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Thinking and Moving
Corrine Szarkowicz

Bill T. Jones arrived on the Hilltop with questions. Big questions. The kind that make you sit up, lean in, and reflect on yourself in ways you may never have before. Throughout his time on the Hilltop as the 2025 Schwartz Visiting Fellow, the artistic director of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company captivated audiences in Hard Auditorium with his strong, commanding voice. His presence was undeniable, and though every seat was filled, the room felt unusually quiet as his voice rang out.

“Who are you?” 
“What are you doing here?” 
“What are you thinking?” 
“What do you believe?”
“What do you stand for?”
“What is controlling your attention?”
“Where are you going?”

As an acclaimed choreographer, dancer, and director known for his innovative and socially engaged work in modern dance, the questions he posed weren’t new to him. He’s been exploring them throughout his more than fifty-year career, challenging both himself and his audiences to think about identity, purpose, and human connection. Yet for many in the audience, it was a new way of engaging with art — not as passive observers, but as active participants in a deep, personal conversation about who we are and where we’re going.

Over the course of three days, Jones led the Pomfret community through a journey of his work, beginning with an excerpt from Still/Here, one of his most well-known pieces, which deals with themes of mortality, resilience, and the human condition. Created during the AIDS epidemic and recently revived for its thirtieth anniversary, Still/Here uses multimedia elements and features excerpts from “survival workshops” he conducted nationwide with individuals living with life-threatening illnesses. 

The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company gave Pomfret a sneak peek of People, Places & Things.

Jones’ work has always blurred the line between personal history and collective memory, turning stories into powerful reflections of the human experience. He and his company continued this exploration with a sneak peek of People, Places & Things, set to premiere at New York Live Arts in May. The piece was created against the backdrop of a memory of freedom, and with that memory comes a taste for self-determination: living where one wants to live, loving who one wants to love, celebrating that youthful desire to be free and discover the world and oneself within it.

Jones shared powerful words of wisdom during the student Q&A session.

On the final day of his visit, he answered questions from a student panel and reflected on a lifetime of movement — more than 140 works that have shaped dance and captivated audiences worldwide. He challenged the students to be authentic, to take risks, and to stand for something. “Mark this in your life, on your heart,” he urged them. “There’s no right way to do it. Try it! You don’t know if it’s going to work. You try it. Put yourself out there.”

He went on to explain that his work was never just about dance; it was about human connection and what it means to truly engage with others. 
 

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Thinking and Moving

Bill T. Jones, acclaimed American modern dance choreographer and dancer, moved the audience with his thought-provoking inquiry. 

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