"It was surreal," she says.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Every Day is a Performance at The School at Jacob's Pillow
"It was surreal," she says.
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"It was surreal," she says.
"It was surreal," she says.
4 comments:
I don’t know much about dance, but I really enjoyed this article. I had no clue that there was such a prestigious dance summer program, but it comes as no surprise. One thing that did surprise me was that they have some of the top names in the world of tap dance as teachers and advisors to these students. I can’t imagine being at the top of my field and willfully helping teach at a summer camp, but I guess everyone has a different idea of how to spend a summer. I really like how the camp switches year to year between musical theatre and tap programs. I think that is a good way to get kids coming back year after year wanted to learn something new. I also like how they offer classes for what they say are field relevant such as hip-hop and flamenco. This is a good way for students to get training in those fields to help towards college auditions if they want to pursue the field or it will at a base level just broaden their tool box of skills.
Having attended an arts magnet school myself, I feel that the program at Jacob’s Pillow is so incredible. Although this is a one - three week program, I still think that the lessons and principles that I was exposed to in an arts environment apply. One of the greatest parts of my experience, and as the students mention here, is that they were exposed to an incredibly supportive environment, which is so important especially in the arts. Often times the arts industry is known to be this incredibly competitive field in which people knock each other down in order to “get on top”. While the arts are competitive, I have always found that in a learning environment it is important to be supportive and encourage your peers, rather than compete with them. In those environments, I find that all members are successful, especially because theatre is an incredibly collaborative art form.
I went to a performing arts high school too, and this place sounds so great and educational! My schedule was pretty crazy in high school, and when it talked about their 9am-5:30pm schedule followed by ushering for a mainstage and then a late-night jam session... man, I definitely felt that. I would leave the house at 6am to get to a morning build at the scene shop at 7am, classes would be 8:30am-4:20pm followed by a rehearsal until 10pm (or 11pm if it was a show night) and then I’d be home by 11pm or 12am and start it all over the next day! It was crazy, but I got so much valuable industry experience and really learned to love the craft. I can’t really relate to the support aspect...? My high school was pretty dramatic and competitive within the acting/dance/vocal departments, but the technical theatre department was nice MOST of the time. Spending all that time together definitely made for a lot of tension, unfortunately, and the teachers were pretty complacent to it (and in an alarming number of cases, kind of the instigators...) I suppose there’s always room for improvement, and I think the program showcased in this article does a pretty great job at that.
My relationship with Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is personal due to the fact that I have been able to visit the festival every summer for the majority of my life. My mother was a dancer all throughout college so dance is something that I was raised with. Jacob’s Pillow is located in such a beautiful part of the country and the venue is one of the most unique I have ever experienced. While I cannot speak to the quality of the rehearsal facilities, the performances are always of high quality, even if someone does not like the overall performance, the standard that Jacob’s Pillow holds their dancers to is incredibly high. I knew that they offered a three-week intensive dance school, they also offer a general production internship that allows production students to experience the day to day of an internationally recognized dance festival. Personally, I believe the most important educational tool that the Pillow offers are their public archives that include recordings of past productions and conversations with choreographers and artistic directors.
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