Schedule of Events:

5:30: Pua Ali'i 'Ilima o Nūioka at Henry J. Leir Stage

Live Music:
Pua Ali'i 'Ilima o Nūioka returns to the Henry J. Leir Stage for the first time since 2012. The mission of this hālau hula (school of Hawaiian dance) is to preserve and perpetuate Native Hawaiian arts and cultural traditions for future generations. At the core of this mission is the sharing of hula, which has been instrumental in the preservation and perpetuation of Native Hawaiian language, art, and cultural practices.

The halau provides training for children, teens, and adults, as well as introductory hula workshops and classes, under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Vicky Holt Takamine and Jeffrey Kānekaiwilani Takamine. The hālau hula is based in Honolulu, with extensions in Nuioka (New York City) and Kauaʻi. This performance on the Leir Stage will feature haumāna (students) from the New York extension.

Vicky Holt Takamine is recognized as a native Hawaiian leader for her artistry and advocacy on social justice issues, the protection of native Hawaiian rights, and the natural and cultural resources of Hawaii. She is the recipient of the 2024 Gish Prize

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2:00pm and 7:30pm: Sekou McMiller and Friends at Ted Shawn Theatre

World Premiere Live Music:
With a musical flair and explosive energy, dancer and choreographer Sekou McMiller is at the forefront of Afro Latin Dance performance and education. His unique fusion style, rooted in Afro-Caribbean traditions and laced with a range of dance techniques from the African diaspora, brought Jacob's Pillow audiences to their feet dancing last summer as Sekou McMiller and Friends performed on the outdoor stage.

For Festival 2025, in his Ted Shawn Theatre debut, McMiller will present the world premiere of Urban Love Suite, the latest incarnation of his dance and music project Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience. A joy-filled rhythmical journey through African American, Afro Latino/a/e and West African music and dance traditions, Urban Love Suite celebrates the cultural love affair between Black and Brown peoples, through encounters in cityscapes including Harlem, the Bronx, Dakar, São Paulo, Los Angeles, and Chicago. This world premiere is supported by the Joan B. Hunter New Work Commission.

McMiller's diverse career as a dancer, choreographer, and educator has garnered him broad recognition worldwide. His choreographic work has been featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Dance Chicago, The Actors Fund Theater, New York City Center, Ailey CitiGroup Theater, Symphony Space, Edison Ballroom, and the United Nations General Assembly. He has appeared in films including In the Heights, performed off-Broadway, and performed and choreographed for Pitbull and Madonna and for top Latin music artists including Gilberto Santa Rosa, Willie Colón, Tito Rojas, and Tito Nieves. He has also performed at numerous Jacob's Pillow special events, participated in the Pillow Lab residency series, and served as Choreographer/Director of the Musical Theatre program at The School at Jacob's Pillow in 2024.

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2:30pm and 8:00pm: Eun-Me Ahn at Doris Duke Theatre

First Appearance Since 2000 U.S. Premiere:
Eun-Me Ahn is a leading artist of the Korean performing arts scene, known for her avant-garde choreographic worlds and technicolor productions. In her return to Jacob's Pillow for the first time since 2000, Ahn will present the official U.S. premiere of Dragons, a "spectacular" (BroadwayWorld) dance with tumbling and 3D holographic choreography that juggles speed, scale, and illusion.

The work was conceived before the pandemic and transformed by the reality of her initial cast of pan-Asian dancers being split and isolated through it. Dragons incorporates the 3D holographic presence of the remote cast with live choreography for eight on-stage dancers, many of whom were born in 2000—the year of the dragon on the Asian Zodiac calendar.

A graduate of contemporary dance at Ewha Womans University in Seoul and from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Ahn is internationally renowned, with over 150 pieces in her repertoire. Her work has toured widely in Asia and Europe through invitations from the Pina Bausch Foundation in Wuppertal, Germany, and an association with Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

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