Ballet Coast to Coast
The first three entries below are from a program with the same title as this playlist, and all share the distinction of representing U.S. ballet companies from outside New York City. For more on this subject, see Nancy Wozny’s multi-media essay, “Pointe Spread: The Marvel of Regional Ballet” and a related podcast.
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Houston Ballet
Reflections, 2021
Justin Peck created this work especially for Houston Ballet with a commissioned score by Sufjan Stevens. Originally performed with two grand pianos onstage, Reflections is in six movements, two of which were presented at the Pillow.
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Boston Ballet
Home Studies, 2021
While Helen Pickett originally choreographed Home Studies to be experienced online, she remade it for the stage and premiered this version of the ballet at Jacob’s Pillow.
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Pacific Northwest Ballet
Second to Last, 2021
As the closing work on the 2021 program entitled “Ballet Coast to Coast,” Alejandro Cerrudo’s Second to Last incorporated dancers from Houston Ballet and Boston Ballet along with those from Cerrudo’s home company, Pacific Northwest Ballet. This excerpt shows just the PNB dancers.
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Boston Ballet
Playlist (EP) (excerpts), 2019
William Forsythe’s five-year residency with the Boston Ballet resulted in Playlist (EP) as his first new work for the company, with two different sections from the ballet excerpted here.
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Miami City Ballet
Polyphonia, 2017
Christopher Wheeldon created Polyphonia for New York City Ballet in 2001, the first work he made in his role as Artist-in-Residence after retiring from the stage.
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The Washington Ballet
Seven Sonatas, 2017
Alexei Ratmansky made this work for American Ballet Theatre in 2009 with Julie Kent in one of the leading roles. After Kent took the reins of The Washington Ballet in 2016, it became one of the first works that she brought into the company’s rep.
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Collage Dance Collective
Lineage, 2017
Although the company was founded in New York City (by Pillow alumnus Kevin Thomas), it relocated to Memphis in 2007 and continues to be one of the city’s cultural linchpins. Choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie created this work for Collage in 2016.
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Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Silent Ghost, 2016
Created by Alejandro Cerrudo especially for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in 2015, this performance is from the company’s fifth and final engagement at Jacob’s Pillow before it ceased operations in 2021.
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Pacific Northwest Ballet
Her Door to the Sky, 2016
Inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s Patio Door series, Jessica Lang created both the choreography and the set design for this ballet which had its world premiere at the Pillow.
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BalletX
Sunset, o639 Hours, 2016
This evening-length ballet by Matthew Neenan was inspired by a true story about the inaugural trans-Pacific airmail flight.
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The Sarasota Ballet
Monotones I, 2015
A highlight of The Sarasota Ballet’s Pillow debut engagement in 2015 was this abstract ballet by Sir Frederick Ashton, whose works are a cornerstone of this company’s repertory.
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Alonzo King's LINES Ballet
Biophony, 2015
The full-evening Alonzo King work excerpted here was described by its choreographer as “an illumination of the acoustic harmony of the wild.”
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Trey McIntyre Project
Mercury Half-Life, 2014
This was the final work on the program when the Trey McIntyre Project gave its farewell performance at the Pillow in 2014, after having made its official world debut here six years earlier.
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The Joffrey Ballet
Son of Chamber Symphony, 2012
This world premiere by Stanton Welch marked the Joffrey’s triumphant return to the Pillow after an absence of 47 years.
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The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
Clarinade, 2006
Although this group ceased operations in 2017, their efforts to breathe new life into neglected works by George Balanchine provided a real service, as in this gem set to a concerto written for Benny Goodman.
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Miami City Ballet
Rubies, 1996
Conceived as part of a full-evening Balanchine work entitled Jewels, this section of the ballet was presented at the Pillow on a program dedicated to the Balanchine/Stravinsky Legacy. The other two works on that program were Apollo and Agon.
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Ballet Chicago
Calcium Light Night, 1989
This was the first ballet ever choreographed by Peter Martins, created in 1977 for Heather Watts and Daniel Duell. Ballet Chicago was founded by Duell in 1988 and they performed in three successive Pillow seasons, beginning with the one seen here.
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The Washington Ballet
Double Contrasts, 1980
Choreographer Choo San Goh was on the Pillow’s faculty in 1980 when The Washington Ballet returned here after a 20-year absence and presented two of his works. At the time, Goh was the company’s Assistant Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer.
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Center Ballet of Buffalo
Les Biches, 1969
This important 1924 ballet by Bronislava Nijinska, regarded as one of the first neoclassical ballets, was staged for these young dancers by the choreographer herself. These incredibly rare film fragments were unknown to the Pillow until 2016 when the filmmaker’s daughter donated them to the Archives.
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San Francisco Ballet
Concerto Barocco, 1956
This film represents the East Coast debut of San Francisco Ballet, with a Balanchine classic in startlingly different costumes than the standard black leotards and pink tights long employed by the New York City Ballet.