Brooklyn Center Presents PHILADANCO 11/20

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College kicks off its 2010-2011 World of Dance series on Saturday, November 20 at 8pm with Philadelphia-based company PHILADANCO, performing a program that includes the New York premiere of By Way of the Funk,a new piece created by Brooklyn's own Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Founding and Artistic Director of Urban Bush Women.

"Philadanco's dancers are a miracle of skill and energy.
They work in a range of idioms most companies don't even try to possess."
~Dance Magazine

The evening's repertoire includes Talley Beatty's A Rag, a Bone, and a Hank of Hair, a ballet reconstructed by Kim Y. Bears-Bailey; Rennie Harris' Philadelphia Experiment, a hip hop retrospective of the city of Philadelphia; The New York premiere of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's By Way of the Funk, whichharnesses the energy and culture of funk music in a joyous celebration of the 40 years of Philadanco's existence; and Christopher L. Huggins' Enemy Behind the Gate, explores the enemies in our midst and is set to the music of Steve Reich.

About PHILADANCO
Founded in 1970 by Joan Myers Brown, PHILADANCO is a community arts organization dedicated to presenting the highest quality of professional dance performance and improving the skills of emerging and professional dancers and choreographers in a nurturing environment, while increasing the appreciation of dance among its many communities. The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) is recognized for its artistic integrity, superbly trained dancers and electrifying performances. The company is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominantly African American traditions in dance.

PHILADANCO's past repertoire includes works by Talley Beatty, Ronald K. Brown, Donald Byrd, George Faison, and Gene Hill Sagan. The company of 17 dancers is a resident company at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and performs nationally and internationally about 40 weeks each year.

Inherent in PHILADANCO's mission is a commitment to the empowerment of youth with crucial leadership and development skills that facilitate achievement and success in the world of dance and everyday life. Building on their traditions of opportunity, inclusion, and hope, the company founded the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), which addresses the special needs of the African American dance community in a supportive environment, and produces an annual conference.

About Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Ms. Zollar trained with Joseph Stevenson, a student of the legendary Katherine Dunham. After earning her B.A. in dance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, she moved to New York City in 1980 to study with Dianne McIntyre at Sounds in Motion. Four years later, she founded Urban Bush Women (UBW) as a performance ensemble dedicated to exploring the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change. Jawole holds an M.F.A. in dance from Florida State University and is the Nancy Smith Fichter tenured professor in FSU's Dance Department.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving 46,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools annually with its SchoolTime series.

About Brooklyn Center's New Work/New York initiative
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Artscontinues its New Work/New York initiative for 2010-2011, which supports the creation and/or presentation of multi-disciplinary New York and world premiere performances at affordable prices to Brooklyn audiences. Introduced in 2007, New Work/New York also includes the commissioning and development of new works, such as David Gonzalez's Sleeping Beauty (2010) and Tom Nazziola's original score for the film The Golem (2008). Recent New Work / New York premieres include the U.S. premiere of Iceland Dance Company and the New York premieres of Luna Negra Dance Theater's Danzón, L.A. Theatre Works' The Lost World, Expressions Dance Company's Score!, The Male Choir of St. Petersburg, Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada's Don Juan, and an evening of works by choreographer Jessica Lang performed by the Richmond Ballet.

Philadanco at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College
2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 8pm; Tickets $30

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1pm - 6pm
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 33
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BrooklynCenterforthePerformingArts

Major support for Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' World of Dance series is provided by National Grid. Additional support is provided by the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The Harkness Foundation for Dance.

Brooklyn Center's presentation of Philadanco is 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; and administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

The presentation of By Way of the Funk by Philadanco 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 W. Mellon Foundation.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for the 2010-2011 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Con Edison; Macy's Foundation; Brooklyn Community Foundation; TD Bank; the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation; Health Plus; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and WBGO. Sheraton Brooklyn New York is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center's 2010-2011 season. Backstage catering is graciously provided by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from the Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Assembly and Speaker Sheldon Silver; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York State Senate and Majority Conference Leader John L. Sampson; Members of the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council and Speaker Christine C. Quinn; and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Kate Levin.