Philadelphia Dance Company performs In the Black Tradition October 3, 2008

Critically Acclaimed Philadanco on Stage in Lakewood

The Lakewood Cultural Center is pleased to announce the Philadelphia Dance Company, affectionately known as Philadanco, performing In the Black Tradition at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2008 in the intimate 310-seat theater (470 S. Allison Parkway at Wadsworth and Alameda).

The performance of In the Black Tradition includes 4 ballets from four pioneering black choreographers – Talley Beatty, Gene Hill Sagan, Hinton Battle and Christopher L. Huggins. Two of the works are world premieres for Philadanco this year. Three-time Tony Award winner Hinton Battle choreographed his new piece “Commitments” for the performance and Christopher L. Huggins choreographed “From Dusk ‘til Dawn”.

Tickets are $26.00 for adults and are available by calling 303-987-7845, online at www.lakewood.org or at the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway. Senior, student and group discounts available. Free parking on site.

Also on Friday, October 3, from 2:30 - 4 p.m., Philadanco is offering a Master Class for advanced students or professional dancers at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio at 119 West Park Ave, Denver. Enrollment is limited to 30 participants, and the cost is $15 per person. Registration is available by calling 303-987-7845, online or at the Lakewood Cultural Center box office. Registration at the door will be on a space available basis.

The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) founded by Joan Myers Brown in 1970, has traveled the country and the world, performing before sold-out audiences of diverse people of all ages, creed, ethnicity and cultural traditions. They were the pilot dance company to participate in the State of Pennsylvania, Comprehensive Education Training Act, arts training program, 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 founded the International Conference of Black Dance Companies and International Association of Blacks in Dance which addresses the special needs of the African American dance community in a supportive environment, and produces an annual conference.

Joan Meyers Brown is the founder of the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) and The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts. She serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance, an organization she established in 1991. She is also founder of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies. She is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts, which bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, and is a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC.

Ms. Brown’s expertise and counsel is frequently sought and she has served a broad range of regional and national organizations. She has convened three International Conferences of Black Dance Companies, facilitated the Smithsonian Institution’s Conference of Black Dance Companies and served as a consultant to East Coast Committee of Festival 2000, the San Francisco Bay Area Cultural Initiative, the NEA "Dance on Tour" ad hoc committee and the Kennedy Center Adult Education Task Force.

The professional company tours more than any Philadelphia cultural organization, performing as many as 50-60 concerts and 45 residencies annually reaching over 100 million people a year through radio and television broadcasts and live audiences estimated to be over 100,000. The New York Times critic, Jennifer Dunning stated that Philadanco is "A company of happy, invigorating contrast...a venerable institution...but has not lost its youthful verve or the freshness of its strong technical grounding."

The Lakewood Cultural Center 2008 - 2009 Performing Arts Season is generously supported by Aura Spa and Wellness Center at the Sheraton Denver West and by the Rocky Mountain News – Closer to Home. Programs are made possible in part through funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) – Metro Denver’s unique commitment to its nonprofit art, scientific and cultural institutions and The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado – Supporting community nonprofits while highlighting the contributions of gay men and lesbians.

Philadanco's performance is made possible by the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the National Dance Project, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Major support for the National Dance Project is also provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Ford Foundation and the Andrew Mellon Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).