Did Jacob’s Pillow want to remind us, now more than ever, of a famous phrase from a 1848 Shaker song: “Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free.”
Dance
Dance Feature: Sara Juli’s “Burnt-Out Wife” — Scorched
In Burnt-Out Wife, Maine-based performance artist Sara Juli takes on the unarticulated rage lurking in a long-term marriage with a deft touch and the humor of a born stand-up comic.
Dance Review: José Limón Company at Jacob’s Pillow — Empowering and Necessary
Kudos to Jacob’s Pillow for this stellar beginning to a digital season of dance.
Dance Commentary: Sally Banes (1950-2020)
Dance critic, scholar, performer, activist Sally Banes died on 14 June in Philadelphia.
Arts Commentary: Constraint in Quarantine
Our eyes may be quarantined, but our minds are not.
Dance Commentary: Paul Taylor — Now You See It, Virtually
I’ve always believed that dance has a literature, much like music or drama. Dance’s literature consists of both ideas (choreography) and the execution of ideas (performance).
Arts Commentary: Helping Dance at a Time of Social Distancing
How, frankly, could I help people engage with their inherent creative powers and feel just a little bit better?
Dance Review: Camille A. Brown & Dancers — Ease, Grace, and Jubilation
It was a treat to see Camille A. Brown & Dancers inhabit (and elaborate on) a number of different African American dance traditions with such winning ease and grace.
Dance Review: Boston Ballet’s “rEVOLUTION” — The Art of Evolution
Boston Ballet’s rEVOLUTION is memorable because of its duel commitment: it is both enormously entertaining as well as edifying.
Dance Review: Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group — Powerful Gifts
There’s hardly a minute in this hour-long show that isn’t stirred by singing, clapping, stomping, and drumming.