Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival Inc

TO SUPPORT DANCE CREATION, PRESENTATION, EDUCATION, AND PRESERVATION, AND TO ENGAGE AND DEEPEN PUBLIC APPRECIATION AND SUPPORT FOR DANCE.

PRESENTATION AND ARTIST SUPPORT - THE 2021 RETURN TO DANCE FESTIVAL CELEBRATED THE RETURN OF LIVE PERFORMANCES ON OUR NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK SITE, FEATURING BOTH ON-SITE AND ONLINE PROGRAMMING. ON-SITE EVENTS RAN JUNE 30-AUGUST 29, WITH ONLINE STREAMING THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23. NEWLY-IMAGINED WITH THE SAFETY OF ARTISTS, STAFF, AND AUDIENCES AT THE FOREFRONT OF ALL PLANNING, THE FESTIVAL FEATURED COMMISSIONED WORKS AND WORLD PREMIERES, PRESENTED NEW SITE-SPECIFIC PERFORMANCES CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR THE PILLOW'S 220-ACRE CAMPUS, AND ENGAGED HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS WHO HAVE HAD INCREDIBLY LIMITED PERFORMANCE AND STUDIO OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE LAST YEAR. SHORT PERFORMANCES, LESS THAN ONE HOUR IN DURATION, WERE PRESENTED ON THE HENRY J. LEIR STAGE, THE PILLOW'S TREASURED OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER SPACE. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED AN ALL-CAMPUS TAKEOVER BY DORRANCE DANCE WITH DANCE AND LIVE MUSIC FROM MICHELLE DORRANCE, JOSETTE WIGGAN-FREUND, NICHOLAS VAN YOUNG, AND SPECIAL GUESTS; THE PILLOW DEBUT OF DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE PERFORMING A PILLOW-COMMISSIONED WORLD PREMIERE BY SOUGHT-AFTER CHOREOGRAPHER DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIE; AND BALLET COAST TO COAST, A PILLOW-EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTION THAT FEATURED ARTISTS FROM BOSTON BALLET, HOUSTON BALLET, AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET. THE 2021 FESTIVAL WAS ALSO THE FIRST ORGANIZED BY AN EXPANDED CURATORIAL TEAM THAT INCLUDES TWO NEW ASSOCIATE CURATORS, MELANIE GEORGE AND ALI ROSA-SALAS.THIS WAS OUR FIRST MULTI-PLATFORM FESTIVAL AND WHILE THERE WERE MANY SUCCESSES, WE ALSO FACED A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES. TRANSFORMING THE PILLOW INTO AN ALL-OUTDOOR VENUE WAS A MAJOR UNDERTAKING, AND THIS SUMMER WAS UNSEASONABLY RAINY WHICH LED TO THE CANCELATION OF 40% OF THE PERFORMANCES PLANNED ON THE HENRY J. LEIR STAGE. WITH EACH CANCELATION, REFUNDS WERE ISSUED TO TICKET HOLDERS WHICH HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON EARNED REVENUE. WHILE PATRONS WERE OFFERED THE OPTION TO TURN THEIR TICKET PURCHASE INTO A DONATION FOR CANCELED PERFORMANCES, LESS THAN 17% OF PATRONS OPTED TO DO THIS.VIRTUAL PILLOW - JACOB'S PILLOW IS MAKING STEADY PROGRESS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS DIGITAL PLATFORM. LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR 2020 DIGITAL PROGRAMMING INFORMED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL STRATEGIC PLAN WHICH WE BEGAN TO IMPLEMENT IN 2021. NEW SYSTEMS WERE ADDED IN 2021 THAT HAVE VASTLY IMPROVED DATA GATHERING CAPACITY AND THE INTEGRATION OF TRACKING INTO THE ORGANIZATIONAL WORKFLOW. THE PILLOW UPGRADED AND EXPANDED ITS CONTENT PRODUCTION TOOLS WHICH RESULTED IN THE CREATION OF PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS WITH HIGHER PRODUCTION VALUES. BOTH ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO THESE ADVANCEMENTS. THE ADDITION OF A CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER TO THE PILLOW'S TEAM HAS ALSO GREATLY ENHANCED THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIGITAL PLATFORM.THE PILLOW'S 2021 DIGITAL PROGRAMMING ADVANCED DIGITAL CONTENT STRATEGY GOALS IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:-EACH PERFORMANCE PROGRAM, ON AVERAGE, DREW 35% NEW-TO-PILLOW AUDIENCES.-OUR GEOGRAPHICAL REACH GREW TO 66 COUNTRIES IN 2021.-AVERAGE WATCH-TIME OF PERFORMANCES GREW 24% TO 35 MINUTES A TESTAMENT TO AN INCREASED INVESTMENT IN THE PRODUCTION VALUES OF THE PERFORMANCES.-24% OF 2020 VIEWERS RETURNED TO PILLOW'S ONLINE OFFERINGS IN 2021.-AS IN 2020, PROGRAMMING FEATURING THE WORK OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS, PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC) DREW SEVERAL OF THE LARGEST DIGITAL PROGRAM AUDIENCES.-THE PILLOW'S NEW DONORS IN 2021 WERE OVERWHELMINGLY DIGITAL VIEWERS: 82% OF NEW DONORS (635 OF 770 NEW DONORS) HELD DIGITAL CONTENT TICKETS.

EDUCATION:THE SCHOOL AT JACOB'S PILLOW PROVIDES UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMERGING PROFESSIONAL DANCERS. SCHOOL FACULTY ARE NOT ONLY ACCOMPLISHED EDUCATORS, THEY ARE ALSO WORKING ARTISTS. IN 2021 WE OFFERED A HYBRID VERSION OF THE SCHOOL AT JACOB'S PILLOW THAT BLENDED IN PERSON AND ONLINE INSTRUCTION. PROGRAMS INCLUDED CONTEMPORARY BALLET, TAP, AND CONTEMPORARY, AS WELL AS THE CHOREOGRAPHY FELLOWS PROGRAM (THE LATTER WAS ONLINE ONLY). EACH PROGRAM WAS TWO-WEEKS IN LENGTH, WITH THE ONSITE PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE WORKING MONDAY-SATURDAY AND THE VIRTUAL PROGRAM DANCERS WORKING MONDAY-FRIDAY. WHILE THE PANDEMIC DID IMPACT THE RECRUITMENT TOUR AND CAPACITY OF THE SCHOOL, 93 DANCERS FROM 10 COUNTRIES WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN 2021 PROGRAMS (33 IN PERSON AND 60 ONLINE.)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS PROGRAMS OFFERED IN 2021 INCLUDED A NEW FREE PERFORMANCE SERIES THAT TOOK PLACE IN FOUR TOWNS AROUND BERKSHIRE COUNTY, WELCOMING OVER 1,300 PEOPLE. COMPANIES INCLUDED THE INTERGENERATIONAL LADIES OF HIP-HOP DANCE COLLECTIVE, AND PHILADELPHIA-BASED KULU MELE AFRICAN DANCE & DRUM ENSEMBLE, AS WELL AS LOCAL DANCE ARTISTS AT EACH SHOW. 40 MULTIGENERATIONAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN MAR PARILLA'S DANCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE ONLINE WORKSHOPS. WE ENGAGED NEW PEOPLE BY PROVIDING SPANISH TRANSLATION FOR OUR WORKSHOPS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

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