PillowVoices: Dance Through Time

Learn more about host Katherine Helen Fisher View excerpt of Lamentation: Dancing the Archive on Dance Interactive  

Judith Jamison dancing in 1988 at Jacob's Pillow on Dance Interactive Linda Celeste Sims performing Cry in 2007 at Jacob's Pillow on Dance Interactive Learn more about host Christian Warner  

Multi-media essay 'Tracing a Legacy: Martha Graham's Centuryl Long Journey to Jacob's Pillow'  

Ann Hutchinson Guest's Century Plus (2022)

Dance Interaction videos and essays related to this episode include: Soles of Duende Urban Bush Women   PillowVoices podcasts related to this episode include: Remembering Blondell Cummings with Paloma McGregor

Virginia Johnson of Dance Theatre of Harlem and Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre discuss their own training, the universality of performing classical ballets, the responsibilities of role models before and after the emergence of social media, and how dance skills can prepare young people for careers beyond the stage. Recorded during a 2014 PillowTalk moderated by Maura Keefe.

Behind the scenes stories of how the exhibition 'Connecting Through Time: 50 Seasons with Norton Owen' came together. Scholar in Residence Maura Keefe guides the conversation with exhibit curator Wendy Perron, Pillow Archivist Patsy Gay, and Director of Preservation Norton Owen. Recorded during July 2025 PillowTalk.

Dance Interactive Video Excerpts of Tap Performances at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive Multimedia Essays on Tap curated by Brian Seibert  

See Frederic Franklin dancing with Alexandra Danilova in 1948 at Jacob's Pillow on DANCE INTERACTIVE 'Frederic Franklin Returns' PillowTalk 2007 - video excerpt on YOUTUBE

Links to disability artistry projects mentioned in this podcast: POD Access by Thomas Reid and Cheryl Green Reid My Mind Radio hosted by Thomas Reid Social Audio Description Collective Kinetic Light Kayla Hamilton Christopher Unpezverde Núñez Krishna Washburn Curiosity Paradox

Dance scholar Nancy Wozny highlights the life and work of Moroccan and Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Cherkaoui was honored with the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2022 for his achievements in the worlds of both concert and commercial dance including choreography for Beyoncé and the Broadway production of Jagged Little Pill.

Norton Owen introduces highlights from past PillowTalks with choreographer Bill T. Jones, including reflections on his philosophy of partnering and its roots in contact improvisation. He also offers advice on how audiences might best approach his work and shares the personal story of a gift from two Pillow patrons.

Dance Scholar Mora-Amina Parker illuminates the historical and cultural context of Mr. Talley Beatty's choreography as well as the significant impact on in her course as a professional dancer after discovering his ballets.

Guest host Benjamin Richards focuses the lens on four different resident dance photographers: John Lindquist, Stephan Driscoll, Mike van Sleen and Christopher Duggan.

Highlights from a 2022 PillowTalk with Lynn Garafola, author of the biography La Nijinska: Choreographer of the Modern speaking with scholar-in-residence Brian Schaefer. Garafola illuminates Bronislava Nijinska’s life as a Russian born dancer, sibling to Vaslav Nijinsky, and groundbreaking 20th century ballet choreographer. Garafola also shares some fascinating documentation of Nijinska's pivotal...

Highlights from Carmen de Lavallade's Pillow debut as a dancer in Lester Horton's company in 1953, all the way through the premiere of her one woman show at the age of 83. Host Norton Owen guides us through the many spirited connections Ms. de Lavallade holds both in American dance history and with Jacob's Pillow.

What could representation and opportunity for Hip Hop dance look like in the near future? Guest host Michele Byrd-McPhee revisits the 2023 conversation during PillowTalk: Hip Hop at 50, to build upon and expand into what is possible for the next 50 years. Interstitial music for this episode is from the live performance Hip Hop Across the Pillow as well as the All Styles Dance Battle event in 2023....

Dance Scholar Dr. Arushi Singh dives into the historical and cultural context of three Contemporary Indian artists who are engaging with their own cultural inheritances as a vital aspect of reclaiming identity on their own terms. Video links: Inside the Pillow Lab: Hari Krishnan/inDANCE (2024) https://youtu.be/rS1QWdC771E?si=RDdlOkle16g-EGQD Inside the Pillow Lab: Aakash Odedra (2024) https://yout...

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo's Artistic Director, Tory Dobrin, speaks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence, Maura Keefe, in this 2024 PillowTalk. Dobrin shares his own firsthand stories and reflects on the impact of 50 years of blending serious ballet technique with comedy and drag in this all-male company. Full PillowTalk including commentary on video excerpts of the company's repert...

Political analyst Rachel Maddow speaks with Pillow scholar Suzanne Carbonneau in a 2009 PillowTalk. Maddow humanizes the political context of the early years of Jacob's Pillow and then offers her personal perspective on the meaningful role that the arts play within an evolving democracy.

In this excerpt from a 2004 PillowTalk, choreographer Shen Wei speaks with dance scholar Suzanne Carbonneau about his love of abstraction when making movement, stripping away narrative from musical scores, and integrating visual art into his stage works. Shen Wei also shares about his upbringing in the traditions of Chinese Opera and his early years after emigrating to New York City.

Christian Warner hosts this episode focused on the human body’s capacity to navigate collective grief, moving toward not only healing,  but self-actualization. Warner is a Black interdisciplinary performer, choreographer, and director. He shares his own  experiences as well as excerpts from conversations with dance artists Dormeshia, Camille A. Brown, Ronald K. Brown, and their collaborators. http...

In this episode of PillowVoices, we bring you an interview with choreographer Yin Mei. PillowScholar Suzanne Carbonneau sat down with Yin Mei to discuss her work titled Empty Traditions / City of Peonies in August, 1999.  In a 1999 interview with Pillow Scholar Suzanne Carbonneau, Yin Mei talks about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, which stripped people of their history and tra...

In this episode, professor and choreographer Silvana Cardell contextualizes the work of the Mimulus Dance Company through the lens of adjacent histories and influences: Cardell from Argentina and Mimulus from Brazil. Watch a clip of Por Um Fio: https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/mimulus-dance-company/por-um-fio/ Insights and influences, Silvana Cardell : In Buenos Aires, Cardell learned und...