On Aug. 1, 2025, activity on the Jacob’s Pillow campus ground to a halt when a dolly laden with heavy hardboard fell on production manager Kat Sirico, killing them almost immediately.
“The loss that we experienced last August was deeply, deeply felt by all of us, and yet, we are a year-round organization, and so we've continued moving forward together in the spirit of our legacy and the need that our field has for this incredible organization welcoming artists and audiences, now throughout the year,” Jacob’s Pillow executive and artistic director Pamela Tatge told WAMC.
Tatge says she’s eager to move the center out of the shadow cast by last year’s disaster as the Berkshires start to shift into the warmer months and receive the legions of vacationers that fuel the local economy.
“We had events in the fall, we are looking forward to our first ever spring season," she said. "This summer, we just can't wait to have people back and connect again. And in fact, the spirit and the focus of our festival this summer is connection, the many ways that dance brings us together into conversation with each other, how it bridges generations, across cultures, and I think that's how we're navigating, is by looking forward.”
Tatge says the Pillow is confident it’s addressed any safety concerns ahead of the busiest months of the year.
“We regularly, annually, take a look at our safety protocols, and we have examined everything we can and feel that we're in a very good position to move forward with the safest conditions for our staff possible,” she told WAMC.
For the inaugural spring season roster, Jacob’s Pillow is bringing two acts to the Doris Duke Theatre starting with the weekend of April 24 to 26.
“Soles of Duende brings together three dance artists," Tatge explained. "One is a Kathak, an Indian dance, artist, one is a tap dancer, and the third is a flamenco dancer. And their use of percussion, their dialog with each other, and their musicians, who are just astonishing- It's one of these shows that builds and builds and builds. And by the end, you can't believe what they're doing.”
The second is the inDANCE company, which will present a performance titled “ROWDIES IN LOVE” from May 1 to 3.
“It's a work that celebrates the power of masculinity, of male movement, of queer identity, and it fuses a classical Indian form, Bharatanatyam, with contemporary dance," said Tatge. "And it is a tour de force dance by eight male dancers.”
After a break for the Pillow’s gala on June 20th, the festival proper kicks off its 10-week run on June 24. Tatge says one highlight of the schedule is the return of the San Francisco Ballet to Becket for performances from August 5 to 9.
“It's amazing to me that that company has not been to the Pillow for 70 years," she said. "70 years ago, when they made their debut, it was the first time that they had been seen in the East Coast and they had a three-week engagement, which Jacob's Pillow rarely did in the past and rarely does right now. But that three-week engagement really launched the company as a major national and international dance company, and they really credit the Pillow’s showcasing of their work as that moment that that gave birth to a whole new chapter.”
The festival will also celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary by celebrating the women who have shaped and are shaping the world of dance in the United States with a series of performances from Aug. 12 to 16. Tatge says the anchor of this celebration will be the 100th anniversary of the Martha Graham Dance Company.
“Thanks to a wonderful collaboration with Tanglewood, we co-commissioned a work that will be danced by the company at the Pillow and an excerpt of it danced at Tanglewood with music by Leonard Bernstein and choreography by Hope Boykin,
she said. "The anchor of this piece is an undiscovered piece of music that Bernstein wrote for Martha Graham that was never performed before by the company.”
Tatge says Jacob’s Pillow’s goal remains to reward its adventure-seeking audience – longtime attendees and newcomers alike.
“No matter what, you will see something, feel something that you've never felt before. Because, when have you seen dance set against the backdrop of the Berkshire hills? Or when have you seen a company from, let's say the Paul Taylor Dance Company do in a single evening three of the most incredible masterpieces of that quintessential American choreographer?" asked the executive director. "You have the opportunity to both discover new forms of dance, maybe that you've never seen before, or reconnect with artists that you love.”
