Ballet, modern dance, indie folk, chamber music, jazz, theater and more. Our region has it all this weekend. Here are just a few selective highlights.
The Sarasota Ballet, acclaimed for its vitality, versatility, and elegance, kicks off its 25th anniversary season at Jacob’s Pillow this weekend, with a program running today through Sunday. The company performs Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet “The American,” set to the Dvorák quartet of the same name; Sir Frederick Ashton’s celebrated, artful trios Monotones I and Monotones II; and a world premiere by resident choreographer and principal dancer Ricardo Graziano, set to music by the avatar of contemporary minimalism, Philip Glass.
PigPen Theatre Co. brings its rollicking live show to MASS MoCA in North Adams, in its incarnation as an indie-folk band, for an outdoor concert at the Dré Pavilion on Saturday at 8pm. Like Clark Kent and Superman, PigPen Theatre Co. functions on the one hand as a self-contained rock band, and then on the turn of a dime sneaks into a phone booth, changes costumes, and comes out as a theatrical ensemble that presents fully staged productions. At MASS MoCA, the group will play material from its new record, “Whole Sun.”
Pianist Jeremy Denk will play works by Bartok, Scriabin and Beethoven in the Tannery Pond Concert Series at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., on Saturday at 8pm.
The quirky love story “Blink” by British playwright Phil Porter gets its regional premiere and first American cast at Chester Theatre Company, in Chester, Mass., bringing its 26th season to a close, now through Sunday, August 23. “Blink” is the tale of Jonah and Sophie, a quirky love story about virtual reality, fear of intimacy, and love in the digital age.
The month-long Chatham Dance Festival at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y., continues with the Brooklyn-based dance company Gallim Dance, led by dancer choreographer Andrea Miller. Gallim brings its inventive combination of quick wit, movement, introspection, youthful exuberance, and technical virtuosity to PS21 tonight and Saturday night at 8pm. Gallim will be performing two pieces by Miller: “Pupil Suite,” danced to music by Balkan Beat Box; and “Spill,” inspired by Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral.”
Legendary folk-rock singer-songwriter Graham Nash, whose songs helped define a generation and shape the history of rock ‘n’ roll, performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on Saturday at 8pm. Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — as a member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and with the British pop group the Hollies. Nash was responsible for several of CSN’s greatest hits, including “Marrakesh Express” and “Teach Your Children,” both of which were rejected by the Hollies. Perhaps his best-loved tune is “Our House,” his paean to life and love with his then-girlfriend, Joni Mitchell.
The phenomenal 12-year-old Bali-born jazz pianist Joey Alexander brings his trio to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday at 8pm. Alexander’s virtuosity has garnered the attention and support of Herbie Hancock and WyntonMarsalis, among others. His Helsinki show comes just weeks after his appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival and a residency at New York City’s Jazz Standard nightclub. This past May, Alexander’s highly anticipated debut album “My Favorite Things” was released by the Grammy Award-winning Harlem-based label Motema Music. The album finds Alexander playing everything from Coltrane to Rodgers and Hammerstein with a deft touch, adventurous spirit and improvisational verve.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of Berkshire Daily and the Rogovoy Report, available online at rogovoyreport.com