Between me and the other world

Co-sponsored by Jacob's Pillow, the Town of Great Barrington’s W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee, and Simon's Rock, San Francisco-based choreographer, director, and performance innovator Joanna Haigood explores issues of race and identity in her performance installation, Between me and the other world, a dynamic exploration of scholar and Great Barrington-born civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois’ seminal work The Souls of Black Folk, as part of the Legacy Committee of the Town of Great Barrington’s annual birthday celebration of W.E.B. Du Bois.

Between me and the other world was created in collaboration with composer Dr. Anthony Brown, video artist David Szlasa, and scenic designer Sean Riley, who collectively recontextualize Du Bois’ ideas through live performance, contemporary imagery sourced from current events, and a sonic terrain that travels spirituals, jazz, and a 21st-century postmodern soundscape.

In the performance installation, audiences are welcome to move around the space and meander between moving projections and dancers for different vantage points. There will be rotating 30-minute performances at 7:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.

Sponsors include Berkshire Bank, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), MCLA Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, Multicultural BRIDGE, and The Du Bois Center at Great Barrington. In partnership with NAACP Berkshire County Branch, Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires, and Discover Pittsfield’s 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival.

Haigood’s week-long Berkshire County residency that precedes the engagement is made possible with additional support from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Make a reservation with Jacob's Pillow (required). Free to the public; donations are welcome. 

Want more? On February 15, join Joanna Haigood for a free public movement workshop, Such is our soul, at the Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires in Pittsfield.