Inside the Pillow Lab: Brinae Ali

During her residency, tap dancer and choreographer Brinae Ali developed "The Baby Laurence Legacy Project." This archival and performance initiative investigates and celebrates the artistic genius of Donald “Baby Laurence” Jackson, a Baltimore-bred innovator whose impact on tap dance and jazz music is being redefined. This evening-length production aims to build a platform for sharing Laurence’s largely forgotten story with audiences by exploring the relationship between technology, tap dancing, and jazz music, featuring songs by Laurence such as “Baby at Birdland” and “Delilah’s Theme” reimagined with new arrangements and choreography. Through this work, Ali seeks to reveal how Laurence embodied the bebop aesthetic, reflecting a defiance of the white gaze and a self-referencing Black consciousness akin to the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, and Charlie Parker. Residency Dates: Dec 4-15, 2024 Directed and produced by Nel Shelby Productions. The 2024-2025 Pillow Labs received lead support from: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation © 2024 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Inc.