Hip Hop Across the Pillow
Taking its title from a 2023 celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary (which was explored in a half-hour documentary available free online and in a related podcast), this playlist highlights some of the many artists who have shared their artistry with Pillow audiences across the decades.
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The MasterZ at Work Dance Family
ALL INCLUSIVE AND MORE, 2024
As the title indicates, this dance was conceived as a way to showcase the individual styles of each performer.
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Compagnie Käfig
Pixel, 2023
Before sharing the mind-blowing visuals of Pixel, the most recent appearance by this French-Algerian group was in 2013.
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The Hood Lockers
Shuckin' n Jivin' on Rt. 130, 2023
While it’s considered part of the broader Hip Hop scene, The Hood Lockers specialize in the distinct dance form known as Locking.
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Kwikstep and Rokafella
Thief of Hearts, 2023
A number of classic dance styles are referenced in this Pillow-commissioned duet by two iconic performers.
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Rennie Harris Puremovement
Nuttin' But a Word, 2023
For the first time since 2009, Rennie Harris Puremovement returned with this dynamic work which embodies three goals that Harris pursues: individuality, creativity, and innovation.
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d. Sabela grimes featuring Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective
Parable of PassAge, 2023
This Pillow-commissioned work by d. Sabela grimes was created with the Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective, who had made their Pillow debut on the Leir Stage in 2022.
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The Wondertwins
That's Entertainment, 2016
This appearance by identical twins Billy and Bobby McClain came just two years after their Jacob’s Pillow debut as part of a program called Unreal Hip-Hop.
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Ephrat Asherie Dance
Odeon, 2018
Before the world premiere seen here, Asherie had participated in the Unreal Hip-Hop program after having made her Pillow debut in 2013.
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Cie Art Move Concept
Niburu, 2018
This French company made its U.S. debut at City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival less than a year before the performance excerpted here.
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FLEXN
FLEXN, 2016
While sometimes described as a style of Hip Hop, Flexing has unique roots in Jamaican dancehall and in Brooklyn’s reggae clubs.
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Company Wang Ramirez
Monchichi, 2015
Based in France, the French-Hispanic-Korean duo Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang later returned to the Pillow for an unusual collaboration with Sara Mearns.
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Companhia Urbana de Dança
Na Pista, 2014
Sonia Destri Lie’s Brazilian company, based in Rio de Janeiro, is seen here in a return appearance just one year after their Pillow debut.
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Decadancetheatre
4, 2014
This performance by Jennifer Weber’s Brooklyn-based company predated her Tony-nominated work on & Juliet and KPOP.
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RUBBERBANDance Group
sHip sHop Shape Shifting, 2006
Montreal-based dancers Victor Quijada and Anne Plamondon are seen here in an investigation of human relationships through Hip Hop dynamics and contemporary classicism.
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Compagnie Käfig
Dix Versions, 2001
While this performance spotlights virtuoso Hip Hop dancers of mostly Algerian and North African descent, the company returned in 2012 with an all-Brazilian group of dancers.
Explore Playlists
Rennie Harris Puremovement
Rome and Jewels, 2000
This Hip Hop retelling of Romeo and Juliet was presented three years after Rennie Harris’s Pillow debut, and it has been followed by many more engagements, including P-Funk.