What could representation and opportunity for Hip Hop dance look like in the near future? Guest host Michele Byrd-McPhee revisits the 2023 conversation during PillowTalk: Hip Hop at 50, to build upon and expand into what is possible for the next 50 years.

Interstitial music for this episode is from the live performance Hip Hop Across the Pillow as well as the All Styles Dance Battle event in 2023. Music: Darrin Ross, d. Sabela grimes ("All Goodness In," performed and written by Usual Rucker).

Additional film and video from Hip Hop Across the Pillow can be found at: https://watch.jacobspillow.org/category/videos/hip-hop-across-the-pillow

https://www.ladiesofhiphop.com/

Dance Scholar Dr. Arushi Singh dives into the historical and cultural context of three Contemporary Indian artists who are engaging with their own cultural inheritances as a vital aspect of reclaiming identity on their own terms.

Video links:

Inside the Pillow Lab: Hari Krishnan/inDANCE (2024) https://youtu.be/rS1QWdC771E?si=RDdlOkle16g-EGQD

Inside the Pillow Lab: Aakash Odedra (2024) https://youtu.be/7rFjqCfVd78?si=ZdqRw1FqXUlyg12U

Inside the Pillow Lab: Ananya Dance Theatre (2022) https://youtu.be/KgH-aIm7Q5E?si=Blzt2goEa_pU7TOY

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo's Artistic Director, Tory Dobrin, speaks with Jacob's Pillow Scholar-in-Residence, Maura Keefe, in this 2024 PillowTalk. Dobrin shares his own firsthand stories and reflects on the impact of 50 years of blending serious ballet technique with comedy and drag in this all-male company.

Full PillowTalk including commentary on video excerpts of the company's repertoire: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VzzAG70B3o

Video playlist 'Gotta Laugh' featuring excerpt of Paquita by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo:

https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/playlists/gotta-laugh/

Video excerpt of Swan Lake by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: 

https://danceinteractive.jacobspillow.org/les-ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo/le-lac-des-cygnes-swan-lake-act-ii/

Political analyst Rachel Maddow speaks with Pillow scholar Suzanne Carbonneau in a 2009 PillowTalk. Maddow humanizes the political context of the early years of Jacob's Pillow and then offers her personal perspective on the meaningful role that the arts play within an evolving democracy.