Inside the Pillow Lab: Kyle Marshall

In his first Pillow Lab, Kyle Marshall, director and choreographer of Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC) embarked on the ambitious Julius Eastman Trilogy, a series of dances embodying the music and legacy of Black queer minimalist composer Julius Eastman. Kyle Marshall Choreography used its Pillow Lab residency to focus on two works of the trilogy: Feminine, a radically queer, 70-minute embodiment of Eastman’s jubilant minimalist composition of the same title, and Gay, a new duet on eternal love set to Eastman’s brooding “Gay Guerilla.” About Kyle Marshall and Kyle Marshall Choreography A New York City-based contemporary dance company founded in 2014, Kyle Marshall Choreography sees the dancing body as a container of history, an igniter of social reform, and a site of celebration. Expressing “a choreographic voice like no one else’s” (The New York Times), Kyle Marshall Choreography believes in the creation, sharing, and teaching of dance as a way to deepen our knowledge of who we are as individuals, how we develop relationships, and ultimately societies. Winner of the 2018 Juried Bessie Award, the company has performed at venues including Jacob’s Pillow (most recently Onyx that opened Festival 2023), Chelsea Factory, BAM Next Wave Festival, Roulette, and New World Center. Commissions have included Philadelphia Museum of Art, Baryshnikov Arts Center, American Dance Festival, “Dance on the Lawn” Montclair’s Dance Festival, and Harlem Stage. Kyle Marshall is a choreographer, performer, teacher, and artistic director of Kyle Marshall Choreography. He has received choreographic fellowships from Princeton University, Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, and residencies from the Monira Foundation, The 92nd Street Y, Center for Performance Research, American Dance Festival, and Bethany Arts Community. As an educator, Marshall is currently an adjunct professor at NYU’s Open Arts Program, and has been a guest artist at Rutgers University, Ailey/Fordham University, Eugene Lang/New School, and Sarah Lawerence College. Kyle has engaged young artists through creative workshops at Operation Unite NY, Bloomfield College, and several New Jersey high schools. As a performer, Marshall was a member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Doug Elkins Choreography etc., and Tiffany Mills Company. He is a graduate of Rutgers University with a BFA in Dance and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. INSIDE THE PILLOW LAB Kyle Marshall RESIDENCY DATES: Jan. 31-Feb. 11 APPEARING IN FILM: Performers: Morgan Amirah Burns, Khalid Dunton, Alexandria Francois, Niara Hardister, Jose Lapaz-Rodriguez, and Kyle Marshall Mentor: Kimani Fowlin Company Manager: Madalyn Rupprecht Creative Director/ Costume Design: Edo Tastic Filming: Erica Spizz NEL SHELBY PRODUCTIONS Nel Shelby, Producer Benjamin Richards, Graphic Animation Sonia Bartolomeo, Project Manager & Editor THE 2023-2024 PILLOW LAB RECEIVES LEADERSHIP SUPPORT FROM: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation © 2024 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Inc.