For more than five decades, the Windhover Center for the Performing Arts in Rockport has served as a hub for dance and the performing arts, fostering creativity and collaboration across disciplines. Founded by Herbert and Ina Hahn on the grounds of what was once the last farm in Pigeon Cove, the nonprofit has evolved from a summer arts camp for teenage girls into a year-round center offering classes, workshops, intensives, and a rain-or-shine outdoor performance series.
The Hahns repurposed the farm’s buildings to accommodate their vision, converting the barn into a dance studio, the stable into a library, and other outbuildings into dormitories. Today, Windhover continues to attract notable artists as instructors and resident creators, providing an environment to explore new work free from commercial or critical pressure. Lisa Hahn, the center’s executive director and daughter of the founders, emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the center’s mission.
This August, Windhover presents a diverse lineup of dance performances. From August 7 to 9, New York City’s Alison Cook Beatty Dance will present “Quarry Dance,” a site-specific work staged in one of the region’s historic granite quarries in Lanesville. This annual signature event, held off the main campus, offers audiences a unique experience, combining movement with the natural surroundings. Attendees will park at Windhover’s Granite Street lot and take shuttles to the quarry, which was chosen by Ina Hahn for its natural amphitheaters, rocky ledges, and woodland settings—perfect for connecting dance with the environment.
On August 8, Boston Dance Theater will preview a new piece titled “Four Seasons on the Great Marsh: Autumn,” which explores the ecology and history of New England’s largest contiguous salt marsh. The program also includes “Delicate Blue,” choreographed by Brazil’s Alessandro Sousa Pereira, a work that reflects on humanity's deteriorating relationship with nature.
A highlight of the season is the first full company engagement by the Limón Dance Company at Windhover, scheduled for August 14 and 15 as part of an eight-decade celebration. The program will feature José Limón’s “Suite of a Choreographic Offering” and “Chaconne,” the latter accompanied live by violinist Scott Moore performing Bach’s score. Dancer and choreographer Aszure Barton’s “Join” will also be presented. The residency will include a free open rehearsal on August 15.
The month will conclude with the BoSoma Dance Company’s 23rd season kickoff on August 27. Under artistic director Katherine Hooper, BoSoma will present a one-hour program blending audience favorites with new works by Jess White Flynn, Chantal Kelleher, and Tony Tucker. The BoSoma Youth Company will also perform.
Windhover’s use of outdoor, often unconventional venues reflects a longstanding belief—held by Ina Hahn in particular—that experiencing dance amidst nature enhances the impact. Hahn recalled a performance of Paul Taylor’s “Runes,” staged when a full moon rose in the night sky, as a powerful example of how the natural environment can deepen the connection between performers and audience, elevating the arts beyond the constraints of a traditional stage.