Photographs by Christopher Duggan
As the Pillow’s Festival Photographer since 2006, Christopher Duggan has helped shape public appreciation for Jacob’s Pillow and the legions of dancers who have appeared here. He follows in the footsteps of John Lindquist, whose images are highlighted in their own playlist. Each of the videos in these two playlists concludes with a noteworthy photograph.
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Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève
Faun, 2024
Christopher Duggan made a point of photographing this duet by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui during the daytime when the leafy surroundings were on full display.
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Dance Theatre of Harlem
Higher Ground, 2024
While the video footage of Robert Garland’s dance was captured in performance, Duggan took this photo during the company’s final dress rehearsal—as is customary for most companies appearing in the Ted Shawn Theatre.
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Soles of Duende
Soles of Duende LIVE, 2024
Presented at the Pillow only once for the 2024 Season Opening Gala, this dynamic trio generated a palpable sense of excitement that was captured both on video and in Duggan’s photo.
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MoBBallet Pathways to Performance
Home, 2024
Duggan’s perspective is slightly different than that of the video camera here, getting a bit closer to the dancers in this work by Jennifer Archibald, created especially for the Pathways to Performance project of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet.
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Dutch National Ballet
Variations for Two Couples, 2023
Christopher Duggan focused on just one of the two couples in this striking work by Hans van Manen, who is still making dances 60 years after his choreography was first seen at Jacob’s Pillow.
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Sara Mearns and Honji Wang
No. 1, 2019
In photographing this duet, created during a Pillow Lab residency with Company Wang Ramirez, Duggan chose to focus on the dancers’ upper bodies for a greater feeling of intimacy.
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Adam H. Weinert
Dance of the Ages, 2018
In photographing this reconstruction of a Ted Shawn work in its original setting, Duggan had an opportunity to recreate the style of photos that had been taken in this very spot 80 years earlier.
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Joseph Wiggan, Josette Wiggan-Freund
Harmony: Tap In Motion, 2017
This colorful photo has been featured in an exhibition about the history of the Ted Shawn Theatre, as it shows off the back wall of the stage so dramatically.
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Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Silent Ghost, 2016
Alejandro Cerrudo’s duet is both filmed and photographed here with great sensitivity, focusing intensely on these two individual dancers.
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Daniel Ulbricht / Ballet 2014
Fancy Free, 2014
This classic Jerome Robbins ballet’s Pillow history began in the 1940s, and the dance was powerfully revived by a group of New York City Ballet dancers nearly 70 years later, with Duggan’s photo encompassing the three sailors, the stage set, and even the bartender.
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Wendy Whelan
"First Fall" from Restless Creature, 2013
While Restless Creature comprised four different duets with male choreographers, this video and photo focus on the dance created by and with Brian Brooks.
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Morphoses
WITHIN (Labyrinth Within), 2012
The onstage juxtaposition of Pontus Lidberg’s film projections and live action is beautifully encapsulated in Duggan’s photo.
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Kidd Pivot Frankfurt RM
Dark Matters, 2011
The creepy interaction between Peter Chu and a humanoid puppet sets the tone for Crystal Pite’s extraordinary Dark Matters, and Duggan’s photo distills this relationship into a single riveting image.
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LDP / Laboratory Dance Project
Modern Feeling, 2011
Two different works are represented in this pairing of video and photo, doubling the pleasures offered by this Korean company. Duggan’s photograph was included in a 2017 exhibition entitled “Jacob’s Pillow Jumps.”
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Reggie Wilson / Fist & Heel Performance Group
The Tale: Npinpee Nckutchie and the Tail of the Golden Dek, 2007
Depicting two different sections of Reggie Wilson’s evening-length work, the video and Duggan’s photo combine to simulate what The New York Times called “a concise gem of a world.”
Explore Playlists
Eva Yerbabuena Ballet Flamenco
"Torre de la Velá (Granaína)" from EVA, 2006
This true flamenco star created her first full-evening show when she was still in her 20s, and it’s glimpsed here in an image that Christopher Duggan created during his first season as the Pillow’s Festival Photographer.