The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) was founded by Joan Myers Brown in 1970. It is indicative of the ensemble’s standing and role that it was one of the founders of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies and the International Association of Blacks in Dance.
Jennifer Dunning, the New York Times’ highly respected critic wrote that Philadanco is “A company of happy, invigorating contrast...a venerable institution...but has not lost its youthful verve or the freshness of its strong technical grounding.” According to the critics the Philadanco dancers are a miracle of skill and energy: they work in an idiom most companies don’t even try to possess. Their dancing shows in all its splendour what the human spirit is capable of achieving if it wishes to express itself in dance. The company performs works created by the most outstanding artists of modern American dance. The rich repertoire includes many choreographies by great artists, ranging from Bebe Miller to Ronald K. Brown.
The mainly Afro-American dancers learned their exceptional skills in internationally recognised institutions: building on their outstanding skills the Philadelphia company can confidently fulfil its mission of presenting the highest level of professional dance.