Spirits of Chesterwood
Due to the weather, Spirits of Chesterwood has been moved to Friday, July 28, 2023, at 4pm and 6pm
Spirits of Chesterwood is an intergenerational dance project created by 7 local choreographers in the Pulse community. This will be performed as a part of Chesterwood’s Arts Alive! series on Friday, July 28, with shows at 4pm and 6pm. Buy tickets here!
Each choreographic work honors Daniel Chester French’s appreciation for the natural and peaceful beauty of the landscape, and many of the works are based on historic photographs of people, places, and captured moments on the Chesterwood grounds. Chesterwood’s curator has helped to gather historical research on how the spaces were used and by whom. The resulting performance will celebrate the joy of dance and artistic collaboration between the dance community and a place of historic and natural significance in the Berkshires, sharing the work of dance artists of all ages and experience levels with the community.
This event is made possible by the generosity of Chesterwood’s Arts Alive! Sponsors, especially Rick and Candance Beinecke, Dr. Owen Lewis and Susan Ennis, and the Tryon Family Foundation, as well as the Stockbridge Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Berkshire Pulse at Jacob’s Pillow Community Day
June 11, 2022, 12pm-3pm
Featuring performances by Pulse students from Modern 3, Contemporary 4, and the Young Choreographers Initiative, as well as Pulse teaching artists Gillian Ebersole, Fern Katz, Andres Ramirez (Funk Box Dance Studio). Workshops by Pulse teaching artists Luana Dias David and Madeline Despres-Chen
Title: “unconditional”
Class: Contemporary 4 (ages 14+)
Choreographer: Garet Wierdsma
Dancers: Malina Jackson, Cecilia Kittross, Rubielle Nejaime, Keely O’Gorman, Fiona Scruggs
Music: “Valentine My Funny” by F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm, “Celestial” by Scott Buckley
**Piece length: about 8 minutes
“Hurry up and Wait”
Class: Modern 3 (ages 13-16)
Teaching artist: Bettina Montano
Assistant: Liam Reynolds
Dancers: Maya Bergman-Hoechster, Juliana Kisiel, Megan Linick, Chris Ortwein, Maddie Rundle, Evie Scofield
Music: “Fools Paradise” United Future Organization
**Piece length: 5 minutes
“حفلة”
Teaching artists: Susan Quinn and Joe Poulson
Choreographers/Dancers: Malina Jackson, Cecilia Kittross, and Rubielle Nejaime, Young Choreographers Initiative (ages 16+)
Music: Nour El Ain by Amr Diab
The title ” حفلة” is an Arabic word that means “party” or “celebration”. After the tumult of the past few years, the choreographers wanted to make a piece that focused on what they love most while dancing and with the aim to share happiness, joy, satisfaction, and connection.
Click here for the complete list of workshops, performances, and information
Chesterwood opens their Arts Alive! series presenting:
Emerging Choreographers of the Berkshire Pulse Community
Thursday, June 30, 2022, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Chesterwood, 4 Williamsville Road, Stockbridge, MA, 01262
“We are so excited to be opening the Arts Alive Summer 2022 series with dance in celebration of work created by young and emerging choreographers and dancers. The garden landscapes of Chesterwood truly offer endless opportunities for creative inspiration and expression!”
-Bettina Montano, Founder and Artistic Director of Berkshire Pulse
Join us in the studio garden for an evening of dance, poetry, and inspiration expressed in movement, featuring members of the Berkshire Pulse teaching faculty, Young Choreographers Initiative, and contemporary teen and adult dancers. This is a unique opportunity to experience four new works created by young artists inspired by collaboration.
Choreographer and poet Gillian Ebersole joins with dancer Shannon Nulf to explore the intersection of movement, spoken word, and embodied delight for “In the Crook of the Elbow”.
“Qualia” choreographed by Fiona Scruggs illustrates the cyclical and ephemeral nature of time, space, energy, and chaos and their relationships to our perception of transient experiences.
“Unconditional” choreographed by Garet Wierdsma explores the concept of unconditional love: what does it mean to love and be loved unconditionally? Should love ever be truly unconditional?
“Red” is inspired by an exercise that choreographer Cecilia Kittross did in Berkshire Pulse’s Young Choreographers Initiative, exploring ways of relating to a chair.
A facilitated talk back will follow the performance for an opportunity to learn more about choreographers’ process and inspiration for their work.