We join Pillow Scholar Maura Keefe in conversation with award-winning  Ana Maria Alvarez, the founder of CONTRA-TIEMPO, a multilingual Los-Angeles-based activist performing company dedicated to transforming the world through dance. This is a recast of a PillowTalk presented live on July 11, 2021. 

PillowVoices: Dance Through Time

CONTRA-TIEMPO: A Talk with Ana Maria Alvarez and Maura Keefe

In this episode we share a PillowTalk that took place at Jacob's Pillow on August 15, 2021. Pillow Scholar and Associate Curator Melanie George hosts this conversation with a foremost tradition-bearer of Black American social dance, LaTasha Barnes. Through her work, The Jazz Continuum, Barnes places jazz dance in the context of House, Hip-Hop, Waacking, and Lindy Hop. LaTasha Barnes is an internationally-recognized and award-winning dancer, choreographer, educator, performer, and ambassador of culture. She has been honored to be a frequent collaborator with Dorrance Dance, Ephrat Asherie Dance, Ladies of Hip-Hop, and Caleb Teicher & Company.Special thanks to New England Public Media for their support of this episode of PillowVoices.

The History of Jazz Dance: Melanie George and LaTasha Barnes

In this episode hosted by Jennifer Edwards, we celebrate the life, work, and impact of Anna Halprin (1920-2021). A visionary force in both dance and healing, Halprin played a crucial role in the evolution of post-modern dance and developing ethical social practice through art. We learn about Halprin's work from scholars Ninotchka Bennahum and Wendy Perron, from Halprin biographer Janice Ross, and from Anna Halprin herself.Special thanks to New England Public Media for their support of this episode of PillowVoices.*Audio note: in this episode, Ellis Rovin was our composer and editor; our engineer was Adam BW

Remembering Anna Halprin

Dance writer Wendy Perron, a former associate director of Jacob's Pillow, explores Grand Union, a maverick 1970s improvisation group based in downtown New York. Perron tells their story through the voices of four key members: Yvonne Rainer, Steve Paxton, Trisha Brown, and David Gordon.Special thanks to New England Public Media, for their support of this episode of PillowVoices. 

Wendy Perron on Grand Union: Democracy or Anarchy?

Professor of dance at UCLA and Pillow Scholar, Lionel Popkin explores the complicated history and relationship between Indian dance, American modern dance, and Jacob's Pillow. Posing pointed questions about the 'use' of Indian dance movement and esthetics in the work of The Denishawn Company, the curatorial lens applied to Indian dance over time, and ultimately the influence and legacy of those choices on the dance landscape of today.Introduction to BharatanatyamLakshmi Vishwanathan: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/lakshmi-vishwanathan/varnam/Ragamala: https://www.ragamaladance.orgShantala Shivalingappa: http://shantalashivalingappa.com/en/Nrityagram: https://nrityagram.orgAkram Khan: https://www.akramkhancompany.netAakash Odedra: https://aakashodedra.comPramila Vasudevan: http://www.aniccha.orgHari Krishnan: https://www.indance.caLionel Popkin: http://www.lionelpopkin.org

The Complexities of Indian Dance at The Pillow

Into Sunlight trailer: https://vimeo.com/131009698STILL: https://vimeo.com/476315913/3a7f9258bb 

Choreographing the Social Consciousness: Part 3, Making Sense of the World

Explore Artists Mentioned in This Episode:Christopher K Morgan and ArtistsDaystar Rosalie JonesLemi PonifasioNeil IeremiaMoss PattersonSantee SmithRed Sky PerformanceRosy SimasEmily JohnsonMaura GarciaBrooke SmileyDakota CamachoAnthony Hudson Timothy White EagleAKU-MATU Alison Akootchook WardenDeeper dive: Code Switch Episode, "The Hawaiin Language Nearly Died. A Radio Show Sparked its Revival."PillowPlaylist: Indigenous Dance of the Americas 

Native Contemporary Dance: No Longer in Sepia Tones

As mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NckTgsBsrKEAuthor Mindy Aloff shares stories from her  book Hippo in a Tutu: Dancing in Disney Animation along with screening brief film excerpts that illustrate the evolution of dance used in Disney animation from the 1930s to 1950s. Joined by Marge Champion, who is interviewed for Hippo in a Tutu and was the dancer and live model for both Snow White and the Hippopotamus Ballerina in Fantasia. Moderated by Jacob's Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen. Watch the award-winning short film, Keep Dancing. (https://vimeo.com/153283760) "Singularly endearing!" - The New York Times"Keep Dancing is a testament to the vitality of existence." - Slash Film"Elegant gem of a film" - City Arts"Enchantingly inspiring film!" - BackstageAfter celebrated careers, legendary dancers Marge Champion and Donald Saddler became friends while performing together in the Broadway show Follies in 2001. When the show closed, they decided to rent a private studio together, and they have been choreographing and rehearsing original dances ever since. At age 90, they continue to pursue their passion for life through their love and mastery of dance. Keep Dancing seamlessly blends nine decades of archival film and photographs with present-day footage to tell a story through dance of the passing of time and the process of aging.Official Selection at South by Southwest, Dance on Camera at Lincoln Center, Silverdocs, Sedona International Film Festival and over 25 other international film festivals. Nominated for the IDA Short Documentary of the Year Award.

Remembering Marge Champion

In part 2 of this several-part series, we explore how dancers and choreographers have embodied and confronted social constraints and constructs. Highlighing conversations between Pillow Scholar Maura Keefe and Carmen de Lavallade, Tere O'Connor and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, we discover personal, artistic, and political perspectives on age, culture and queerness.

Choreographing the Social Consciousness: Part 2, The Body Politic(al)

In part 1 of this several-part series, we explore how some artists and thought leaders position the role and influence of governmental programs and political figures on the arts, as well as how artists excavate politics and socio-political content for creative inspiration. Drawing from the work of Liz Lerman and Mark Dendy, we explore how some artists make such work. We also experience a conversation between political commentator Rachel Maddow and Pillow Scholar Suzanne Carbonneau as they discuss the role of government, and government funding, in the arts.

Choreographing the Social Consciousness: Part 1, Governmental Affairs

PillowVoices composer and engineer Ellis Rovin takes inspiration from the Pillow's earliest composer-accompanist, Jess Meeker, with rare interviews shedding light on dance in the 1930s and the early days of Jacob's Pillow.

Celebrating Jess Meeker: Pioneering Pillow Composer

Dance writer Gregory King explores the work of Garth Fagan from his own perspective as a scholar and former cast member of Disney's Broadway hit, The Lion King, which Fagan choreographed. Topics range from what it means to be a Black dancer / choreographer for a (mostly) white audience, being Jamaican in a Eurocentric dance ecosystem, and the power of embodied recognition stemming from identical cultural origins.

Mic-check on Garth Fagan, Modern Dance, and Jacob's Pillow

Honoring one of his heroes, Director of Preservation Norton Owen focuses on pioneering Black dance historian Joe Nash, including the voices of Chuck Davis and Donald McKayle along with Nash himself.

Joe Nash and the Power of Dance History

In this episode hosted by Jennifer Edwards, the history, practice, and importance of Contact Improvisation is explored through a revelatory 1998 conversation with the movement's founder, Steve Paxton.

The Origins and Value of Contact Improvisation in the Words of Steve Paxton

Associate Archivist Patsy Gay hosts this exploration of Pillow residencies and their value to choreographers and their creative processes. Existing side-by-side, hear the voices and experiences of two choreographers, Trisha Brown and Ephrat Asherie, even though their residencies at the Pillow were 32 years apart.

The Value of Residencies to Choreographers and Their Creative Processes

PillowVoices: Dance Through Time brings listeners closer to notable dance artists connected with Jacob's Pillow, from 1933 to today. Each piece exemplifies Jacob's Pillow's mission to 'support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation; and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance' by utilizing archival recordings brought to life in the personal stories and narration of current thought-leaders and scholars. Jacob's Pillow, lauded by The New York Times as "the dance center of the nation," is a National Historic Landmark, a recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival, located in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. PillowVoices is directed and produced by Jennifer Edwards. Ellis Rovin is composer and engineer. Music for the opening is by J.S. Bach and the closing theme is by Jess Meeker, both performed by Meeker. Content curator is Norton Owen, and associate curator is Patsy Gay.

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PillowVoices: Dance Through Time

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