Male Solos
The number of styles and genres represented by these dancers attests to the endless possibilities of the human body. And the emphasis on the many ways that men move onstage is especially pertinent at this institution created by Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers.
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A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Indy, 2019
Presented at the Pillow the year after it was premiered, this dance is notable as the first full-length solo created by Kyle Abraham in nearly a decade.
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Christopher K. Morgan & Artists
Pōhaku, 2019
Born in Orange County, CA, Christopher Kaui Morgan’s Native Hawaiian ancestry and wide-ranging international performance career influence his work.
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Bill T. Jones
"Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait" from Ballad, 2008
Though originally set to recordings of Dylan Thomas reading his poetry, here we have Jones himself embodying both the text and the visual work that springs from it.
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Michael Moschen
Light, Triangle, Curves, 1999
Carving out a unique place for himself in the performing arts, Michael Moschen manipulates objects and shapes in works that invite us to rethink concepts like space and time.
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Steve Paxton
Some English Suites, 1992
A revolutionary mover since the 1960s, Paxton brings his own sensibility to Bach’s timeless music, envisioned in his own inimitable way.
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Mikhail Baryshnikov
Pergolesi, 1995
In juxtaposition to Steve Paxton dancing Bach, here’s one of the 20th century’s greatest ballet dancers in Twyla Tharp’s vision of Pergolesi.
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Ralph Lemon
Solo, 1991
In a work inspired by a Black tap dancer whose career began on the streets of Philadelphia, Ralph Lemon reflects LaVaughn Robinson’s history through his own body.
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Miami City Ballet
Square Dance, 1989
This Balanchine solo is a model of restrained virtuosity—fiendishly difficult and yet presented with a quiet veneer and classic form.
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David Parsons
Caught, 1989
A contemporary showpiece second to none, this work uses strobe lights to simulate the effect of a dancer floating in space.
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Mark Morris Dance Group
Deck of Cards, 1987
Mark Morris says so much about gender in this dance, in which he embodies both a woman and the man she loves.
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Stephen Petronio
#3, 1987
Recorded at a time when both Petronio’s company and the outdoor stage were relatively new, this video documents the Pillow’s role as an incubator.
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Universal Ballet Company
Ulysses, 1985
Because his life was cut so tragically short, this glimpse of Patrick Bissell at the height of his career is especially precious.
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Fred Strickler
Tone Poem, 1984
A co-founder of Jazz Tap Ensemble, Fred Strickler also pursued a wide-ranging career as a solo artist.
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Leon Collins
Flight of the Bumblebee, 1983
Though he lives on through generations of students, here’s an opportunity to see a classic Leon Collins routine performed by the master himself.
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Richard Cragun
Requiem, 1983
There are layers of meaning in this Kenneth MacMillan work, created in memory of John Cranko, and performed here by Richard Cragun to remember dance critic Walter Terry.
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Jean Cébron
Wild Horse, 1957
This extremely rare footage shows a French soloist in his U.S. debut, years before he teamed up with Pina Bausch and solidified his place in dance history. It was performed in silence, so there’s no sound accompanying this clip.
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Tom Two Arrows
Iroquois Indian Dance, 1949
Though it’s maddeningly brief, this glimpse of Tom Two Arrows memorializes one of the first appearances by an Indigenous American dancer at Jacob’s Pillow.
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Talley Beatty
"Mourner's Bench" from Southern Landscape, 1948
An iconic solo still performed to this day—most notably by Taylor Stanley—”Mourner’s Bench” is seen here in a performance by its creator.
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Barton Mumaw
Bourrée, 1940
A photograph of this dance was the inspiration for the weathervane atop the Ted Shawn Theatre, and sharp-eyed viewers can recognize the exact moment when the “weathervane pose” occurs here.
Explore Playlists
Ted Shawn
John Brown Sees the Glory: An American Epic, 1935
Inspired by Stephen Vincent Benét’s Pulitzer Prize-winning poem, Shawn embodied the iconic abolitionist in this solo which became a lightning rod of racial controversy wherever it was performed.