Presented in partnership with Voices Underground as part of their Chester County-wide commemoration of Juneteenth, enjoy an evening with the internationally award-winning modern dance company Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO!), celebrated for its innovation, creativity, and preservation of predominantly African-American traditions in dance.
The resident modern dance company of the Kimmel Cultural Campus, PHILADANCO! is celebrating 56 years of providing exceptional dance performances and training to dancers and audiences throughout the US and around the world. This is its 26th season at the Kimmel Center—Ensemble Arts Philly.
Since its inception in 1970, PHILADANCO! has made a significant impact on the dance world. As a cultural ambassador representing the US, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia, its artistic direction and renowned national and international DEI guest choreographers have developed a reputation of producing a dance repertory with passion, power, skill, and diversity. Its stellar faculty, handpicked by PHILADANCO! Founder Joan Myers Brown, has trained more than 4,500 dancers in a comprehensive program achieving the highest level of technical skills in dance and performance. Its unique blend of dance styles and its roster of often 50 to 60 concert performances and 45 residencies most years has made PHILADANCO! one of the most sought-after modern dance companies in the United States.
PHILADANCO! has received many significant grants of support, an NEA Fellowship, the prestigious National Choreography Planning Grant, and has organized the historic first two International Conferences for Black Dance Companies in Philadelphia (1988). It annually assembles thousands for the International Conference on Black Dance, headed by the now International Association of Blacks in Dance (1991). Collaborations for the company include the Apollo Theater and Rennie Harris Puremovement.
The company is committed to engaging with the community and frequently with Drexel University, String Theory, the University of Pennsylvania, Next Move concerts, Living Arts, Breaking Barriers, and others. More importantly, PHILADANCO! believes in and continues to provide quality arts instruction to young people with authentic learning experiences that engage their minds, hearts, and bodies. Its record of performing opportunities, commissioned works, and life-changing experiences is unequaled. Recent significant funding by the Mellon Foundation, the Wallace Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation, and others ensures they continue for years to come.