An icon of modern dance returns to Jacob's Pillow

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The Merce Cunningham Dance Company celebrates its 50th Anniversary with an Event in the Ted Shawn Theatre, July 30-August 3. A central figure of modern dance, Merce Cunningham is highly regarded for his unique language of abstract dance as well as for his collaborations with innovators from the worlds of art and music. Integrating chance procedures into choreography, Cunningham uses computer programs to assist his decision-making to achieve a level of randomness during the choreographic process, but once the movement is set, there is no room for improvisation. Though the company performs with music, he choreographs and rehearses his dances in silence. The music and dance are created separately, only brought together with sets and costumes once the piece is on stage. Taking this aesthetic of indeterminacy a step further, Cunningham collages new and old works together with Andy Warhol's mylar pillows created for Rainforest and a set by Robert Rauschenberg to create the Event. Merce Cunningham describes the Event to be presented at Jacob's Pillow: Presented without intermission, this event consists of complete dances,excerpts of dances from the repertory, and often new sequences arranged for the particular performance and place, with the possibility of several separate activities happening at the same time - to allow not so much an evening of dances as the experience of dance. Music for the Event is performed live by Takehisa Kosugi and Andy Russ. Kosugi has served as the company's music director since 1995. Kosugi came to prominence in the mid-1960's, through collaborations with Nam June Paik and the Fluxus Movement. As a musician, Kosugi combines violin and electronics to create improvised soundscapes. A soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company since 1939, Merce Cunningham performed his first concert of solo works with John Cage. He founded his company in the summer of 1953, when he took a group of dancers with whom he had been working from New York to Black Mountain College, near Asheville, North Carolina. The group included Carolyn Brown, Viola Farber, Remy Charlip, and Paul Taylor. John Cage was the original music director and David Tudor was the company musician. By the 1960's, the company was touring internationally, with performances in Eastern and Western Europe, India, Thailand, and Japan. The company's critical recognition grew for their unique choreographic voice, original music by John Cage, and designs by Robert Rauschenberg. This recognition brought extended domestic and international touring, along with extended New York seasons. After the mid-1960's, the company entered many successful collaborations with noted visual artists, including Jasper Johns (appointed artistic advisor in 1967), Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Robert Morris. Cunningham's work has been presented by numerous dance companies, including New York City Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and Rambert Dance Company (London), among others. Related Free Events: Original Merce Cunningham Dance Company member Carolyn Brown discusses her 20 year history with the company in a PillowTalk on Wednesday, July 30 at 5pm. Merce Cunningham Dance Company's archivist,David Vaughan, discusses Cunningham's pioneering use of technology and video in dance with Elizabeth Zimmer in the PillowTalk, Envisioning Dance on Film and Video, Saturday, August 2 at 4pm. In Blake's Barn, visitors can view Lifelike Portrait, a digital portrait of Cunningham performing a solo dance for hands. One half hour before every performance, Pillow Scholars-in-Residence offer a Pre-Show Talk to provide an enlightening introduction to the company. After the performance on Thursday, July 31, company members come back onstage to hold a Post-Show Talk to answer questions from Scholars-in-Residence and the audience. Performance and Ticket Information for the Ted Shawn Theatre: evening performances are Wednesday, July 30 through Saturday, August 2 at 8pm, with matinée performances on Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3 at 2pm. Tickets are $50 for evening performances and $45 for matinées. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (413) 243-0745, faxing orders to (413) 243-0749, or ordering online at www.jacobspillow.org . Student and senior 10% discount available with ID. Jacob's Pillow is located on George Carter Road in Becket, MA; 10 minutes East on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2. FESTIVAL FUNDING: Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2003 funding, including presentations and educational programs, is provided by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; William Randolph Hearst Foundation; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds; Surdna Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; The Prospect Hill Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Leir Charitable Trusts in Memory of Henry J. Leir; National Dance Project and Expeditions Program of the New England Foundation for the Arts; LEF New England; Goethe-Institut Boston; Berkshire Bank; Capezio Ballet Makers, Inc.; Arts International; Evelyn Stefansson Nef Foundation; Cultural Services of the French Embassy; Banknorth Massachusetts; Onota Foundation; The Frelinghuysen Foundation; Berkshire Businesses, and our Members. This organization is funded by the Talented Students in the Arts Initiative, a collaboration of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Surdna Foundation. ABOUT THE PILLOW: Located in the town of Becket, Massachusetts, internationally acclaimed Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival was originally a family farm in the 1700s and served as a station on the Underground Railroad in the 1800s. Legendary dancer, teacher, and choreographer Ted Shawn established the Festival in 1933 as a showcase for his company of Men Dancers. The Pillow encompasses 161 acres and 30 buildings, including three stages, four dance studios, a restaurant, a pub, housing, Archives, and administrative offices. During the 10-week summer festival, the Pillow attracts thousands of visitors to see world-class dance on three stages and enjoy hundreds of free events, including performances, lectures, tours, film showings, exhibits, and talks with the artists. The Festival is augmented by The School at Jacob's Pillow that draws a world-class international roster of students and faculty; the Archives, which are open to public access; commissions and world premieres; an Intern Program, which trains arts administrators and theatre technicians for professional careers; support for artist development of new work with Creative Development Residencies; and year-round Community Programs throughout the Berkshires. Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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