Wendy Whelan's RESTLESS CREATURE to Premiere at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, 8/14-18

The world premiere of Wendy Whelan's Restless Creature, an evening-length suite of dynamic contemporary duets, will take place at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the historic Ted Shawn Theatre, August 14-18. Each with his own unique style and artistry, the four contemporary choreographers of Restless Creature: Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, Brian Brooks, and Alejandro Cerrudo, will perform alongside "America's greatest contemporary ballerina" (Claudia La Rocco, The New York Times) only at Jacob's Pillow this summer.

Co-commissioned by Jacob's Pillow, Whelan seeks a new challenge in working within a variety of artists' visions while finding ways to enhance her own individuality. Whelan offered a sneak peak of Restless Creature as part of The Guggenheim's Works & Process series in April 2013, and as Siobhan Burke described in The New York Times, this show features Whelan "...branching out from her ballet roots and into less familiar physical territory (more fluidity in the spine, more weight into the ground)..."

Works include First Fall by Brian Brooks, The Serpent and the Smoke by Kyle Abraham, Ego Et Tu by Alejandro Cerrudo, and Joshua Beamish's Waltz Epoca. Each choreographer brings a unique perspective to Restless Creature, sharing his particular movement style and aesthetic with one of the most celebrated ballerinas of this generation. With music spanning from Max Richter and Philip Glass to Hauschka & Hildur Guðnadóttir, each duet promises to offer a distinct experience for the performers and audience members alike.

In addition to the six performances, a series of photos by Whelan, which reveal what goes on in the dressing rooms of New York City Ballet, are featured as part of the Shooting Stars photography exhibit in Blake's Barn at Jacob's Pillow through August 25. Additional photographers featured in this exhibit include Miguel Anaya and Amber Star Merkens. Also, Festival videographer Nel Shelby, who created four video featurettes based on each creation, shares her collaborations with Whelan in the PillowTalk The Art of Promotion on Friday, August 16 at 5pm.

Wendy Whelan studied at the School of American Ballet. She was invited to become a member of the New York City Ballet corps de ballet in 1986, and then promoted to principal dancer in 1991. Whelan has performed a wide spectrum of the Balanchine repertory and has worked closely with Jerome Robbins on many of his ballets. She has originated featured roles in 13 ballets for Christopher Wheeldon, as well as in the ballets of William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Shen Wei, and Twyla Tharp. In 2007, Whelan was nominated for an Olivier Award and a Critics Circle Award for her performances with Morphoses/Wheeldon Company. She has been a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and with the Kirov Ballet. She received the 2007 Dance Magazine Award, and in 2009, was given a Doctorate of Arts, honoris causa, from Bellarmine University. In 2011, she was honored with both The Jerome Robbins Award and a Bessie Award for her Sustained Achievement in Performance.

Kyle Abraham 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award recipient and 2012 USA Ford Fellow, Abraham received a prestigious Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show, and a Princess Grace Award for Choreography in 2010. The previous year, he was selected as one of Dance Magazine's 25 To Watch for 2009, and received a Jerome Travel and Study Grant in 2008. In 2011 OUT Magazine labeled Abraham as the "best and brightest creative talent to emerge in New York City in the age of Obama." Abraham is currently the New York Live Arts Resident Commissioned Artist for 2012-2014.

Brian Brooks was recently awarded with a 2013 Guggenheim Fellowship. He is a proud recipient of the New York City Center Fellowship (2012-2013) and the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Grant (2013). His dance group, the Brian Brooks Moving Company, will be presented by BAM as part of their 2013 Next Wave Festival. This year, Brooks has been commissioned to create new works for The Juilliard School, the Vail international Dance Festival, and Alfred University. He is currently choreographing director Julie Taymor's new production of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, as the inaugural performance for the Theatre for a New Audience's Brooklyn home. He has dedicated much of the past decade to education, serving on the part-time faculties of both Princeton and Rutgers Universities, among others. Originally from Hingham, Massachusetts, Brooks has lived in New York City since 1994.

Joshua Beamish, Canadian-born, New York-based choreographer, Beamish is the Artistic Director of MOVE: the company, a Canadian-American non-profit. Since its formation in 2005, MOVE: the company has brought Beamish's original works to audiences at premiere festivals and halls throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. Notable among his many creations are Trap Door Party, a co-production with Cirque du Soleil for World Expo Shanghai, and The Red Nocturnal, a commission from the Bangkok International Festival. Beamish is an alumnus of the New York Choreographic Institute, a New York City Ballet affiliate; a Jerome Robbins Foundation grantee; and the 2012-2013 National Incubator Artist-in-Residence at the American Dance Institute.

Alejandro Cerrudo Born in Madrid, Spain, Cerrudo received his training at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid. After becoming a professional dancer in 1998, Cerrudo's dance career has been shaped by companies such as Victor Ullate Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2008 Cerrudo was named Hubbard Street Choreographic Fellow, and became the company's first Resident Choreographer in 2009. He has created several works for Hubbard Street, including collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Nederlands Dans Theater. Cerrudo's works are performed by dance companies worldwide.