About
Community Programs at Jacob's Pillow include a movement class and an information session. Participants can train at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, explore the Pillow’s rare and extensive dance Archives, and take part in numerous Community Programs designed to educate and engage dance audiences of all ages. During the annual Festival, families can experience more than 50 dance companies and 500 free performances, talks, and events, as well as more than 200 free performances and talks, rehearsals, class observation, tours, and interaction with artists, scholars, writers, filmmakers, and composers.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
Founded in 1933, Jacob’s Pillow is home to America’s longest-running international dance festival. Its mission is to support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation, and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance. The organization is a National Historic Landmark and the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. The dance Archives encompass materials from 1894 through today, and photography collections, films, a library, exhibits, and video viewing stations are free and open to the public during the annual Festival in Blake’s Barn (Archives & Norton Owen Reading Room). Community Programs are offered in partnership with community organizations and public schools, with a focus on the town of Becket and the City of Pittsfield, and Jacob’s Pillow contributes to non-profit charitable organizations through its ticket donations program to support arts education and diversity in Berkshire County and surrounding areas. TIME Magazine has described Jacob’s Pillow as “a hub and mecca of dancing,” Mikhail Baryshnikov has called it “one of America’s most precious cultural assets,” The New York Times has called it “the dance center of the nation,” and President Barack Obama has noted that thousands of people of all ages from across the United States and the world have Jacob’s Pillow to thank for opening their horizons to dance.
Last updated December 16, 2025.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
Founded in 1933, Jacob’s Pillow is home to America’s longest-running international dance festival. Its mission is to support dance creation, presentation, education, and preservation, and to engage and deepen public appreciation and support for dance. The organization is a National Historic Landmark and the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. The dance Archives encompass materials from 1894 through today, and photography collections, films, a library, exhibits, and video viewing stations are free and open to the public during the annual Festival in Blake’s Barn (Archives & Norton Owen Reading Room). Community Programs are offered in partnership with community organizations and public schools, with a focus on the town of Becket and the City of Pittsfield, and Jacob’s Pillow contributes to non-profit charitable organizations through its ticket donations program to support arts education and diversity in Berkshire County and surrounding areas. TIME Magazine has described Jacob’s Pillow as “a hub and mecca of dancing,” Mikhail Baryshnikov has called it “one of America’s most precious cultural assets,” The New York Times has called it “the dance center of the nation,” and President Barack Obama has noted that thousands of people of all ages from across the United States and the world have Jacob’s Pillow to thank for opening their horizons to dance.
Last updated December 16, 2025.
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