To get accurate and detailed information, the Pillow’s staff arranged some interview time with Norton Owen who is the one person who knows more about the Pillow and its history than anyone else alive.

Norton Owen is the director of preservation for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, with which he has been associated for thirty-five years, and is the author of A Certain Place: The Jacob’s Pillow Story.

Ted Shawn's Men Dancers sprawl over the huge Jacob's Pillow rock. (Men Dancers, 1935; photo courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Archives)

“It’s fair to ask what this untold history has to do with the Jacob’s Pillow of today—a vibrant and exciting destination for people of all ages and backgrounds who probably don’t know or care that the place owes much to its founder’s sexual orientation. But the Pillow’s 74 seasons of multi-layered activities and cultural diversity have ensured that there are many important stories embedded in the institution’s genes, and an awareness of previous connections can make a present-day visit all the more meaningful.” – Norton Owen

Owen fell into his role as the Pillow’s historian quite by accident. An Alabama boy, he escaped the Bible Belt by attending Adelphi University on Long Island where he met and worked with Norman Walker, who headed the Pillow in the 70′s. At first he was a multi-disciplinary student with a theatre major, but working with Walker he soon gravitated towards dance during his time there. Walker was the head of Adelphi’s Performing Arts Department.

Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob's Pillow. Photo by David Dashiell

“When I graduated in 1976, Norman offered me a scholarship to come to the Pillow. There really weren’t any year-round employees at that time, and after the summer, I became his administrative assistant. I typed up the contracts, handled the correspondence and made all of $5 an hour,” recalls Owen. In fact, he was in the perfect spot to know everything that was going on. And he has a memory like a steel trap. Anyone who has visited the Pillow and heard him speak about its past knows he is the original fountain of knowledge about the place.

From there, his involvement with the Pillow deepened in a sort of organic, natural progression. During the winter Owen was a supernumerary at the Metropolitan Opera, had a scholarship at New Dance Group even while working part time with Walker. When the next Jacob’s Pillow season rolled around, Walker gave Norton a choice of coming back on scholarship or working in the box office at $50 a week. “I had taken an apartment in the city so I went for the cash,” he laughs. “It wasn’t a wrenching decision, but more of a segue. And I have been segueing ever since.”

The Accidental Historian

He fell into the role of historian and it wasn’t long before he was the longest tenured employee. And being more obsessive than impulsive, he kept close tabs on everything. “By ’78 or ’79 I was acting as the Associate Press Director, House Manager, Program Coordinator, whatever was necessary.” In those days most cultural organizations didn’t have large staffs, and those that labored in the offices had to become a jack-of-all-trades. Today the Pillow has different people for each of the roles he once juggled with aplomb. Selling tickets, promoting events and keeping the books is much more complicated with technology than before it seems.

Handling the press is where his transition to historian began. “A reporter would ask when the last time Paul Taylor appeared here, or if a work had been performed before. None of this information had been compiled, though it was all there. So I started to sort it out since I had to have answers for the press. It wasn’t long before I became the “go to” guy, though the evolution was more or less accidental.”

As time went on he served as the Pillow’s Director of Education, and Associate Manager, yet he had a passion for organization and kept the details organized. “People think this position was something I applied for but it just happened.” From the very beginning Ted Shawn and The Pillow has always had a sense of history, and that awareness has served the organization and its dance makers well. It is the foundation on which the pre-performance “Pillow Talks” are based. It provides the impetus for the galleries of photographs by noted dance photographers past and present. And it gives Jacob’s Pillow a gravitas and importance that newer festivals can only dream of earning.

When you walk the glorious grounds of Jacob’s Pillow, or sit in a studio watching, you can literally feel the history of the place. It is so strong that just thinking about it can bring tears to a dance lover’s eyes.

The Men Dancers

Men Dancers wore robes while serving tea and sandwiches prior to the "Tea Lecture Demonstrations." Photo courtesy of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Archives

“Responsibility for this lack of awareness can be assigned to Pillow founder Ted Shawn (1891 –1972), whose very livelihood depended upon keeping the full story under wraps, Dancing was not considered to be much of a profession in the early 20th century, with most Americans considering the words “dancer” and “prostitute” to be almost synonymous,” he wrote.

“True fame and fortune came in 1914 after he traveled to New York and formed a partnership with the legendary Ruth St. Denis. He had worshipped St. Denis since first seeing her perform several years earlier (she was thirteen years his senior) and, before the year was out, they became husband and wife. Their union was formalized in the name of their dance company—Denishawn—and the couple’s marital status was of considerable importance to the success of their enterprise.” It provided the cover of respectability.

But of course there were extra-marital affairs from the very beginning, on both sides. Owen continues: “Shawn biographer Walter Terry suggests that what Shawn most wanted and needed was a permanent relationship, and that he might have remained true to St. Denis had she been faithful to him. In any case, the marriage was irreparably harmed around 1928 when Shawn hired a business manager named Fred Beckman, who became romantically involved with both husband and wife. This three-way affair accelerated an end to the mighty Denishawn empire, which had exerted a considerable force in the performing arts world for fifteen years, touring coast-to-coast and training a generation of dancers and teachers. The scandal could have also ended the career of Ted Shawn, as St. Denis threatened to divorce him and name their mutual lover as correspondent. This never came to pass, but St. Denis and Shawn did formally separate in 1930.”

It was during this time that Shawn discovered the farm at Jacob’s Pillow which he soon purchased. The barn became a dance studio and dancer Barton Mumaw became Shawn’s lover, a relationship that lasted for decades.Even after Shawn passed away, Mumaw soldiered on at the Pillow.

The Films of the Men Dancers

In the archives of Jacob’s Pillow are a number of films of the early men dancers. And here Norton Owen plays a pivotal role in the modern history of the place. “During the 80′s Jess Meeker was still active as our accompanist – he had been at the Pillow since its very beginning as Shawn’s composer and class pianist. He was in his 70′s at the time, and we had uncovered all these silent films from the Men Dancers era. Jess had composed original scores for many of them. Only Jess knew how things went together, and with three NEA grants we transferred the films to videotape and then had Jess record the soundtracks for them.” Owen masterminded this project while he was also running the educational programs. When you keep the flame there are some things you don’t get paid to do, but feel compelled to do. This is one of them.

Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers in Dances of the Ages, ca. 1938; photo Shapiro Studio.

The Untold Stories

“There are a lot of untold stories about Jacob’s Pillow, and getting them all out is a challenge,” notes Owen. While it might seem that Ted Shawn was just finding a way to have his men dancers work together out of sight of prying eyes, “He always had a philosophical reason, on some lofty plane, for doing it,” observes Owen, “as well as a practical one. Sometimes you couldn’t tell which was his primary motivation since he was so articulate about what he wanted to do.

“Some think that when Shawn broke up with Ruth St. Denis in the early thirties he then discovered his ‘other side’ at the same time he was making this company of men dancers. It’s a valid point, but there’s also the question of why he would come to this secluded spot. Some said he wanted a retreat, but he also had no money. And it was during the depression,” he speculates. Shawn bought the rough-hewn farm dirt cheap.

So it still makes good sense since the dancers could contribute their manpower to fixing up the existing structures and constructing their various cottages on the property. There wasn’t even electricity in the beginning, it was a make-do operation, and it is pretty clear that the first dancers were no effete sissies. They hammered nails, felled trees, planted vegetable gardens all while they built up their physical profiles. They provided a masculine image to outsiders as well as being highly creative and incredibly resourceful.

“And I think the Pillow still honors that. Our Inside/Out stage is rustic, and was actually created because we needed more rehearsal space and grew into one of our most beloved activities.”

Jacob's Pillow has evolved into the center for dance in America. Daniel Charon Dance performing on the Inside/Out stage, 2010; photo Charlie Winter

Keeping the Flame

“Ted Shawn was very prescient about documenting his work, and the evolution of Jacob’s Pillow,” says Owen, and preserving the old films is a prime example of that effort. The photographic record is equally important, and the late photographer John Lindquist spent a great deal of his life not only photographing the evolving dance at the Pillow, but the many day to day activities that the dancers participated in. Even such things as painting and patching the buildings were captured by his lens. “Even when they did not know where their next meal was coming from, Shawn would find the means to pay for 16mm black and white film stock to document his work.”

There was never much money so photographers like Lindquist would often simply contribute their work because they believed in the importance of what Shawn was creating. In his dotage, Lindquist still took pictures in Boston for the Boston Ballet, and those who knew the importance of his contributions kept a watchful eye over him. Owen visited with him late in his life, and dance critic Iris Fanger not only kept a watchful eye over him, but also became his advocate in his declining years. It is this sort of familial aspect that often makes the arts so different from other lines of work.

Ted Shawn trained His Men Dancers and created dances that were concerned with themes considered suitable for men; for example, American folk material and dances about work, war, and sports. For the first time, American men danced on stage in a masculine, boldy muscular style. This revolutionized the dance scene in this country. The Men Dancers in Olympiad, ca. 1938; photo John Lindquist © Harvard Theatre Collection

Sexuality

Norton Owen turned to the issue of sexuality in the men dancers. “You couldn’t really talk about, much less express it in those days, so Ted Shawn ignored it, in favor of simply expressing masculinity through dance. Looking at his work today makes his achievement all the more remarkable. Not only was he making the case for men dancers publicly, but privately he opened the way for you to be a gay man and not have that be an issue.”

It seems that in those early days he never really talked about it. He just did it. “Exactly,” agreed Owen, “and when it is talked about these days people have an image of these men running around in the woods with not very much on, like some sort of den of iniquity.

“In fact, what I have gotten from Jess Meeker, Barton Mumaw and the other men dancers I have talked with about Ted Shawn, the way they lived together was very much a live and let live way of life. He didn’t pry or coerce.” It seems he had a strong sense of propriety and that he was not the sort of person who would go snooping around, so he gave his dancers the privacy and the space to live their own lives comfortably in the housing they had constructed themselves. “That’s right, and they gave it back to him in return even though it was well known among them that Barton and Ted were partners. In those days it could not be talked about publicly or the whole venture would be over.”

In the 30′s the whisper of a scandal could ruin someone’s life and ability to make a living. Today it’s just gossip, and a form of entertainment. It was also a time when the idea of a company of men dancers was a heretical idea. A 1935 Time Magazine scoffed that “Sophisticated observers regarded the venture as a freakish experiment, and pooh-poohed the idea that a troupe could survive without women to decorate it.”

Secrets were well kept in those days before the internet and talk television . These days if Justin Beiber so much as squeezes a pimple everyone knows. Back then, even the President of the US, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to keep his need for a wheelchair out of sight of the public. The press helped him hide it by never showing it in a picture or talking about it in a story.

Joseph Pilates leads a body conditioning class on the Tea Garden platform. Pilates was a prominent member of the Pillow faculty in the 1940s and 50s. He is seen here in 1942 in a photo Eric Sanford

The Underground Railroad

As much as the subject of men dancers fascinates, it is hardly the only historic aspect of Jacob’s Pillow worthy of note. I asked Norton Owen about whether it was true that the Pillow was also a stop on the Underground Railroad and used as a 19th Century slave escape route.

“Absolutely,” said Owen, “And to me the sense of it being an important spot for the gay community or the African American community is all part of its larger role, in dance itself. The Pillow is important to artists from India, Spain, and a dozen other countries. There is remarkable diversity at the Pillow, it’s the place that has always celebrated the many currents that run through the river of dance.

“Even something like tap dance is part of the Pillow, and it is well known that it was one of Ted Shawn’s blind spots, he hated tap. He never promoted it, but in the years since his death the Pillow has become a place where tap is celebrated. The work we have done with Diane Walker, Gregory Hines and Jimmy Slyde has made the Pillow part of their history, too.”

There are many threads in the tapestry of dance at the Pillow, each one unique and original. Like a garden being nurtured, the various forms of dance are given a chance to grow and flower, “And each one is more beautiful than the last,” notes Owen. “The more you give the various strains of dance a chance to develop, the more wonderful they become,” Owen concluded.

That then could be called Ted Shawn’s legacy. Dancers once tended a simple garden in the woods of Becket so that they would have food to eat. Today it is a sort of modern day shrine where people come by the tens of thousands to feast on the ever-expanding menu of dance styles and traditions.

From a retreat where men, gay and straight, could co-exist as artists and dancers to a place where all are made to feel welcome, Jacob’s Pillow has long been at the cutting edge of the arts in America.

This summer you can walk the same paths that Ted Shawn and his men dancers walked, and watch performances in the first theatre built especially for dance. You can bring children to see free performances on the Inside/Out stage, or partake in specially selected ticketed performances that are family friendly.

If you are part of the LGBT community, or one of its friends, you can learn a great more about the hidden history of Jacob’s Pillow on their second annual “Out at the Pilow” weekend, August 5-7. One of the events will be a historic walk with Norton Owen on Sunday, August 7 in which he will tell more about Ted Shawn and his company of men dancers.

Here is a complete schedule of events:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5

8am Morning Class- Pilates

• Join Nel Shelby, certified Pilates instructor, in this Pilates class for all experience levels, ages 16+. Bring your own mat or large towel. $8/class.

Noon-after the performances Free Exhibit- Annie Leibovitz: DANCE and Precious Medals

• This free, exclusive photography exhibit in Blake’s Barn includes the work of one of the world’s most widely known portrait photographers, Annie Leibovitz. This exhibit has been created especially for the Pillow to salute the 30th anniversary of the Mark Morris Dance Group. In the Archives Reading Room, the prestigious National Medal of Arts, recently presented to Jacob’s Pillow by President Obama, and other awards received by the Pillow and its founder, Ted Shawn, will be on display.

5:30pm Free Tour of Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark

• Departs from the Welcome Center.

6:15pm Free Inside/Out Performance – Jennifer Archibald–Arch Dance Company

• Inspired by writer Maya Angelou, Jennifer Archibald weaves together classical, funk, street, and lyrical movement in The Uncomfortable Truth, a look at women’s relationships with their mothers. Featuring music by Trentemøller, M.I.A., and Booka Shade.

7pm Free Exhibit- If You Couldn’t See Trisha Brown

• This free exhibit in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre features highlights from Trisha Brown’s past work as well as some of her own drawings. Emphasizing a wide-ranging creative output, these materials are presented in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Trisha Brown Dance Company and a Pillow relationship that spans more than three decades.

8pm Ticketed Performance- 3e Étage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Ted Shawn Theatre

• 3e Étage, a contemporary ensemble featuring some of the most exceptional dancers from the legendary Paris Opera Ballet, will showcase their versatility in a varied program of witty contemporary ballet works. This U.S. debut program of virtuosity and fun, includes excerpts of William Forsythe’s Limb’s Theorem, the witty duet me2, inspired by the bilingual poem “Me Too” by Raymond Federman and choreographed by Murez, and Les bourgeois, a solo from the one-act ballet Brel, in which choreographer Ben van Cauwenbergh translates one of the most famous songs of his fellow Belgian Jacques Brel. Take in a pre-show talk at 7:30pm in Blake’s Barn to learn more about this brilliant company. Under 35 tickets available for the Friday evening performance.

8:15pm Ticketed Performance- Jonah Bokaer, Doris Duke Theatre

• The much-talked-about choreographer Jonah Bokaer, acclaimed as “contemporary dance’s renaissance man” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), presents multimedia dances that merge the visual arts and movement. RECESS explores improvisation, experimentation, and language, as Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham discuss theories of space, architecture, and performance. In the U.S. premiere of Why Patterns, a single ping-pong ball initiates choreographic games and unpredictable events such as 10,000 more ping-pong balls cascading from above. Enjoy a pre-show talk at 7:45pm on the Doris Duke porch to learn more about this School at Jacob’s Pillow alumni. Tickets start at $22.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6

Noon-after the performances Free Exhibit- Annie Leibovitz: DANCE and Precious Medals

• This free, exclusive photography exhibit in Blake’s Barn includes the work of one of the world’s most widely known portrait photographers, Annie Leibovitz. This exhibit has been created especially for the Pillow to salute the 30th anniversary of the Mark Morris Dance Group. In the Archives Reading Room, the prestigious National Medal of Arts, recently presented to Jacob’s Pillow by President Obama, and other awards received by the Pillow and its founder, Ted Shawn, will be on display.

1pm Free Exhibit- If You Couldn’t See Trisha Brown

• This free exhibit in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre features highlights from Trisha Brown’s past work as well as some of her own drawings. Emphasizing a wide-ranging creative output, these materials are presented in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Trisha Brown Dance Company and a Pillow relationship that spans more than three decades.

2pm Ticketed Performance- 3e Étage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Ted Shawn Theatre

• 3e Étage, a contemporary ensemble featuring some of the most exceptional dancers from the legendary Paris Opera Ballet, will showcase their versatility in a varied program of witty contemporary ballet works. This U.S. debut program of virtuosity and fun, includes excerpts of William Forsythe’s Limb’s Theorem, the witty duet me2, inspired by the bilingual poem “Me Too” by Raymond Federman and choreographed by Murez, and Les bourgeois, a solo from the one-act ballet Brel, in which choreographer Ben van Cauwenbergh translates one of the most famous songs of his fellow Belgian Jacques Brel. Take in a pre-show talk at 1:30pm in Blake’s Barn to learn more about this brilliant company. Tickets start at $58.

2:15pm Ticketed Performance- Jonah Bokaer, Doris Duke Theatre

• The much-talked-about choreographer Jonah Bokaer, acclaimed as “contemporary dance’s renaissance man” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), presents multimedia dances that merge the visual arts and movement. RECESS explores improvisation, experimentation, and language, as Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham discuss theories of space, architecture, and performance. In the U.S. premiere of Why Patterns, a single ping-pong ball initiates choreographic games and unpredictable events such as 10,000 more ping-pong balls cascading from above. Enjoy a pre-show talk at 1:45pm on the Doris Duke porch to learn more about this School at Jacob’s Pillow alumni. Tickets start at $22.

4pm Free PillowTalk Film Screening – Claude Bessy: Traces of a Life, Blake’s Barn

• The star of a 1963 Paris Opera Ballet group at the Pillow was Claude Bessy, a glamorous figure who was famously paired onscreen with Gene Kelly. Later the director of the Paris Opera Ballet School, Bessy’s life has been chronicled by dancer/filmmaker Fabrice Herrault in this documentary.

5:30pm Free Tour of Jacob’s Pillow, a National Historic Landmark

• Departs from the Welcome Center.

6:15pm Free Performance- Jazz/Musical Theatre Dance Program

• Dancers of The School present works created by Program Director Chet Walker and Patricia Wilcox, a Broadway performer and choreographer for musical theatre, opera, and television.

7pm Free Exhibit- If You Couldn’t See Trisha Brown

• This free exhibit in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre features highlights from Trisha Brown’s past work as well as some of her own drawings. Emphasizing a wide-ranging creative output, these materials are presented in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Trisha Brown Dance Company and a Pillow relationship that spans more than three decades.

8pm Ticketed Performance- 3e Étage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Ted Shawn Theatre

• 3e Étage, a contemporary ensemble featuring some of the most exceptional dancers from the legendary Paris Opera Ballet, will showcase their versatility in a varied program of witty contemporary ballet works. This U.S. debut program of virtuosity and fun, includes excerpts of William Forsythe’s Limb’s Theorem, the witty duet me2, inspired by the bilingual poem “Me Too” by Raymond Federman and choreographed by Murez, and Les bourgeois, a solo from the one-act ballet Brel, in which choreographer Ben van Cauwenbergh translates one of the most famous songs of his fellow Belgian Jacques Brel. Take in a pre-show talk at 7:30pm in Blake’s Barn to learn more about this brilliant company. Tickets start at $63.

8:15pm Ticketed Performance- Jonah Bokaer, Doris Duke Theatre

• The much-talked-about choreographer Jonah Bokaer, acclaimed as “contemporary dance’s renaissance man” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), presents multimedia dances that merge the visual arts and movement. RECESS explores improvisation, experimentation, and language, as Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham discuss theories of space, architecture, and performance. In the U.S. premiere of Why Patterns, a single ping-pong ball initiates choreographic games and unpredictable events such as 10,000 more ping-pong balls cascading from above. Enjoy a pre-show talk at 7:45pm on the Doris Duke porch to learn more about this School at Jacob’s Pillow alumni. Tickets start at $36.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7

10am-11:30 Free Observation- Master Class with Jonah Bokaer, Doris Duke Theatre

• Contemporary dance artist and The School at Jacob’s Pillow Alumni Jonah Bokaer leads a master class in his movement style for intermediate-advanced dancers. Observation is free.

Noon (12pm) Special “Weekend OUT” Event- Free Ted Shawn and His Men Dancers Historic Tour, meet at the Bell in front of the Ted Shawn Theatre

• Jacob’s Pillow Director of Preservation Norton Owen leads a special behind-the-scenes historic tour of Jacob’s Pillow, focusing on iconic Pillow-founder Ted Shawn, his company of Men Dancers, and his mission to represent strength and masculinity in dance. This unique tour is free and open to the public, and is presented as part of “Weekend OUT.”

Noon-after the performances Free Exhibit- Annie Leibovitz: DANCE and Precious Medals

• This free, exclusive photography exhibit in Blake’s Barn includes the work of one of the world’s most widely known portrait photographers, Annie Leibovitz. This exhibit has been created especially for the Pillow to salute the 30th anniversary of the Mark Morris Dance Group. In the Archives Reading Room, the prestigious National Medal of Arts, recently presented to Jacob’s Pillow by President Obama, and other awards received by the Pillow and its founder, Ted Shawn, will be on display.

1pm Free Exhibit- If You Couldn’t See Trisha Brown

• This free exhibit in the lobby of the Ted Shawn Theatre features highlights from Trisha Brown’s past work as well as some of her own drawings. Emphasizing a wide-ranging creative output, these materials are presented in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Trisha Brown Dance Company and a Pillow relationship that spans more than three decades.

1pm Ticketed Performance- 3e Étage: Soloists and Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Ted Shawn Theatre

• 3e Étage, a contemporary ensemble featuring some of the most exceptional dancers from the legendary Paris Opera Ballet, will showcase their versatility in a varied program of witty contemporary ballet works. This U.S. debut program of virtuosity and fun, includes excerpts of William Forsythe’s Limb’s Theorem, the witty duet me2, inspired by the bilingual poem “Me Too” by Raymond Federman and choreographed by Murez, and Les bourgeois, a solo from the one-act ballet Brel, in which choreographer Ben van Cauwenbergh translates one of the most famous songs of his fellow Belgian Jacques Brel. Take in a pre-show talk at 1:30pm in Blake’s Barn to learn more about this brilliant company. Tickets start at $58.

2:15pm Ticketed Performance- Jonah Bokaer, Doris Duke Theatre

• The much-talked-about choreographer Jonah Bokaer, acclaimed as “contemporary dance’s renaissance man” (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times), presents multimedia dances that merge the visual arts and movement. RECESS explores improvisation, experimentation, and language, as Bokaer and visual artist Daniel Arsham discuss theories of space, architecture, and performance. In the U.S. premiere of Why Patterns, a single ping-pong ball initiates choreographic games and unpredictable events such as 10,000 more ping-pong balls cascading from above. Enjoy a pre-show talk at 1:45pm on the Doris Duke porch to learn more about this School at Jacob’s Pillow alumni. Tickets start at $22.

Tickets, Information, Location

For more information and tickets you can visit jacobspillow.org, or order tickets via phone at 413.243.0745 or in person at the Jacob’s Pillow Box Office.
Box Office hours April 4-June 17: Monday through Friday 10am-4pm June 20-August 31: Monday and Tuesday 10am-6pm, Wednesday through Saturday 10am-8pm, and Sunday 12pm-5:30pm. Pillow Members receive exclusive benefits. To become a Member call 413.243.9919 x125.