The Pillow Project

The Pillow Project The Pillow Projects are jazz.

Founded by Artistic Director Jaka Pearl Porter (formerly Pearlann Porter) in in 2004, The Pillow Project is a project-based dance company of improvisational/ multidisciplinary/ experimental collaborations created within our own postmodern-jazz philosophy and language of THE ELLIPSIS CONDITION™. We create feature-length performance-installations, projected light-specific concert work, live improvis

ational jazz-happenings, and enact public durational-performance concepts in Pittsburgh and internationally to challenge the ideas of "What is Dance?", "Who is a Dancer?", and "How can Dance be experienced?". Since 2006, The Space Upstairs has been our permanent artistic residence and location of most of our deepest investigative work, performances, and teachings. The Space Upstairs is both our creative laboratory for navigating artistic risks and our forum for sharing what we learn, innovating wholly new audience experiences and continually seeking new expressions of our jazz. It is here we choose to perform without the formal division of a traditional stage so that intimate, inclusive interactions can occur with our audiences, and the nuances of our human experiences can be witnessed and felt

For more information about The Pillow Project
visit: www.pillowproject.org

03/15/2026

Jade at SECOND SATURDAY 3.14.26 feat. Throckmorton Plot

SAT FEB 14: Celebrating The Space Upstairs’ 20th Anniversary Season, it’s our signature monthly event SECOND SATURdAYS —...
02/08/2026

SAT FEB 14: Celebrating The Space Upstairs’ 20th Anniversary Season, it’s our signature monthly event SECOND SATURdAYS — the place where music and dance meet in the jazz!

This months special guests
PAUL THOMPSON TRIO
featuring physical-jazz performances by
THE PILLOW PROJECT

doors 8pm | music 9-11pm | $15

tickets:
https://www.thespaceupstairs.org/second-saturdays

Applications NOW OPEN!
02/08/2026

Applications NOW OPEN!

Develop your unique artistic presence, cultivate an informed practice, and engage in a conscious curiosity for nuanced m...
01/16/2026

Develop your unique artistic presence, cultivate an informed practice, and engage in a conscious curiosity for nuanced musicality and physical-poetry…

Since 2011, The Pillow Project’s 3-week immersive professional training program (containing 100+ hours of classes and studies) has been developed to foster an informed physical awareness, a committed personal practice, and a conscious curiosity in the hands-on experience of creating and engaging in professional work.

JUNE 15 - JULY 4, 2026

• https://www.pillowproject.org/study for more details about the program and applying•

Our home, The Space Upstairs, rolls into its 20th anniversary season with a surprise Secret Santa assist to help jazz us...
12/30/2025

Our home, The Space Upstairs, rolls into its 20th anniversary season with a surprise Secret Santa assist to help jazz us into 2026...We're thankful for their offer to match all donations made to The Space through till Midnight of December 31st, up to $1000!

So to all who enjoy the vibe we lay down, please consider a small donation before year's end, knowing it will multiply in amount and effect, helping us to continue offering a warm home to cool people and good times!

DONATE HERE:

For twenty years, The Space Upstairs has been dedicated to contributing to and amplifying the arts community in Pittsburgh. At this milestone, we commemorates our origin, honor our growth, and celebrate our impact on the hundreds of artists and the thousands of patrons that have engaged in our work....

SECOND SATURDAYS since 2007📸 Thomas Speranza |
12/03/2025

SECOND SATURDAYS since 2007

📸 Thomas Speranza |

The Pillow Project circa 2025
10/25/2025

The Pillow Project circa 2025

AUG 16: A one-day 4-hour introduction into The Pillow Project’s improvisational method of movement and dance at The Spac...
07/10/2025

AUG 16: A one-day 4-hour introduction into The Pillow Project’s improvisational method of movement and dance at The Space Upstairs, as led by The Pillow Project’s Founding Artistic Director Jaka Zakajinn (formerly Pearlann Porter).

This one-day immersive workshop focuses on articulating and ‘playing’ our range motion, considering different dynamic ranges in physicality, and making distinct choices to engage with the music.

No experience required or expected — this introductory study is open to absolutely all levels of experience and inexperience!

*Pre-Registration Required (link in bio)

Please wear cool/loose/comfortable clothing - footwear or socks optional

Open to ages 18-100!

📸

Gold at The Pillow Project 2025 Intensive Improvisational Study
06/01/2025

Gold at The Pillow Project 2025 Intensive Improvisational Study

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Telephone

+14122259269

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