The Kimmel Center presents a full fledged Mother’s Day Weekend Celebration that includes performances of modern dance and R&B be-bop hits. Philadanco puts new choreographic work in the spotlight May 6- 8 in Perelman Theater with the Philadelphia premiere of Ray Mercer’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, based on the controversial 1967 film. Jerry Blavat shakes things up in Verizon Hall with a venerable line up of rock and roll, R&B, doo- wop greats showcasing Philly natives, The Orlons, Frankie Avalon, among others for a Mother’s Day Musical Spectacular on May 8.

Philadanco

Featuring the Philadelphia premiere of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Friday to Sunday, May 6 – 8, 2011

Perelman Theater

Ticket Price:  $34- $46

Beloved for its dazzling, visceral style and devotion to promoting African-American traditions in dance, Philadanco returns to the Kimmel Center with works by stellar contemporary choreographers, including the Philadelphia premiere of Ray Mercer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Milton Myers’ Violin Concerto, Christopher Huggins’ Cottonwool and the classic Philadelphia Experiment by Philly native and hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris.

Following the May 6 performance, Philadanco will participate in an Artist Chat moderated by the company’s Founder and Artistic Director, Joan Myers Brown, on the Perelman Theater stage. Performance times vary for spring dance recitals held on Friday – Sunday, May 6 – May 8, 2011 in Perelman Theater.  

Philadanco has a long history as Philadelphia’s premiere modern contemporary dance company: it is one of the first companies to hire dancers on a 52 week salary; the first to own housing for the dancers; and the first to own a debt-free facility. Philadanco presents wide-ranging repertoire of highly athletic material rooted in jazz, ballet and modern dance traditions. The company continues to consistently tour more than any Philadelphia cultural organization, performing as many as 50-60 concerts and 45 residencies annually.

In 2005, Philadanco was one of 14 companies to receive the prestigious American Masterpieces Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The company has performed at Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Joyce and the Delacorte in New York City as well as major venues throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

Founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown is a revered choreographer and dancer, who pioneered an alternative path for African Americans to become professionally trained dancers post-civil rights era. A trailblazer in her own right, she helped young emerging dancers and choreographers find a voice and place in the dance world by founding the following organizations: The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in Philadelphia (1960); Contemporary modern dance company Philadanco in (1970); Coalition of African American Cultural Organizations in Philadelphia, co-founder (1986); International Conference of Black Dance Companies (1988); International Association of Blacks in Dance (1991). Currently, Brown is a visiting professor at the University of the Arts and a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia (2004) and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pa. (2007). The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts also honored her as a Master of African American Choreography in 2005.

Born in Philadelphia on Christmas Day in 1931, Joan Myers Brown began training with the Ballet Guild in Philadelphia at age seven. She also trained at the Sydney-Marion School in Philadelphia, Pa., a pre-civil rights classical ballet school for African American dancers. Thereafter, Brown moved to New York in 1951 on a ballet scholarship to study at The Dunham School, and began her professional career with performances of choreographed works with The Savar Dancers at Café Montmarte in Montreal, Canada, as well as tours to Quebec City and Toronto. She has danced at the legendary Cab Calloway Cotton Club Revue, warmed up performers such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Pearl Bailey, Billy Eckstein and Billy Daniels, among other greats.

"The members of...Philadanco can do just about anything: leap like arrows in flight, spin, stretch, kick and melt like hot wax." —Washington Post _____________________________________________________________________

Jerry Blavat’s Mother’s Day Musical Spectacular

Featuring Frankie Avalon, Jay Black, Kenny Vance & The Planotones, The Tymes, The Orlons

Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 7:30pm

Verizon Hall

Ticket Price: $41 - $71

Legendary radio personality Jerry Blavat returns to the Kimmel Center with his Mother’s Day Musical Spectacular on Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 7:30pm in Verizon Hall.  Backed by a group of star performers, the Geator with the Heater presents a nostalgic night filled with ‘60s rock and roll. Blavat is joined on stage by former teen idol Frankie Avalon, Jay Black (“This Magic Moment”), Kenny Vance & The Planotones (“Looking for an Echo”), The Tymes (““So Much In Love”), and The Orlons (Philadelphia natives responsible for “Don’t Hang Up”).

Free at the Kimmel kicks off at 6pm with a free pre-show dance party.  DJ Mark the Spark spins classic tunes in Commonwealth Plaza prior to and immediately following the Mother’s Day Musical Spectacular (ticketed) event in Verizon Hall.

A cultural icon in Philadelphia, Jerry Blavat is well-known for his electrifying on-air personality and encyclopedic knowledge of music, writers and performers. With more than 45 years of radio experience, South Philadelphia’s "Boss with the Hot Sauce" Jerry Blavat was the first DJ to play hits such as "Sherry" by the Four Seasons and "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers on air in the Philadelphia region. Beginning in March 1965, Blavat produced and hosted the "Discophonic Scene" on WCAU-TV 10, featuring live performances, including The Supremes’ only Philadelphia television appearance. In 1967, WIFL-TV 6 offered the Geator a daily show called "Jerry’s Place," which was eventually syndicated coast-to-coast in 42 markets. Blavat began hosting "On the Air with the Geator" in 1992 and "Backstage with Jerry Blavat" in 1997. In 1998 he was one of the radio greats inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Since then, Blavat has appeared on the PBS fundraising event "DooWop 50" and "DooWop 51."

Frankie Avalon has enjoyed a career that spans three generations of music, television and motion pictures. Born in Philadelphia, Avalon is considered the quintessential “teen idol” and has a long history of Gold Record Million-Seller singles and albums. In 1959 alone Avalon had 6 solid hits reach the top 40 and his music became one of the defining sounds of the “Pre-Beatles” Rock and Roll. He’s also well-known for his role in the successful “Beach Party” film series, including Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Beach Blanket Bingo, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Bikini Beach, and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.  A widely held belief is that the character of “Teen Angel” in Grease, the Broadway show, was patterned after the effect that Avalon had on teenaged girls. When the movie of Grease was made, it was almost unthinkable that anyone else would play the part. In it, Avalon sings “Beauty School Dropout” and his cameo is considered by many to be one of the highlights of the movie. He was inducted into “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” in 1995.

Jay Black, former lead singer of Jay and the Americans, helped charter a string of 60s hits on the United Artists label, including “Only In America,” “Come A Little Bit Closer,” “Cara Mia,” “This Magic Moment,” and “Walkin’ In The Rain.” During the group’s heyday, Jay and the Americans made countless television appearances, on shows such as Shindig, Hullabaloo, Where The Action Is, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, Red Skelton, and Sammy Davis, Jr. In 1966, the group was featured in the movie Wild, Wild Winter singing “Two of a Kind.” Black’s group was also the opening act for The Beatles’ first appearance in the United States, and they went on to open for The Rolling Stones and other top British acts. In spite of the British invasion, Jay and the Americans carried the American flag almost single-handedly through the 1960’s with 21 chart singles and fifteen albums.

As a kid in New York, Kenny Vance was captivated by the magic of rock and roll. At fifteen he was hanging around the Brill Building meeting other singers and songwriters and eventually formed the successful group Jay and The Americans. Vance remained with Jay and The Americans throughout their eleven-year career. In the years that followed, Kenny began an expansive solo career that kicked off with producing the first record for Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (Steely Dan). Vance went on to compose, supervise and produce a long list of scores and soundtracks for feature films and television, including The Planotones' first on-screen performance in American Hot Wax.  Although originally formed to recreate the musical lives of groups in the 50s and 60s, The Planotones reunited in 1992. Since then, the band has emerged as an influential post doo-wop era ensemble that breathes new life into classic hits with folk and jazz influences. In 2002, Vance was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

The Tymes, first formed in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1956, and included band members George Hilliard, Donald Banks, Albert Berry and Norman Burnett under alternate group name, the Latineers. Adding lead vocalist George Williams, they secured a U.S. No. 1 hit as the Tymes with the evocative “So Much In Love” (1962), a gorgeously simple performance which recalled the bygone doo wop era while anticipating the sweet harmonies of 70s Philly soul. The follow-up singles, a cover of Johnny Mathis’ “Wonderful! Wonderful!” and “Somewhere," were also major hits. In 1968, the band returned to the U.S. and U.K. charts with their cover version of “People," recorded for the movie Funny Girl.

The recruitment of female vocalists Terri Gonzalez and Melanie Moore helped shakeup the band’s image in the early 70s. The Tymes scored international hits with two 1974 releases, You Little Trustmaker and Ms. Grace (a U.K. No.1), which pitched the band’s harmonies into a modern context. Various line-ups of the band have continued to play on the oldies circuit ever since.

Philadelphia natives, The Orlons, are a mix-gendered R&B group that formed in the 1960s. The groups’ first hits, ‘”The Wah Watusi”, “Don’t Hang Up” and “South Street,” cleverly exploited the male/female aspect of the group and each release reached the U.S. Top 5.  In 2010, the Orlons became one of first U.S. Top 100-charting groups to have a career spanning 50 years.

Tickets for Jerry Blavat’s Mother’s Day Musical Spectacular ($41 to $71) and Philadanco Spring Recital on Mother’s Day ($34 to $46) can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.

A limited number of $10 tickets are available for most Kimmel Center Presents performances at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office prior to curtain time, beginning at 5:30pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.

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Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center.  Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. Our mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

The 2010/2011 season is sponsored by Citi, and the Broadway 2010/2011 season is sponsored by Verizon and American Airlines. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.