Durden, in yellow, leading a hip-hop master class for Jacob’s Pillow students

Jacob’s Pillow, one of the oldest and most selective summer training centers for pre-professional students, has added a new program—Social Dances: Jazz to Hip Hop. This program joins the contemporary, ballet and musical theater intensives and will explore the rhythms, dynamics and improvisation of African American-influenced dance forms from June 29 to July 12. Contemporary choreographer Camille A. Brown and hip-hop choreographer and dance historian E. Moncell Durden will lead the social dances program, which culminates in two free outdoor performances as part of Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out series on July 4 and 11.

Photo by Karli Cadel, courtesy of Jacob’s Pillow