FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PHOTOS CONTACT: Mariclare Hulbert, Director of Marketing and Communication 413.243.9919 x130 mhulbert@jacobspillow.

org -orAlyssa Mayfield, Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator 413.243.9919 x132 amayfield@jacobspillow.org JACOBS PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL PRESENTS LEO, JUNE 26-30 A MIND-BENDING ONE-MAN SHOW FROM BERLIN THAT DEFIES THE SENSES
June 21, 2013 (Becket, MA) Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival presents LEO, a fantastical one-man-show from Berlin, June 26-30 in the Doris Duke Theatre. LEO employs captivating choreography, video, and animation, challenging the audiences senses and testing their perceptions. Directed by the Montral-based actor and director Daniel Brire and formulated around an original concept by the performer Tobias Wegner, LEO has won several major awards including the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, the Three Weeks Editors Award, and the Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and most recently the John Chataway Award for Innovation at the 2013 Adelaide Fringe Festival. In response to performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Keith D. Edinburgh of Edinburgh Spotlight proclaimed: LEO is a spellbinding and inventive piece of physical theatre. The concept is simple yet remarkably effective a fluid and beautiful work of theatre which makes you like LEO himself begin to think walking up a wall is the most natural and effortless thing in the world. Set to a soundtrack ranging from Ravi Shankar, Slayer, and Frank Sinatra to Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, LEO portrays the unusual journey of an otherwise ordinary man whose world becomes physically unhinged. Limited to a specific area of the stage, the performer explores the ever-changing nature of the space he inhabits with what Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times describes as gravity-defying movement. Through several dramatic turns, the character embarks on a quest for the freedom that lies just outside of his confines. Daniel Brire Director Actor, stage director, and playwright Daniel Brire is Artistic Director of the Montral-based Nouvelle Theatre Experimental (NTE), where he has been performing and creating new plays since 2003. As an actor, he has performed in many theatres in Canada and Europe since his graduation from the Conservatoire. On television, he was seen in Camra Caf and the popular family comedy on CBC, Les Parent. On the big screen, his performances have included parts in Le dclin de lempire amricain, La moiti gauche du frigo, Gaz Bar Blues, and Cest pas moi, je le jure!, presented in several film festivals. Brire has directed some 20 plays including Bashir Lazhar and La Fin. Tobias Wegner Original Performer / Concept Tobias Wegner completed his acrobatic training at the Belgium University of Contemporary Circus Arts (E.S.A.C.) in Brussels. His professional career has taken him to, among other places, Brazil, Spain, and India. He has also performed at the Southbank Centre (London), the Thtre de la Cit Internationale (Paris), the Schauspiel Frankfurt, and the Staatsoperunter den Linden (Berlin). Tobias won the European competition Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe with the project AIUAIO and his own company of the same name.

RELATED EVENTS Master Class with the Artistic Personnel of LEO Doris Duke Theatre Sunday, June 30, 10am For intermediate/advanced dancers, ages 16+ $15 per class ($10 per class for dance teachers with appropriate I.D.) $80 for a 6-Class Card. Pre-registration required. Call the Community Dance Hotline, 413.243.9919 x5. Registration opens the week of class; early registration is not possible. Free PillowTalk: Physical Theatre as Dance Friday, June 28, 5pm An exploration of how the circus and dance worlds intersect, with a look at the work of Elizabeth Streb, originator of STREB EXTREME ACTION, and the gravity-defying LEO, represented by Gregg Parks. Once called the Evel Knievel of dance, Elizabeth Streb's choreography intertwines dance, athletics, boxing, rodeo, the circus, and Hollywood stunt-work. Creative Producer Gregg Parks discusses LEO, a blend of physical theatre, acrobatics, video animation, and imaginative humor. FREE PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION LEO Doris Duke Theatre Wednesday, June 26 through Saturday, June 29 at 8:15pm Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at 2:15pm Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacobs Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered on the Doris Duke Theatre porch 30 minutes before every performance. A Post-Show Talk with LEO and a Pillow Scholar will take place onstage on Thursday, June 27. Tickets $22$38. Under 35 Friday Tickets are available for $19 on Friday, June 28 (ages 1835), two per person, must show I.D. when picking up tickets. $10 Youth Tickets, sponsored by ALEX, are available for Saturday, June 29 at 8:15pm and Sunday, June 30 at 2:15pm (must be accompanied by an adult ticket). Now on sale online at jacobspillow.org, via phone at 413.243.0745, or in person at the Jacobs Pillow Box Office. Under 35 Fridays Tickets and Youth Tickets are available by phone and in person only. Box Office hours: Monday and Tuesday, 11am5pm, Wednesday through Saturday 11am8pm, and Sunday 11am5pm. Jacobs Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacobs Pillow campus and theatres are handicapped-accessible.

IN THE TED SHAWN THEATRE, JUNE 26-30 Compagnie Kfig Ted Shawn Theatre Wednesday, June 26 Saturday, June 29, 8pm Saturday, June 29 & Sunday, June 30, 2pm With sold-out shows and rave reviews, Compagnie Kfig was the smash hit of Festival 2012. The all-male cast returns from Brazil for an encore engagement of AGWA/Correria, packed with irresistible personality and astonishing dancing. This sensational production by French choreographer Mourad Merzouki blends hip-hop, martial arts, and contemporary dance with an energetic soundtrack of samba and bossa nova music. Bursting with fun, humor, and vitality, this show is a joyous celebration of life and dance. Tickets $39-$69, available at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745.

FREE EVENTS AT JACOBS PILLOW, JUNE 26-30 Free Inside/Out Performance: Naomi Goldberg Haas/Dances for a Variable Population Wednesday, June 26, 6:15pm New York City-based Dances for A Variable Population (DVP), directed by Naomi Goldberg Haas, is a multigenerational dance company. Through fun, lively, and beautifully executed choreography, DVP makes inclusive dance that engages communities as participants and audience members, erasing the border between dancer and non-dancer. For Inside/Out, DVP brings a restaging of Washington Square Dances inspired by Terry Riley's landmark 1964 composition In C, remixed by contemporary composers, created for the arrival of Spring in New York City. Audiences of all ages will have the opportunity to join DVP in a grand finale. FREE Free Inside/Out Performance: Peridance Contemporary Dance Company Thursday, June 27, 6:15pm Peridance Contemporary Dance Company (PCDC) has been a powerhouse of energetic and evocative dance since its inception in 1984 when it was founded by Artistic Director Igal Perry. Perry's newest work, Infinity, is set to Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata: Adagio. The piece was inspired by the striking images of rural landscapes frequent in Salvador Dali's paintings and depicts the delicate vulnerability of the human image against a background of vast, open spaces. PCDC also performs a duet excerpted from Ohad Naharin's Mabul (1992) set to Vivaldi music. FREE Free Inside/Out Performance: Jeremy McQueen Friday, June 28, 6:15pm Jeremy McQueen, a performer in the Broadway musicals Wicked and The Color Purple and an emerging choreographer, returns to Inside/Out this summer presenting a selection of his newest works. McQueen, a 2013 recipient of the Joffrey Ballet's Choreographers of Color Award, will present the New England premiere of Black Iris. Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's 1926 Black Iris III painting, Black Iris, performed en pointe and featuring a dynamic cast of 13, is set to Felix Mendelssohn's amorous "Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66." "Black Iris is a work about what it means to be a modern black woman, the push and pull of the beauty and the groundedness, and pursuit of a fulfilling existence against adversity and struggle" (Britt Julious, WBEZ 91.5 Chicago). FREE Free PillowTalk: Dancing on Ice Saturday, June 29, 4pm Explore the lyricism and virtuosity of a distinct art form in this retrospective film program of significant moments in ice dancing history, narrated by founder/director of Ice Theater of New York, Moira North. Ice dancing draws on the traditions of both figure skating and ballroom dancing and was recognized as a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. FREE Free Inside/Out Performance: The School at Jacobs Pillow Movin Commercial Dance Program Saturday, June 30, 6:15pm As part of their study in the Movin' Commercial Dance Program, dancers of The School at Jacob's Pillow present commercial dance variations, directed by program director Jeffrey Page. FREE Shooting Stars Photography Exhibit Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm To experience dance through the eyes of other dancers is a rare treat, and this exhibit encompasses uncommon sights and vantage points, photos taken by professional dancers, that will be totally new to most

viewers. New York City Ballet star Wendy Whelan reveals what goes on in the dressing rooms of New York City Ballet while Miguel Anaya shares his backstage view from last seasons production From the Horses Mouth: The Men Dancers, and much more. FREE Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival Archives Blakes Barn at Jacobs Pillow Open June 19 Aug 25 Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 10pm, Tuesday and Sunday, noon to 6pm This informal library and reading room allows Pillow visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow's computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Pillow Interactive, the popular touch-screen kiosk, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s, and the Dance Heritage Coalition's new Secure Media Network features videos from other archives throughout the country. FREE
Jacobs Pillow, marking its 81st Festival in 2013, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America's longest running international dance festival. The Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacobs Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillows extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than 80 years of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and video. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and more than 200 free public events. Through Jacobs Pillow Curriculum in Motion, a nationally-recognized program, artist-educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacobs Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Virtual Pillow is aimed at expanding global audiences for dance and offers the opportunity to experience dance and Jacob's Pillow from anywhere in the world via online interactive exhibits, global video networks, and social media. As part of the Virtual Pillow initiative, Jacobs Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacobs Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government. Jacobs Pillow is the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

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