PHILDANCO Comes to the Edison Theatre Feb. 19th and 20th

Over the last 40 years, PHILADANCO (the Philadelphia Dance Company) has grown from a small community arts organization into a world-renowned troupe that mixes African-American cultural traditions with ballet, modern, jazz and other dance forms.

In February this trailblazing company will celebrate Black History Month with a pair of performances for the Edison Theatre OVATIONS Series.

Shows will begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19 and 20. Tickets are $32; $28 seniors and Washington University faculty and staff; and $20 for students and children.

In addition, at 11 a.m. Saturday, PHILADANCO will present a special all-ages matinee of Rosa, their vivid tribute to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, as part of the ovations for young people series. Tickets are $10.

Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call (314) 935-6543 or email edison@wustl.edu.

The story of PHILADANCO begins in 1960, when Joan Myers Brown - a dancer who had toured with the likes of Pearl Bailey, Cab Calloway and Sammy Davis, Jr. - opened a small dance school in west Philadelphia to provide opportunities for young African-American students, who were then denied entrance to many local studios.

Ten years later, the first of Myers Brown's students had grown into ambitious teenagers while the civil rights movement had begun to produce grant opportunities for arts organizations of color. And so, in 1970, Myers Brown launched PHILADANCO as a training ground for emerging dancers and choreographers.

Forty years later, PHILADANCO is one of the nation's finest and most influential touring companies, recognized for superbly trained dancers and electrifying performances. It's eclectic and diverse repertoire features commissioned works by such pioneering choreographers as Talley Beatty, Gene Hill Sagan and Louis Johnson, as well as by contemporary figures such as Daniel Ezralow, Jawole Zollar, Milton Myers and Christopher Huggins.

PHILADANCO also has blazed trails off-stage. In 1988 Myers Brown and her staff founded the International Association of Blacks in Dance to address the special needs of the African-American dance community. PHILADANCO also was among the first modern companies to hire its dancers on a 52-week salary; the first to own housing for the dancers; and the first to own a debt-free facility. In 2000, PHILADANCO was appointed the resident modern dance company for The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia.

The New York Times calls PHILADANCO "exuberant" while Dance Magazine notes that, "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."

"If you like your dance virtuosic, spiritually uplifting and socially conscious," adds The Philadelphia Inquirer, "don't miss PHILADANCO."

Founded in 1973, the Edison Theatre OVATIONS Series serves both Washington University and the St. Louis community by providing the highest caliber national and International Artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material not otherwise seen in St. Louis.

Edison Theatre programs are made possible with support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis; and private contributors. The OVATIONS Season is supported by The Mid-America Arts Alliance with generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

Ovations! for young people presents affordably priced - and family friendly - matinee shows by nationally and internationally recognized performing artists. The spring series will conclude May 8 with Darwin, a heart-warming dinosaur story by Corbian Visual Arts and Dance, which uses electroluminescent wire to create glowing, crayon-like creatures that light up the stage.