FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT: Mariclare Hulbert, Director of Marketing and Communication 413.243.9919 x130 mhulbert@jacobspillow.

org -orAlyssa Mayfield, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator 413.243.9919 x132 amayfield@jacobspillow.org
JACOBS PILLOW PRESENTS TERE OCONNORS INVENTIVE WORK COVER BOY, JULY 17-21 PRESENTED AS PART OF WEEKEND OUT AT THE PILLOW

July 13, 2013 (Becket, MA) Jacobs Pillow presents Tere OConnor Dance in Cover Boy, July 17-21 in the Doris Duke Theatre. Created by choreographer and Artistic Director Tere OConnor in 2011, Cover Boy explores the closeted gay experience and universal feeling of otherness in a poignant and thought-provoking way. Gia Kourlas in Time Out New York comments Cover Boy looks at beauty, the body, fear, and desire to find the positive in what would otherwise be thought of as a marginalized existence. Siobhan Burke of The New York Times notes hopeful and fearful, aggressive and affectionate, communal and solitary. Mr. OConnors dancers embody those contradictions with superb audacity and elegance. This performance is presented as part of the Pillows annual LGBT Weekend OUT, featuring a packed schedule of free and ticketed performances, talks, and special events, including a Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers tour led by Director of Preservation Norton Owen Sunday, July 21 at noon. Cover Boy features a quartet of skilled male dancersMichael Ingle, Niall Jones, Oisn Monaghan, and long-time company member Matthew Rogerswho eloquently portray isolation and connection through post-modern choreography that ranges from tender interplay to physical aggression. Original music by electro-acoustic composer James Baker combined with an expansive wing-like set design by Aptum Architecture adds to the atmosphere of the performance, which critic Deborah Jowitt of ArtsJournal calls a moving, beautifully imagined and performed work. A much sought-after teacher and choreographer, OConnor is recognized as an incredibly influential contemporary artist. This year alone, he received a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and a Faculty Award for Excellence in Research from the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. OConnor has also received three New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awardsone for Heaven Up North in 1988, another in 1999 for Sustained Achievement, and most recently for his work Frozen Mommy in 2005. Upcoming projects include a new duet created for Cynthia Oliver and David Thomson, and OConnors newest ensemble piece entitled BLEED, both set to premiere later this year. In addition to his companys performance of Cover Boy, OConnor will share his views on dance and choreography in the free PillowTalk The Essential Tere OConnor on Friday, July 19 at 5pm with Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe. OConnor will also teach a master class on Sunday, July 21 at 10:30am in the Doris Duke Theatre for intermediate/advanced dancers.

Company History: Tere OConnor has been making dances since 1982 and has created more than 35 works for his company, which has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Canada. OConnor has created and commissioned numerous works for artists and dance companies around the world including dancer Jean Butler, Lyon Opera Ballet, White Oak Dance Project, De Rotterdamse Dansgroep, Dance Alloy, and Zenon Dance. He also created the 1996 work Greta in a Ditch for dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikovs company White Oak Dance Project, as well as a solo piece for Baryshnikov in 2003 entitled Indoor Man. Festival Connections: Tere OConnor first appeared at the Pillow with Matthew Diamond Company in 1980 and then later as a soloist in 1989 at Splash Festival, a festival within a festival prior to the construction of the Doris Duke Theatre. Tere OConnor Dance performed in the Doris Duke Theatre in 1994 and OConnor performed the following year in 1995 as a member of White Oak Dance Project in his original work, Greta in a Ditch. PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION Tere OConnor Dance Doris Duke Theatre Wednesday, July 17 through Saturday, July 20 at 8:15pm Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21 at 2:15pm Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacobs Pillow Scholar-in-Residence Suzanne Carbonneau are offered on the Doris Duke Theatre porch 30 minutes before every performance. A Post-Show Talk with Tere OConnor and a Pillow Scholar will take place onstage on Thursday, July 18. Tickets $22$38. Under 35 Friday Tickets are available for $19 on Friday, July 5 (ages 1835), two per person, must show I.D. when picking up tickets. Box Office hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 11am5pm; Wednesday through Saturday 11am8pm. Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacobs Pillow Box Office. Under 35 Fridays Tickets and Youth Tickets are available by phone and in person only. Jacobs Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacobs Pillow campus and theatres are handicapped-accessible. RELATED EVENTS Weekend OUT Wednesday July 17 through Sunday, July 21 The Pillow welcomes LGBT individuals, couples, and families throughout the Festival. Our annual Weekend OUT, sponsored by The Gay & Lesbian Review is especially packed with free and ticketed performances, talks, and events. For full event listing, please visit: http://www.jacobspillow.org/festival/2013/07/a-weekend-out-at-the-pillow/ PillowTalk: The Essential Tere OConnor Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Friday, July 19 at 5pm The New York Times has described Tere OConnor as an essential figure with fiercely articulated beliefs and here he shares them in a free-ranging one-on-one conversation with Pillow Scholar-in-Residence, Maura Keefe. FREE

Master Class by Tere OConnor Doris Duke Theatre Sunday, July 21 at 10:30am For intermediate/advanced dancers, ages 16+. $15 per class. ($10 per class for dance teachers with appropriate I.D.) $80 for a 6-class card. Pre-registration required. Call the Community Dance Hotline, 413.243.9919 x5. Registration opens the week of class; no early registration. FREE to observe. Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers Guided Tour Pillow Grounds Sunday, July 21 at noon Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen offers a unique view of Festival founder Ted Shawn, his company of Men Dancers, and the early days of Jacob's Pillow. This tour is free and open to the public, and is presented as part of Weekend OUT. Meet at the Bell adjacent to the Ted Shawn Theatre. FREE Screening: FIVE DANCES Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Sunday, July 21 at 4:30pm In the new film FIVE DANCES, choreographer Jonah Bokaer and writer-director Alan Brown reveal an intimate and inspirational portrait of a small downtown modern dance company. This story of five gifted New York dancers features Chip (Broadway's Ryan Steele in his first film role), an extraordinarily talented 18 year-old who is quickly initiated into the rites of passage of a New York dancer's life, where discipline and endless hard work, camaraderie and competitiveness, and the fear of not being good enough inform every minute of every day. Writer/Director Alan Brown and choreographer Jonah Bokaer will participate in a special Q&A immediately following the screening. Tickets $10. IN THE TED SHAWN THEATRE, JULY 17-21 Ballet BC Ted Shawn Theatre Wednesday, July 17 Saturday, July 20, 8pm Saturday, July 20 & Sunday, July 21, 2pm From British Columbia, one of todays top contemporary ballet companies brings a program bursting with intensity, theatricality, and fabulous skill. They will perform in three U.S. premiers including A.U.R.A. (Anarchist Unit Related to Art), an uninhibited explosion of dance by Italian choreographer Jacopo Godani, Artistic Director Emily Molnars Aniel, a playful piece set to an eccentric score recorded by the Cracow Klezmer Band and saxophonist John Zorns Masada String Trio, and Petite Crmonie, set to music by Mozart, Puccini, and Vivaldi. Tickets $39-$75, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone 413.243.0745. FREE EVENTS AT JACOBS PILLOW, JULY 3-7 Inside/Out Performance: MADboots dance co. Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space Wednesday, July 17, 6:15pm MADboots was founded in 2011 by Jonathan Campbell and Austin Diaz, New York City duo whose contemporary ensemble creates musically driven, complex, and theatrical works steeped in athleticism, humor, and humanity. Most recently, the Duo Multicultural Arts Center produced MADboots' first full-evening performance. This performance is a collage comprised of three short works created in 2012. FREE

Inside/Out Performance: Artesan Dance Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Thursday, July 18 at 6:15pm California-based Artesan Dance Company is an emerging company of contemporary dancers, b-boys, ballerinas, and urban dancers. Artesan brings a fresh and exciting viewpoint of the world to the stage by fusing the beauty of classical lines with the edge and innovation of the company's diverse styles and ideas. Artesan Dance Company's artful fusion of contemporary and urban styles comes together in Parallels of Another Universe. FREE Inside/Out Performance: Rochester City Ballet Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Friday, July 19 at 6:15pm Established in 1987, Rochester City Ballet (RCB) is a contemporary ballet company that is based in Rochester, NY. RCB will perform 4Play, an en pointe, modern-day "battle of the sexes," that features live drumming on stage with the dancers. The company will also perform Bravo! Colorado, a gorgeous contemporary ballet that pays tribute to the majestic mountains, alpine gardens, and rapid white waters of Colorado. FREE PillowTalk: Passing It On Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Saturday, July 20 at 4pm Dance is transmitted body to body, and The School at Jacob's Pillow provides the means for this transferal. Guest speakers pay tribute to their past mentors on the Pillow faculty. FREE Inside/Out Performance: The School at Jacobs Pillow Contemporary Program Henry J. Leir Stage and Marcia Seymour Simon Performance Space Saturday, July 20 at 6:15pm To conclude their study in the Contemporary Program, dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow present contemporary dance variations coached by program director Milton Myers. FREE Exhibit: Shooting Stars Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19 Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm To experience dance through the eyes of other dancers is a rare treat, and this exhibit encompasses uncommon sights and vantage points, photos taken by professional dancers, that will be totally new to most viewers. New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan reveals what goes on in the dressing rooms of New York City Ballet while Miguel Anaya shares his backstage view from last seasons production From the Horses Mouth: The Men Dancers, and much more. FREE Exhibit: Jordan Matter: Dancers Among Us Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby Open 60 minutes pre-performance By showing dancers in everyday surroundings, photographer Jordan Matter demonstrates just how extraordinary the human body can be. There's no photo manipulation hereno trampolines, no gimmicks, no trickswhich makes these images of roadside leaps and high kicks on the subway all the more remarkable. Including recognizable dance figures and relative unknowns, this collection truly communicates the excitement of having dancers among us. FREE

Exhibit: Christopher Duggan: Inside/Out Doris Duke Theatre Lobby Open 60 minutes pre-performance As the Pillow's Festival Photographer since 2006, Christopher Duggan has now documented literally thousands of indelible dance moments. Focusing specifically on Inside/Out for an exhibit last summer at Saratoga's National Museum of Dance, these images are now coming home for the first time. Duggan's superb extra-large prints show off an incomparable setting in an unforgettable way. FREE Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival Archives Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19 Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm; Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm This informal library and reading room allows Pillow visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s, and the Dance Heritage Coalition's new Secure Media Network features videos from other archives throughout the country. FREE
Jacobs Pillow, celebrating its 81st Festival in 2013, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. The Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacobs Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillows extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events. Through Jacobs Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacobs Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacobs Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacobs Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

###