While I know it is hard to imagine in the middle of this cold, cold winter, spring is around the corner, and thus summer is—impossibly—not far off. And, with summer, comes the blossoming of the artistic life Berkshire County is known for, including the summer season of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (although it must immediately be noted that the Pillow is most definitely a year-round institution, with residences, performances, showings, and in-school programs happening as we speak).
The Pillow has just announced its 2026 season schedule, the 94th season in its illustrious history. As usual, the docket is completely full: Over the course of the summer, the Pillow will present over 600 performances, talks, and events—more than 500 of them will be free—by world-class artists from more than 50 dance and performance companies. And, as usual, the Pillow will present both established dance and performance companies and up-and-coming cutting-edge creative work. As she has consistently been doing, Pillow Executive and Artistic Director Pamela Tatge is steadfastly maintaining the course and the vision of the Pillow’s founder, Ted Shawn.
Headliners from the more classical ballet idiom include the San Francisco Ballet, this country’s longest-running professional ballet company, returning to the Pillow after an absence of 70 years. Ballet Hispánico New York will also be on the Shawn Stage. These companies will be joined this summer by such modern dance mainstays as the Martha Graham Dance Company and the Paul Taylor Dance Company, as well as more recent and more contemporary additions to the “modern” (for lack of a better term) dance canon such as the German company Gauthier Dance Company.
The Pillow, which under Shawn’s direction always made a point of presenting dance of all styles from around the country and the world, will do so again this year. Performances will include Akram Khan Dance Company from the United Kingdom, featuring classical Indian Kathak dance; Anubhava Dance Company, performing Bharatnatyam, another form of Indian dance; Compañía Nélida Tirado Flamenco, performing flamenco and Latin dance; Indigenous artist Acosia Red Elk; and Kia the Key & Company, a fusion of street and club dancing.
And, of course, Jacob’s Pillow continues to be a place for premiering new works. This year will feature a number of world premieres, as well as many companies making their Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival debuts.
The companies performing in the Ted Shawn Theatre are the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Akram Khan Company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Circa Contemporary Circus, Gauthier Dance, San Francisco Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet Hispánico New York, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
In the Doris Duke Theatre, there will be performances by Shamel Pitts | TRIBE (Mr. Pitts will receive the Jacob’s Pillow Men Dancers Award this summer), Ilya Vidrin, Faye Driscoll, Brian Brooks Moving Company, Ephrat Asherie Dance, Brinae Ali, and Huang Yi.
Outdoors, the artists and companies performing on the Henry J. Leir Stage include Uppercut Dance Theater, Compañía Nélida Tirado Flamenco, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Anubhava Dance Company, Acosia Red Elk, Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima, artists from BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Michela Marino Lerman, Kalindá, Ogemdi Ude, Benjamin Akio Kimitch, UFlyMothership, KaJe Movement Collective, artists from Art Omi: Dance, San Francisco Ballet, Sorzano Dance Works, HopeBoykinDance, Kia the Key & Company, The Era Footwork Collective, and New York Theatre Ballet.
As always, the Pillow will feature Berkshire-region artists selected to perform on Community Day and presentations from the Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary, and Musical Theatre Performance Ensembles from The School at Jacob’s Pillow.
Pillow Member Pre-Sale will begin Monday, March 9, and public ticket sales will open Thursday, April 9. All tickets may be purchased at Jacob’s Pillow’s website. Summer is coming!
