launched their own adventurous company, L-E-V. In its much-anticipated U.S. debut, the ensemble performs the provocative work HOUSE, an alluring spectacle of hypnotic sensuality and raw physicality. Adult Content. Tickets $39-$65, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745. FREE EVENTS AT JACOBS PILLOW, JULY 24-28 Inside/Out Performance: Earl Mosley/Life Dance Company Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space Wednesday, July 24 at 6:15pm Life Dance Company has grown out of the work of Diversity of Dance, Inc.'s founder and Artistic Director Fredrick Earl Mosley. The choreography of this young repertory company is a diverse mix of different styles, objectives, concepts, and expressions of some of today's greatest artists. In addition to Mosley's choreography, the company's repertory includes works by Ronald K. Brown, Kevin Wynn, Meredith Rainey, and Darrell Grand Moultrie, among others. The dancers bring beauty, grace, energy, and style to each work, often with humor. FREE Inside/Out Performance: Vacanti Ballets Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Thursday, July 25 at 6:15pm Founded in 2012, Vacanti Ballets showcases the choreography of Thomas Vacanti. In the past year, Vacanti has assembled a group of dancers that are simultaneously athletic, supple, and passionate in their dancing. A full commitment to dance vocabulary and dramatic intent is inherent in each of the works presented. The program includes technically demanding movement and intense dancing. FREE

PillowTalk: Pillow Coast to Coast Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Friday, July 26 at 5pm Ron Honsa's award-winning Pillow documentary, Never Stand Still, makes its nationwide broadcast debut July 26 on PBS. We will celebrate the occasion with out-takes, anecdotes, and personal appearances in this talk. FREE Inside/Out Performance: Pittsburgh Texture Contemporary Ballet Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Friday, July 26 at 6:15pm Texture is comprised of classically-trained professional ballet dancers who have danced and trained at some of the top ballet companies and schools in the U.S. Co-choreographed by Texture Artistic Directors Alan Obuzor and Kelsey Bartman, Infinity looks at the opposing ideas and concepts of infinite and finite and how it relates to the human condition, interactions, mankind, and the world-at-large. Texture strives to inspire dancers, teachers, directors, choreographers, audience members, and artists of every kind, by presenting ballet in an innovative way. FREE Inside/Out Performance: The School at Jacobs Pillow Contemporary Program Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Saturday, July 27 at 6:15pm To conclude their study in the Contemporary Program, dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow present contemporary dance variations coached by program director Milton Myers. FREE Exhibit: Jordan Matter: Dancers Among Us Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby Open 60 minutes pre-performance By showing dancers in everyday surroundings, photographer Jordan Matter demonstrates just how extraordinary the human body can be. There's no photo manipulation here--no trampolines, no gimmicks, no tricks--which makes these images of roadside leaps and high kicks on the subway all the more remarkable. Including recognizable dance figures and relative unknowns, this collection truly communicates the excitement of having dancers among us. FREE Exhibit: Christopher Duggan: Inside/Out Doris Duke Theatre Lobby Open 60 minutes pre-performance As the Pillow's Festival Photographer since 2006, Christopher Duggan has now documented literally thousands of indelible dance moments. Focusing specifically on Inside/Out for an exhibit last summer at Saratoga's National Museum of Dance, these images are now coming home for the first time. Duggan's superb extra-large prints show off an incomparable setting in an unforgettable way. FREE Exhibit: Shooting Stars Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19 Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm To experience dance through the eyes of other dancers is a rare treat, and this exhibit encompasses uncommon sights and vantage points, photos taken by professional dancers, that will be totally new to most viewers. New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan reveals what goes on in the dressing rooms of New York

City Ballet while Miguel Anaya shares his backstage view from last seasons production From the Horses Mouth: The Men Dancers, and much more. FREE Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival Archives Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19 Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm This informal library and reading room allows Pillow visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s, and the Dance Heritage Coalition's new Secure Media Network features videos from other archives throughout the country. FREE
Jacobs Pillow, celebrating its 81st Festival in 2013, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. The Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacobs Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillows extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events. Through Jacobs Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacobs Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacobs Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacobs Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

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