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Philadelphia flyers
(by Regina Popper - February 17, 2010)
St. Louis dance fans will continue Black History Month festivities by welcoming the return of Philadelphia Dance Company, better known as Philadanco. The company is renowned for its mix of African-American cultural traditions with ballet, modern, jazz and more.
The concerts on Feb. 19 and 20 will feature varied works set to music ranging from Philip Glass to hip hop. Catch the 8 p.m. performances as part of the OVATIONS series at Edison Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. An 11 a.m. Saturday concert, part of the Ovations for Young People series, will present Rosa, a tribute to civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
The company is celebrating its 40th anniversary with its leader, activist and founder Joan Myers Brown still at the helm. Brown herself danced with the legendary Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and Sammy Davis Jr. She also established the International Association of Blacks in Dance in 1991 and is a founder of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies. Her commitment to her dancers and improving the social fabric of her community is legend.
Over the years, Brown’s troupe has grown from a showcase for her early dance students to an internationally respected company known for preserving the works of master choreographers, including Tallie Beatty, Gene Hill Sagan, Ronald K. Brown and Louis Johnson.
Yet the company broadens its scope with the innovations of contemporary choreographers like Daniel Ezralow, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Milton Myers and Christopher Huggins. Philadanco is the resident modern dance company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
“I formed the company in 1970 because of the lack of opportunities available to my students. I had no idea the company would last so long,” she said recently. “I want the dancers to work with different choreographers. Meeting the challenges brings out new talent in them.”
Brown said she tailors the program to the audience: “What we perform for older audiences in Florida contrasts with the works we dance for a young crowd at the historically black college.” Brown called the St. Louis dance fans “more astute, more attuned to the world” so she can offer a more varied repertoire.
First on the program will be Gene Hill Sagan’s Ritornello to music by Bach. This romantic ensemble contemporary ballet features Sagan’s neoclassical clean lines and swirling turns and leaps. He first choreographed for Philadanco in 1976 and his works remain a company staple.
Next, Philadelphia Experiment by the famed hip hop master Rennie Harris aims to capture the dynamic of the city, its social and economic changes and its rhythms and energy. The work features the music of 3 Generations Walking as well as Body and Soul. A video collage accompanies the electric urban dance.
Choreographer Milton Myers’ Violin Concerto explores Philip Glass’ music of the same title, recorded by the Ulster Orchestra. Glass’ soundscape ranges from the lyrical to the propulsive. Myers was born in Kansas City and discovered dance while studying math at the University of Missouri. He later danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and choreographed for that company as well as the Joyce Trisler Dance Co. He became resident choreographer of Philadanco in 1991.
In Enemy Behind the Gates, choreographer Christopher L. Huggins (also an Ailey alumnus) challenges the viewer to confront the enemy that is among us and secure the metaphorical “Gate.” As the program ominously states, “They look like you. They act like you, they live like you, but they are not one of you.” Against the intensity of music by Steve Reich, the dancers’ explosive moves tell the tale.
St. Louisan Chloe O. Davis performs in all but the Sagan piece. She began her studies at Charlena’s Theatrical Dance Co. and continued formal training at Pelagie Green Wren Academy of Dance, St. Louis Ballet Conservatory and Judy Best Talent Center. She studied in Ailey’s summer dance program, performed with the Tania Isaac Dance Project and choreographs hip hop. Her academic studies led to degrees at Hampton University and Temple.
• Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. For more information, call 935-6543 or e-mail edison@wustl.edu.
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