Jacob's Pillow Dance Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff discusses two incredible dance companies that performed at the Pillow in 2013: O Vertigo Danse from Montréal and Jessica Lang Dance from New York City.
O Vertigo Danse
Based in Montréal and founded by renowned Artistic Director and choreographer Ginette Laurin in 1984, O Vertigo Danse has been a dynamic force in the dance world for more than 25 years. They return to the Pillow for the first time in over a decade, performing La Vie Qui Bat (The Beat of Life), an award-winning contemporary work danced to "Drumming" by pioneering composer Steve Reich, performed live by members of the Quebec Contemporary Music Society. Equal parts dance performance and live music, this powerful work follows the flow of the acclaimed score and unfolds in a play of opposites--graceful, rigorous, subtle, and bold.
Jessica Lang Dance
This company's Festival 2012 debut was a smash hit. Prolific choreographer Jessica Lang combines powerful dancing, beautiful scenic landscapes, and expressive choreography in lush contemporary ballets. This season, her ensemble of ballet virtuosos performs a diverse program, including the poetic dance i.n.k., with video by Japanese artist Shinichi Maruyama and music by Polish composer Jakub Ciupinski, and the dreamlike film White, which captures and layers dancers in real time and slow motion. A world premiere collaboration with Canadian design studio molo and other dazzling dances will complete this winning program.
