PHILADANCO Performs the Philadelphia Premiere of Matthew Rushing’s Moan, Dec. 7-9

Renowned contemporary dance company Philadanco performs an evening of works, entitled …BACK TO BLACK (What is so called 'Black' dance anyway), at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater, Friday-Sunday, December 7-9, 2012. Program highlights include Philadelphia premiere of Matthew Rushing's Moan, Milton Myers' Echoes: A Celebration of Alvin Ailey and Philadanco's signature performance pieces that highlight their bold, precise dance style, Ronald K. Brown's Exotica, and George Faison's Suite Otis.

The program begins with Milton Myers' Echoes: A Celebration of Alvin Ailey, a full company ballet piece focusing on the styles and traditions of Joyce Trisler and Alvin Ailey that serves as a commitment to honoring and preserving their legacy Matthew Rushing's Moan honors the musical genius of Nina Simone by illustrating the passion and truth of her timeless vocal expressions. Choreographer Ronald K. Brown's Exotica follows with a dramatic excerpt from the larger piece entitled Lessons. The final performance piece is George Faison's Suite Otis, a ballet widely considered an American Masterpiece that derives inspiration from the genius of the late Otis Redding.

Philadanco founder Joan Myers Brown's outstanding leadership was recently recognized with the Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania (October 2012), Philadelphia Magazine's Ten Best Philadelphians Award (July 2012), the Tribune Leadership Award.

Tickets for Philadanco are currently on sale at kimmelcenter.org, 215-893-1999, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office located on Broad and Spruce streets, Philadelphia, Pa. (open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., later on performance evenings). Tickets are available for $29-$46, plus applicable service charges.