Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2017 | TIRELESS: A Tap Dance Experience

Tap dancing through week two of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival

TIRELESS: A Tap Dance Experience brought incredibly talented and passionate tap dancers from around the globe to Jacob’s Pillow. Michelle Dorrance of Dorrance Dance curated and initiated this program at the Pillow in collaboration with Director Pamela Tatge. Dorrance invited Reona and Takashi Seo of Japan, Jumaane Taylor and M.A.D.D. Rhythms of Chicago, Joe Orrach of San Francisco, and Joseph and Josette Wiggan of Los Angeles to the show to share their magic.

It’s always interesting to me when I can photograph a show at Jacob’s Pillow from front of house and backstage. The different vantage points and energies in the photos of the show. Photographing from the front of house is for press and to capture the feel of the show as if you’re in the audience. Photos from backstage give more intimate moments, energy and emotion, and they usually don’t show the full body.

One of the challenges of making portraits with tap dancers is: How do I take tap off the stage? What does that mean? And how can I incorporate the Jacob’s Pillow natural environment in a tap portrait?

I loved having these inspired moments about how we could bring tap dance outside. In Reona and Takashi Seo’s AUN, Reona dances on an overturned washtub. As soon as I saw the washtub, I knew that’s how we’d elevate her in the field on the Pillow grounds.

We even got to include their daughter Fuko in their portrait session!