DAVID DORFMAN AND THE PROPHETS OF FUNK

Photo by Kate Enman


Before heading into watch David Dorfman's The Prophets of Funk at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, I sat on the back porch steps outside the theater to listen to dance scholar Maura Keefe provide a context for the piece we were about to see. Here's what I learned:

* Growing up, Dorfman was an athlete. He played baseball and football and his highly-athletic choreography is informed by that.

* Dorfman grew up in the 1960s. His life and his work reflect his commitment to social change and his belief in democratic engagement

* Much of his choreography has elements of contact improvisation. His dances reflect his belief that anyone can lift anyone as long as the mechanics are right.

* His choreography is about the politics of identity; he presents and challenges ideas about gender, race, and sexuality

*His work is inspired by the music of the 1960s and 70s, particularly "its call for freedom"

* Prophets of Funk is set to the utopian music and collaborative essence of the music of Sly and the Family Stone. The Family Stone was one of the first racially and gender integrated bands in American music history

*To choreograph the piece, Dorfman watched old footage of the band

* Dorfman is interested in the personal as it relates to the social and historical

The first thing that happened when we sat down at our seats to watch David Dorfman's The Prophets of Funk is that a young woman invited audience members to come down to the stage to learn a dance - a funky dance. We had our eyes on a couple of elderly gentleman who were really getting down on the dance floor!

At the end of the show, Dorfman invited all of us to come and dance on stage - so we did! This final gesture was definitely democratic engagement at its finest!

JACOB'S PILLOW: THE EPITOME OF ARTS HOSPITALITY

It has been years now, I don't know how many, that I've seen photographs of dancers performing on an outdoor stage that overlooks trees and hills, and thought to myself "Wow, it would be great to be there." There is Jacob's Pillow. Set in the Berkshires, it's the country's oldest ongoing dance festival.

I guess the Gods of Dance wanted me there too: After paying 50 cents for a local Berkshires newspaper in the cafe of Mass MoCA, I flipped to the arts section ans spotted a listing for a dance performance that would be happening that night at Jacob's Pillow. It was a show I had wanted to see here at NYC's Lincoln Center - David Dorfman's The Prophets of Funk, but had missed for some reason.

I called the number listed on the event, and a friendly woman answered the phone. She spent a generous amount of time giving me the run-down of that evening's events at the festival.

When we arrived at Jacob's Pillow, it was dusk and magic was in the air. People were milling around the many cabin structures around the site, enjoying the ambiance and each other's company. We checked in with the welcome tent, where we were handed a gorgeous press packet. Toni Bolger, the Marketing & Communication Assistant at Jacob's Pillow Dance, warmly greeted us, and gave us a tour of the grounds while describing the festival's long and interesting history as well as its current offerings.

I've never experienced quite this level of hospitality and generosity at a cultural event or institution and I thank Ms. Bolger and her team for creating such a memorable experience for Mike (my husband) and myself. After interacting with Ms. Bolger and other Jacob's Pillow staff, I have a better picture of why this festival is such a huge success!

Here are some interesting facts I learned about Jacob's Pillow:

* 2012 will mark Jacob's Pillow's 80th year

* It is a National Historic Landmark

* At The White House, President Obama recently presented JP with the National Medal of the Arts

* It was once part of the Underground Railroad

* The land was originally settled in 1790 by the Carter family as a mountaintop farm

* In 1931, modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn bought the farm as a retreat. Ted and his wife, Ruth St. Denis, were America's leading dance couple. Together, they formed the Denishawn Company, which "popularized a revolutionary dance form rooted in theatrical and multicultural traditions rather than that of European ballet." They paved the way for other dance pioneers such as Martha Graham.

* In 1933, Ted Shawn recruited 8 men - some of them physical education students, to start a new dance company. Ted wanted to make dancing a viable career for men. The company gave dance-focused tea lectures and demonstrations on Ted's property and around the world. In 1940, the group disbanded when some of the members went off to war.

* In 1942, the Ted Shawn Theater presented world premiers and US debuts of artists from the world over to the Berkshire community in Western Mass. From there, various folks ran the festival and from 1998 onward, Ella Baff has been running the show.

To keep abreast of what's going on at Jacob's Pillow, sign up for their E-Club HERE.