Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their U.S. debut at Jacob’s Pillow with an exclusive U.S. appearance. During six performances in the Ted Shawn Theatre, they will introduce American audiences to Italy’s “maestro of dance,” Mario Bigonzetti, with two divergent works that highlight the virtuosity of the dancers.

Les Quatre Saisons, performed to Antonio Vivaldi’s concerto, is a lush contemporary ballet danced en pointe. In contrast, Cantata turns its focus to the Mediterranean and the folk culture of southern Italy, and is performed with a quartet of singers, the Gruppo Musicale Assurd.

On August 1, Gradimir Pankov and his wife, Margret Kaufmann who studied dance at The School at Jacob’s Pillow in 1963, will participate in an hour-long discussion with a Pillow Scholar-in-Residence about their life in ballet.

Before each performance, a free Pre-Show Talk will offer background information about the company history, its longstanding relationship to Jacob’s Pillow, and the specific works on the program.

Thursday evening’s performance will be followed by a Post-Show Talk with Gradimir Pankov and some of the dancers.

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