Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025 at 2:00pm

Various Venue in Becket
413-243-9919

Schedule of Events:

5:30pm: BOCA TUYA at Henry J. Leir Stage

Pillow Debut:
BOCA TUYA is a New York-based movement collective rooted in the rhythms, storytelling traditions, and cultural heritage of Puerto Rico. Founded in 2018 by choreographer Omar Román de Jesús—a member of the inaugural Jacob's Pillow Hicks Choreography Fellowship Program, Princess Grace choreography awardee, Dance Magazine Harkness Promise awardee, inaugural Baryshnikov Arts Center Fellow at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, and current resident at 92NY—the company crafts immersive dreamscapes that blend vibrant cadence, surrealist narratives, and unforgettable characters.

Through global tours, educational outreach, and choreographic commissions, BOCA TUYA empowers artists and cultivates authenticity, equity, and innovation with a distinct Boricua heartbeat, making work that is "full of sensual vulnerability; the effect is hypnotic." (Fjord Review). Honoring traditions and the ancestors who came before, the company connects past and present, while championing the excellence of New York's top contemporary dance artists.

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2:00pm: Stephen Petronio Company at Ted Shawn Theatre

First Appearance Since 2003:
This summer, Jacob's Pillow is honored to welcome acclaimed director and choreographer Stephen Petronio to present the final performances of the Stephen Petronio Company (SPC), while also marking the culmination of SPC's 40th anniversary. Petronio, who is regarded as "one of the few contemporary dance makers who have created an instantly recognizable style infused with emotional texture and wit" (The New York Times), will sunset an accomplished 40-year run with his company as he moves into his next creative endeavor: Petronio Projects.

The company's Festival 2025 program in the Ted Shawn Theatre will include Chair Pillow by Yvonne Rainer as well as some of Petronio's signature works, including MiddleSexGorge (1990), BUD (2005), Broken Man (2002), the critically acclaimed American Landscapes (2019), and a new iteration of Petronio's solo Another Kind of Steve (2024). This appearance comes exactly 40 years after the company's Pillow debut in the first of three consecutive seasons when they were Artists-in-Residence here.

A recipient of numerous awards, including a New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award, SPC focuses on the creation and presentation of Petronio's existing and new works, alongside legacy initiatives meant to preserve the history of postmodern dance lineage. The company also advances the future of postmodern dance through new works that honor and extend the history, offering a platform for a greater inclusivity of artistic voices. SPC has performed in 40 countries throughout the world with numerous New York City engagements, including 25 seasons at The Joyce Theater.

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2:30pm and 8:00pm: Elle Sofe Company at Doris Duke Theatre

U.S. Debut U.S. Premiere Live Music

Hailing from Norway, Elle Sofe Company make their U.S. debut with Vástádus eana – the answer is land, a "powerful" (Vancouver Sun) and critically-acclaimed performance that combines dance with yoik, a traditional singing style of the Sámi people who are Indigenous to the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

Supported by polyphonic music and costumes inspired by traditional clothing, the piece is inspired by political demonstrations, Sámi spiritual practices, and formation dance. Vástádus eana – the answer is land explores community and kinship between people, nature, and the earth. The yoik, composed specifically for the performance, serves as a musical pillar throughout a performance that reflects on the power of standing together and the awareness of the earth we all stand on and share.

Company founder Elle Sofe Sara is a featured artist at the Arctic Arts Festival in Harstad and a winner of the 2019 Moon Jury Award at the Imagine Native Film Festival. Now coming to the U.S. for the first time, Vástádus eana – the answer is land has toured internationally, and received the 2021/2022 Norwegian Critics Award for Dance.

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