Inside Jacob's Pillow's 94th Season Opening Gala
More than 600 guests celebrated the start of Jacob's Pillow's 94th season at a gala that honored Tiler Peck, and drew Misty Copeland, Susan Stroman, and a starry crowd of dance world supporters.
Historian and Founding Director of Preservation Norton Owen, Misty Copeland, and Trustee Emeritus Kyle Abraham at the Jacob's Pillow 2026 Season Opening Gala. Hannah Murphy photo.
Jacob's Pillow kicked off its 94th Festival season in style on Saturday, June 20, welcoming more than 600 artists, philanthropists, and longtime supporters to its National Historic Landmark campus in Becket for the annual Season Opening Gala. The evening began with a cocktail hour and a pop-up performance by local Brazilian percussion troupe Berkshire Bateria on the Great Lawn, before guests filled the Ted Shawn Theatre for a gala performance befitting this summer's season-long theme of groundbreaking women in dance.
The night's centerpiece was the presentation of the 2026 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award to New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck, presented by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman, who has known Peck since she was cast in Stroman's Broadway production of "The Music Man" at age 10. The $25,000 prize, given annually since 2007 to an artist of exceptional vision, places Peck in the company of past honorees including Misty Copeland (on hand Saturday night) and Bill T. Jones.
Onstage, Peck danced Balanchine's "Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux" with fellow NYCB principal Roman Mejia and performed a solo from "Who Cares," joined over the course of the evening by Martha Graham Dance Company, Los Angeles's BODYTRAFFIC, Chicago tap collective M.A.D.D Rhythms, and The School at Jacob's Pillow Contemporary Ballet Performance Ensemble in a world premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
The gala marks the official launch of ten weeks of performances, premieres, and events that make up Festival 2026, running June 24 through August 30. The full lineup is available here.
Photos by Hannah Murphy and Jamie Kraus.
Photos by Hannah Murphy and Jamie Kraus.
Written by
After a decade of writing for RI (along with many other publications and organizations) Jamie took over as editor in 2025. He has a masters in journalism from NYU, a wonderful wife, two kids and a Carolina dog named Zelda.
