PHILADANCO Returns to the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater with Part II of 35th Anniversary Season "Preserving the Past, Seizing the Future"
Kimmel Center Presents Movers and Shakers Sponsored by American Express
April 27, 2005
Performances Feature Three World Premieres and One Company Premiere
The Kimmel Center’s resident dance company, PHILADANCO, returns to the Perelman Theater for the final performance of its 35th Anniversary Season “Preserving the Past, Seizing the Future” on May 5-7 at 7:30pm and May 7-8 at 2:30pm. The program will feature several world premieres, including Everything Is Everything by choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett; Between Earth and Home by choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar; and For Mother by Ronald K. Brown. The program will also include the company premiere of Ballet: The Blues and The Bible “GENESIS” by choreographer, costume designer and musician Geoffrey Holder.
Tickets for PHILADANCO on May 5-8 are $32 and $45 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, or online at www.kimmelcenter.org.
Since Joan Myers Brown founded The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) in 1970, their performers have continued to present the highest quality of professional dance, and continue to serve as cultural ambassadors for the city of Philadelphia as they tour nationally and internationally. One of the first eight cultural organizations in the city to receive permanent residency at the Kimmel Center, the dance company also organized the first two International Conferences for Black Dance Companies, was the first to be included in the CETA Pilot Program for Instruction and Training, and was the first area dance organization to purchase its own corporate headquarters and studio facility, and to create an artist-housing program for its principal dancers.
For 35 years, Joan Myers Brown has served as the Executive Artistic Director of PHILADANCO. A Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts and a member of the dance faculty at Howard University, Brown’s significant contributions to local, national and international arts have landed her in Who’s Who in America and have made her one of the most sought-after dance experts in the country. The broad range of national organizations with which she is involved include the Rockefeller Foundation’s Arts & Humanities Program, NEFA’s National Dance Project, Arts America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Philadelphia Dance Alliance. With PHILADANCO’S 35th Anniversary Series currently underway, Brown remains a tireless advocate of the art of dancing, and continues to coordinate programs with exceptional choreography. For information about PHILADANCO, please go to their website at www.philadanco.org.
The company premiere of the ballet The Blues and the Bible: Genesis falls under the direction of choreographer, costume designer and musician Geoffrey Holder. Holder’s career has spanned all artistic media and genres, and includes roles in feature films, directing and designing hit musicals on Broadway, dancing in ballet performances, and even painting.
The world premiere of Everything is Everything is directed by choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett, who has directed and choreographed numerous Broadway shows and also has several feature films to her credit. Her dance works have been commissioned by the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and many other companies throughout the world.
Choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is presenting the world premiere of Between Earth and Home. The founder of Urban Bush Women, Ms. Zollar is also a full professor with the Florida State University Dance Department and has held a position as a teacher or guest speaker at many universities and performance schools across the country.
For Mother is a world premiere choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, who started creating dances in 1985 and whose work has been performed by countless national dance companies. Brown’s numerous awards and fellowships include the New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie), American Dance Festival Humphrey/Weidman/Limon Award, National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer’s Fellowship, and more.
Tickets for PHILADANCO from May 5-8 range from $32 to $45 (Additional fees may apply). Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30 pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees.
Sponsors of the 2004-2005 Kimmel Center Presents season include Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank, Wachovia Foundation, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, Bucks County Coffee, and SEPTA, the Commuter’s Choice. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte and Southern Wine and Spirit.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS
Movers and Shakers Sponsored by American Express
PHILADANCO
Preserving the Past, Seizing the Future: 35th Anniversary Season
Thursday, May 5 - Sunday, May 8
Perelman Theater
Featuring:
Corey Baker, Elisabeth H. Bell, Neda Y. Ebrahimi, Bellamy F. Eure, Tommie W. Evans, Warren B. Griffin, III, Afua Hall, Odara Jabali-Nash, D. Gary W. Jeter, II, Ahmad M. Lemons, Erin Moore, Mora-Amina Parker, Devin Roberts, Monique Smith, Marc Spaulding, Jay Staten, Jacinta Vlach, Jerome M. Warren, Dawn Marie Watson, Riki Wess, Hollie E. Wright
Between Earth and Home
World Premiere
Choreographer: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Assistants to Ms. Zollar: Nia Eubanks & Rhea Patterson
Music: Pharaoh Sanders
Costume Design/Execution: Natasha Guruvela
Lighting Design: Brenda Gray
Lighting Execution: Melody Beal
Everything Is Everything
World Premiere
Choreographer: Lynne Taylor-Corbett
Music: Lauryn Hill
Costume Design/Execution: Anna-Alisa Belous
Lighting Design: Clifton Taylor
Lighting Execution: Melody Beal
Ballet: The Blues and The Bible “GENESIS”
Company Premiere
Choreography, Costume Design & Music: Geoffrey Holder
Costumes & Head Dresses: Don Padget
Costume Execution: Zenda Williams & Milan Beal
Vocalist: Sam Harknis
Lighting Design: Clifton Taylor
Lighting Execution: Melody Beal
For Mother
World Premiere
Choreographer: Ronald K. Brown
Music: Roberta Flack & Traditional
Costume Design/Execution: Natasha Guruleva
Lighting Design: Brenda Gray
Lighting Execution: Melody Beal
The Celebration of the 35th Anniversary Season of PHILADANCO was made possible by generous grants from Delaware River Port Authority and Dance Advance, a program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University, The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Altria Group, Inc.
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