INTERVIEW: PHILADANCO! earns its exclamation point with Joyce program
Photo: PHILADANCO! will perform June 12-17 at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. Photo courtesy of PHILADANCO! / Provided by GOGO Public Relations and Marketing with permission.
Among dance enthusiasts, Joan Myers Brown is a legend. She is the founder and executive/artistic director of PHILADANCO!, a Philadelphia-based company that has become one of the preeminent interpreters of African-American traditions in dance. Founded in 1970, the company has been going strong for decades, and they stop by New York City’s Joyce Theater for a week of performances beginning tonight, June 12.
Audiences members at the Joyce engagement can expect a series of topical, social-minded routines from exciting choreographers. Many of the dances will be New York City premieres.
Among the offerings are Folded Prism, choreographed by Thang Dao and set to the music of John Levis; A Movement for Five, by Dawn Marie Bazemore, which explores the so-called Central Park Five incident; and Christopher Huggins’ New Fruit, which looks at the “unchanged social landscape and its effects on Black and Brown bodies.” The program finishes with With(in) Verse, which explores themes of spirituality, sorrow and deliverance.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Brown about the upcoming performances. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can fans expect from the upcoming PHILADANCO! performances at the Joyce?
Fans can expect an evening of exciting and beautiful dancing, showcasing a high energy, well-trained and eclectic repertoire. The works we present this season will address many of the issues that currently affect people of color, particularly given the current political climate. For example, A Movement for Five is an emotionally-charged work by PHILADANCO alumna Dawn Marie Bazemore, inspired by the events surrounding New York City’s ‘Central Park Five’ incident. Set to music by Public Enemy and Sigur Ros, the piece explores the racial and economic divide in NYC during the 1980s, the intimate struggles of five young men losing their childhood, and a community struggling to heal and move forward.
When putting together a full program, do you try to work in diverse dance offerings? Is it important to include variety for the evening?
We have an opportunity to do something for everybody, and there’s something on the program everybody will like. Being a repertory company allows us the luxury of presenting the works of many different choreographers with varied voices; it’s not the same girl in a different dress.
How difficult is it to be a dancer in PHILADANCO? Is it a demanding life?
We are one of the few companies with dancers on 52-week contracts, so they are used to working hard and to my demand for a high level of expertise. The life of a dancer is s rigorous one, and the training is intense. But this is a profession that is a calling, more than it is a job.
As the audience leaves the performance at the Joyce, what do you hope is the overall takeaway?
I think people that know PHILADANCO know that we have a reputation for having very exciting programming. We call it the ‘Philadelphia aesthetic.’ We always give them a good concert and high level dance. I want the audience to walk away feeling fulfilled and intrigued.
Do you believe you’ve achieved your original dreams when you first founded the company?
My original intent in starting PHILADANCO was to provide performing opportunities for my senior students, during a time when we were just coming out of segregation. I had no idea it would be around this long, but it was an immediate success due to the National Endowment for the Art’s (NEA) Expansion Arts funding whose aim was to provide funding for African-American artists and arts organizations. That program allowed me to start the initial structure of a PHILADANCO.
Mikki Shepard who was the executive director at the Apollo Theater was my first consultant after the NEA gave me a grant; then they made PHILADANCO the pilot for the program. We have created a legacy of breaking barriers and building bridges across cultural divides and consistently performing for audiences representing an amalgamation of people from diverse communities. It is 48 years later, and I am still providing opportunities for black dancers.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
PHILADANCO! will perform June 12-17 at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
