Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the iconic Massachusetts summer hub for dance, has announced they will award their 12th annual Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award to dancer and choreographer Faye Driscoll. The award was created in 2007 by an anonymous donor who is committed to giving an annual $50,000 donation to the festival.

As the winner of this coveted award, Driscoll will receive $25,000 cash, which is free to be used however she wishes. The remaining $25,000 will go towards sustaining the Jacob’s Pillow Lab, a newly created program and space for residencies that supports the creation of new work by providing housing and space to dancers and choreographers year-round.

This is not the first honor for Driscoll - she’s also a Bessie-award winner, and has been hailed by the New York Times as a tour de force of performance and direction.” She will be presented with the award at the festival’s Opening Gala on June 16, where her company will perform, teach a master class, and lead a talk back discussion.

In a statement, Driscoll reacted to the news: "I am honored to receive this award and be a part of the stupefying history that is Jacob's Pillow. I was a student at the Pillow when I was 19. I remember sweating profusely in the Horton workshop all day, and then having my mind expanded watching all of the magical companies perform at night. It is profound for me to have my work become a part of the incredible legacy of Jacob's Pillow. I feel like I am holding that vulnerable 19-year-old who watched from the wings proudly in my heart.”

Other past recipients have included Kyle Abraham of Abraham.in.Motion, Michelle Dorrance of Dorrance Dance, Camille A. Brown of Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and Liz Lerman of Dance Exchange.