Broadway & Ballroom
In special tribute to Marge Champion (1919-2020), this playlist and a related podcast explore some of the genres most closely associated with her extraordinary career.
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Miami City Ballet
Carousel Pas de Deux, 2017
This choreography was created by Sir Kenneth MacMillan for a London revival of Carousel, which moved to Broadway in 1994.
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Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program Ensemble
"The Battle of Yorktown" from Hamilton, 2014
When Andy Blankenbuehler was engaged to teach in The School at Jacob’s Pillow’s Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program in 2014, he tried out ideas for a new musical that would become one of Broadway’s biggest hits.
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Pacific Northwest Ballet
TAKE FIVE...More or Less, 2014
Susan Stroman is best known as a Broadway choreographer but she has also created works for New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company.
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Doug Elkins and Friends
Fräulein Maria, 2012
This irreverent yet loving take on The Sound of Music uses the soundtrack from the 1965 film as both its score and its inspiration.
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New York Theatre Ballet
"Come to Me, Bend to Me" from Brigadoon, 2007
Agnes de Mille hadn’t yet conquered Broadway when she first performed at Jacob’s Pillow in 1941, but she soon revolutionized the role of dance in musical theater by integrating it within a narrative framework.
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Bill Irwin
SALUTE/SYNTHESIS/SHOES, 2007
Although he has since emerged as a prominent actor, Bill Irwin’s initial Broadway appearances showcased his new vaudeville skills as seen in this Pillow premiere.
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Melanie LaPatin & Tony Meredith
Do You Want to Dance, 1999
For a tribute to Marge Champion’s 80th birthday in 1999, these two ballroom exponents shared a rumba set to a steamy recording by Bette Midler.
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Gregory Hines, Dianne Walker, Jimmy Slyde
Gala Performance, 1996
These Broadway veterans teamed up for a one-time-only impromptu trio at the Pillow’s Season Opening Gala in 1996.
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Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Percussion Four, 1992
Bob Fosse originally created this work as a tour-de-force solo for his 1978 Broadway hit entitled Dancin’.
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Ann Reinking & Gary Chryst
Big Noise from Winnetka, 1987
Also from Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, this work was recreated at the Pillow by a quintessential Fosse exponent, Ann Reinking.
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Marge Champion and Blake Champion
Dancing, 1986
As part of a Gala tribute to Gower Champion six years after his death, his longtime partner and younger son teamed up in this salute.
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Peter Maxwell & Vicki Regan
Miller Melange, 1982
Eventually performed onstage later that same season, this excerpt was presented as a teaser in the Bakalar Studio for a Gala audience.
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Pierre Dulaine & Yvonne Marceau
Blue Danube, 1982
Several years before they brought their artistry to the Broadway stage in Grand Hotel, Pierre Dulaine and Yvonne Marceau made their Pillow debut with this appearance.
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Ballet Theatre
Fancy Free, 1949
In a rare instance of expanding a ballet into a Broadway musical, Jerome Robbins conceived On the Town after the success of Fancy Free.