Hey check this out: it's TED SHAWN, the creator of the JACOB'S PILLOW DANCE FESTIVAL, performing "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," from his Four Dances Based on American Folk Music, in 1931. On Vimeo!

It appears that Jacob's Pillow has just uploaded a shit-ton of its performance archives onto a new portal, JACOB'S PILLOW DANCE INTERACTIVE, that traces the history of the Festival (and thus the history of 20th century dance) through video clips and quick annotation.

We've just returned from Clarendon Street in the South End, where Boston Ballet is beginning the final run-throughs of George Balanchine's rarely-performed three-act, Jewels, which opens at the Wang next week. We'll have better video coming soon -- um, like without my leg in it -- but to tide you over, here's a few minutes of what they're up to:

And now for something completely different. Just before Thanksgiving, the Celtics handed over control of the halftime festivities to the Boston Ballet, who opted not to come out with a straight-up preview of their annual cash cow but instead offered a newly-choreographed routine outside their comfort zone.