Vanessa Sanchez & La Mezcla return to Jacob’s Pillow for Pillow Lab in 2027!

Pillow Lab Residency & showing dates

March 2–14
Work-in-progress showing on Saturday, March 13

In this residency, Vanessa Sanchez y La Mezcla will develop Ahualulco, a new multidisciplinary dance and music work that explores the cultural, historical, and rhythmic connections between Veracruz (Mexico) and Cuba. The work layers traditional Son Jarocho zapateado rhythms from Mexico and Afro-Cuban folkloric movement with original tap dance choreography, tracing the intertwined histories of Indigenous and African resistance across the Gulf of Mexico. Featuring live music, the original score draws on Son Jarocho and Afro-Cuban rhythms, played on traditional instrumentation such as the jarana, congas and quijada, and transcribed to tap and zapateado dancers’ footwork.

More info here!