Philadanco and Billy Wilson

Philadanco was founded by Joan Myers Brown in 1970 and became a feeder company for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It is still open today, operating as one of the United States’ largest predominantly African American modern dance companies. Notably, Philadanco’s repertoire today includes Billy Wilson’s ballets, allowing his legacy to live on. He choreographed a raw, moving show called Rosa for Philadanco about Rosa Parks in 1990.

 

Source:

Billy Wilson, Not so Black and White 

More About Philadanco

Philadanco was founded by Joan Myers Brown in 1970 out of necessity, for Black dancers were marginalized both in and outside of ballet. They needed performance opportunities in the pedagogical and professional spaces they were systematically denied from, and so Myers Brown created a place built on the tenets of opportunity, inclusion, and hope. Philadanco became a feeder company for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It is still open today, operating as one of the United States’ largest predominantly African American modern dance companies, and not only do the dancers bridge cultural divides, but the dances themselves captivate audiences from an array of diverse backgrounds. Philadanco works to combine ballet with the emotion of modern dance and the sharpness of jazz and hip hop to create stylistic and choreographic dynamism. The company pays homage to figures in dance history who have helped shape and build American character and culture.

Sources:

Brown, MOB Ballet
About – Philadanco, MOB Ballet

History and Founder, Philadanco

 

 

Ethan Richmond