Joan Myers Brown, founder of Philadanco (The Philadelphia Dance Company), and her 17 dancers are famed for innovative choreography, blending African American-based dance with the clarity of ballet, sharp attack of jazz and emotional commitment of modern dance. Dance members assemble a program that is riveting, sexy, cool and thought-provoking.
The program to be performed at the Rose Lehrman Arts Center includes "In Between Time" choreographed by Zane A. Booker, "Pulse" choreographed by Daniel Ezralow, "Gate Keepers" choreographed by Ronald K. Brown and "Enemy behind the Gates" choreographed by Christopher I. Huggins.
Since Philadanco's inception 38 years ago, Brown has trained more than 4,500 dancers from all over the United States, including Harrisburg native Joan Kilgore who is returning home for the Rose Lehrman performance. Kilgore began her dance training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet under the direction of Sandra Carlino.
The troupe annually performs up to 60 concerts and 45 residencies. This year, Philadanco performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the Joyce Theatre in New York City, and recently returned from a noteworthy tour of Germany, Luxembourg and Italy. Philadanco's current tour has received a prestigious American Masterpieces Award from the National Endowment of the Arts.
During Philadanco's visit to central Pennsylvania, the troupe will present educational residency activities, including dance master classes and career discussions with the dancers, at Milton Hershey School's (MHS) Copenhaver Dance Studios on Wednesday, Jan. 23.
The performance and residency are partially supported by a grant from Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, a program developed and funded by The Heinz Endowments; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. It is administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
The show is sponsored by Hershey Trust Company. The media partner is Clipper Magazine.
Tickets for the Jan. 24 performance at the Rose Lehrman Arts Canter are $30 adult, $28 senior citizen, $20 student. Contact the RLAC box office at 213-ROSE (7673), or online at using the Website address below. The Rose Lehrman Arts Center is located on the Harrisburg Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, One HACC Drive.