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Male Solos

The number of styles and genres represented by these dancers attests to the endless possibilities of the human body as well as the ongoing creativity of performing artists.

16 performances

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Male Solos

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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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Playing 1 of 16

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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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Playing 2 of 16

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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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Playing 3 of 16

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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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Playing 4 of 16

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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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Playing 5 of 16

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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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Playing 6 of 16

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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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Playing 7 of 16

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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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Playing 8 of 16

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Stephen Petronio

#3, 1987

Recorded at a time when both Petronio’s company and the Inside/Out Stage were relatively new, this video documents the Pillow’s role as an incubator.

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Playing 9 of 16

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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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Playing 10 of 16

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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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Playing 11 of 16

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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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Playing 12 of 16

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Jean Cébron

Wild Horse, 1957

New to Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, 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.

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Playing 13 of 16

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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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Playing 14 of 16

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Talley Beatty

"Mourner's Bench" from Southern Landscape, 1948

An iconic solo still performed to this day, “Mourner’s Bench” is seen here in a performance by its creator.

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Playing 15 of 16

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.

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Playing 16 of 16

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