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Company's founder blends styles, dancers

By Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 30, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Philadelphia Dance Company, or Philadanco, will perform Thursday at Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Friday at Lakewood Cultural Center and Sunday at Lincoln Center in Fort Collins.

Photo by Philadelphia Dance Company

Philadelphia Dance Company, or Philadanco, will perform Thursday at Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Friday at Lakewood Cultural Center and Sunday at Lincoln Center in Fort Collins.

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Philadelphia is a major source of popular dance styles, from American Bandstand to an internationally influential style of street dancing. It's also home to one of America's oldest and most admired black dance ensembles - Philadanco (Philadelphia Dance Company), which is visiting Colorado this week. The Rocky's Marc Shulgold recently spoke with founder/artistic director Joan Meyers Brown.

How did you get started in dance?

Living in Philadelphia, I grew up with American Bandstand, even though they didn't allow black kids to dance on the show. We were all doing different styles.

Ballet was my first love - even though I never danced it. I did mainly night club and Broadway dancing. I studied with Essie Marie Dorsey, who was a very important figure in black dance. In a way, we all came out of that school. Judy Jamison's teacher studied with her as well. (Jamison was a star dancer with Alvin Ailey's company and succeeded Ailey as artistic director.)

What inspired you to form your company back in 1970?

It's called "crazy"! Actually, I'd started a (ballet) school in 1960. Well, 10 years down the road, the kids who'd started with me when they were 6 or 7 had all grown up. I told them, "Go to New York. Join Pennsylvania Ballet. Don't stay here." But they didn't want to do that. So we started performing. The first group stayed for eight years. Soon, we were dancing in New York City and around the Tri-State area. Our goals changed; excellence became our goal. We started competing (for engagements) nationally. And look at us now!

Philadanco is the resident company at the Kimmel Center. We have three companies: Philadanco, Philadanco II and III. I've got 18 dancers on a 52-week contract.

You refer to this as a black dance ensemble, though there are and have been non-black dancers. Was it always your intention to establish an African-American identity?

Originally, I wanted this to be a black ballet company - but Arthur (Mitchell) was starting Dance Theatre of Harlem around the same time, so I couldn't compete with that.

I had to decide on what we could do that would be different. I get asked all the time: 'What makes your company different?' We are well-trained in a variety of styles - modern, ballet, hip-hop, you name it. And that's reflected in our diverse repertory. But we are an African-American company.

And yet, you aren't limited by color, are you?

When we audition and I see a good dancer, I want them in my company - whether they're black or Asian or white.

After a while, you just start looking at dancers, but it's unfair if I don't look at the talented black dancers first. Dance opportunities are limited for (blacks). Just as it's hard to get funding for artists of color.

A number of important choreographers are represented in your repertory - but I don't see your name. Why is that?

I'm not a choreographer! In the early days, I'd set the pieces for the kids in the school, but when we got serious, I asked friends. Finally, I started getting grants to hire choreographers.

The (National Endowment for the Arts) was started soon after us, in 1972, which was a huge help. Soon, we started doing pieces by Gene Hill Sagan, and his work really set us apart - the way he incorporated neo-classsical movements. (Note: Sagan's Ritornello is included in the Colorado repertory, along with works by Christopher Huggins and Milton Myers.)

Bringing in all those people was a way for us to reach out and embrace the whole black-dance movement."

Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296

Philadanco

* When and where: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Macky Auditorium, Boulder; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway; 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Lincoln Center, Fort Collins.

* Cost: $12 to $52 (Boulder); $26 (Lakewood); $26 to $28 (Fort Collins).

* Information: 303-492-8008 (Boulder); 303-987-7845 (Lakewood); 970-221-6730 (Fort Collins)