Philadanco | Mixed Repertory: A Performance and Demonstration

The Company’s Founder he story of Philadanco is also the story of its founder and director, Joan Myers Brown. Growing up in the 1940s, she dreamed of dancing ballet. But she faced a challengeonly one dance school in her home city Philadelphia would take black students.

That made it hard for her to train.

T

When she grew up, she decided to change things. In 1960, she started her own dance school so that black students—and students of any skin color—could train professionally in not only ballet but also jazz, tap, African, and modern dance.

So that her best students could perform, Myers Brown founded Joan Myers Brown the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) in 1970. Today, as artistic director of Philadanco, Myers Brown decides what dances the company will perform and where the company will tour.

About Philadanco

Learn More

Philadanco performs all over the United States and abroad. The company is known for its energy, athleticism, and expressiveness. Because of its strong tradition of supporting African American dancers and choreographers, Philadanco continues to be mainly African American. However, the company welcomes dancers from any background.

Before the lecture and demonstration, try to learn more about Rosa Parks. One resource that could help you is Rosa Parks: My Story, written by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins (Puffin Books, 1999).

Welcome to Cuesheet, a performance guide published by the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. This Cuesheet is designed to help you enjoy

About the Lecture and Demonstration

Philadanco’s lecture and demonstration.

At this special demonstration, you will see the dancers perform and hear artistic director Joan Myers Brown talk about the challenges of training and performing in a modern dance company.

Be prepared to watch and listen carefully and to ask questions.

Compare and Contrast After the lecture and demonstration, compare and contrast the three dances. Consider all the elements: topics, dance movements, costumes, music, and lighting. Which dance did you enjoy the most? Why?

The flexibility these dancers demonstrate comes from years of training.

The dancer Stephen A. Schwarzman Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

marks topics

Philadanco Lecture and Demonstration Cuesheet

or family.

for discussion or activities you may want to do with other students, friends,

Editorial and Art Director: Marcia A. Friedman Writer: Kirsten Bodensteiner Design: The Kirwan Company, Inc. Special thanks to Jessica Cimini and Joan Myers Brown for their assistance in developing this Cuesheet.

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department.

For more information about the performing arts and arts education, visit our Web sites: www.kennedy-center.org/education www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Questions, comments? Write us at cuesheets@artsedge.kennedycenter.org.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN

© 2007 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department.The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

hiladanco is a modern dance company that performs many styles. At the lecture and demonstration, you will see modern dance, ballet, jazz, and hip hop. The company will present three different works by three different choreographers (people who create dances). The

P

program’s variety showcases the many possibilities of dance as a way to express emotions, ideas, or situations. It also highlights the versatility of the dancers in Philadelphia’s renowned modern dance repertory company.

In this special presentation, members of Philadanco, also known as the Philadelphia Dance Company, will perform three dances to recorded music. Afterward, they will discuss their work and take questions from the audience.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN

PHOTOS COPYRIGHT LOIS GREENFIELD

Rosa

(1989)

Choreography by Billy Wilson Music: “I Told Jesus,” sung by Roberta Flack

his ballet pays tribute to Rosa Parks, the Alabama seamstress who helped start the civil rights movement. In the 1950s in Montgomery, Alabama, public places were segregated. On buses, black people had to sit in the back. But one day Rosa Parks took a seat in front and refused to move. She was arrested, and in response, the community organized a bus boycott.

The boycott eventually forced the bus company to end segregation on buses and focused national attention on the campaign for equal treatment for all people.

T I AM PHOTO BY WILL

L PHI TT PO

/R

EU TE

RS

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN

Rosa Parks, who became known as the “mother of the civil rights movement.”

The dance begins in silence. One woman sits next to an empty chair.

Other women approach the seat but then leave, afraid to take it. Finally one woman, after an emotional solo, takes the seat.

Watch for and think about... ❖ how the seated woman uses her body to make others feel unwelcome.

❖ the emotions expressed by the dancer representing Rosa Parks.

❖ why the choreographer chose this music.

Dance Someone’s Story Choose a historical figure who has inspired you. How would you tell part of that person’s experience through dance? Write a short plan describing the story, dance movements, music, and costumes. Practice a few movements. Share your ideas with classmates.

Everything Is Everything

Dancing in Four Styles (2005)

Choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett Music: Songs by Lauryn Hill, from the Grammy ®-Award-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

The five sections in this dance are named after and performed to songs

by Lauryn Hill. This work combines elements of ballet, modern dance, and hip hop to express the songs’ themes of love, anger, and salvation.

Watch for... ❖ how the dancers respond to the different songs.

❖ the prominent roles of both female and male dancers.

Pretty Is Skin Deep, Ugly to the Bone (1976) Choreography by Talley Beatty Music: Songs by Earth, Wind, & Fire and Quincy Jones

Philadanco performs many different dance styles, sometimes blended together. Here, the legs lifted and extended backward (an arabesque position) and rounded arms are typical of ballet, while bare feet are common in modern dance.

Talley Beatty was one of the first African American modern-dance choreographers to become well known.

In excerpts from this jazz dance, you will see features Beatty used often— energetic movements and interactions from inner-city life.

Watch for... ❖ complicated, fast movements ❖ different ensemble interactions

You will see Philadanco perform four types of dance:

❖ Ballet was developed hundreds of years ago. It uses five basic positions of the hands and feet. Dancers wear slippers or pointe shoes (shoes female dancers wear that allow them to stand on the tips of their toes) and typically keep their upper bodies stiff and straight. Ballet features many jumps, lifts, and other moves that appear to defy gravity.

❖ Modern dance started about 100 years ago. It builds on modified versions of ballet positions and uses as many positions as the choreographer can imagine. Dancers perform in bare feet to maintain a closer connection to the floor. Their upper bodies are usually loose and fluid.

❖ Jazz dancing developed in the twentieth century and fuses tap and stage dancing. Jazz dancers often use a bent knee, or plié, position that keeps the body closer to the ground and allows for quick sideways movements. Dancers also move individual body parts like the hips or head in isolation (by themselves).

❖ Hip hop dancing, along with hip hop music, emerged from clubs and break dancing street performances in the late 1970s. Usually performed in casual clothes, typical movements include back or head spins on the floor and freezes (holding a pose).

Notice elements of modern dance in these scenes—barefoot performers, a sense of weight, and angular movements.

PHOTOS COPYRIGHT LOIS GREENFIELD

Rosa

(1989)

Choreography by Billy Wilson Music: “I Told Jesus,” sung by Roberta Flack

his ballet pays tribute to Rosa Parks, the Alabama seamstress who helped start the civil rights movement. In the 1950s in Montgomery, Alabama, public places were segregated. On buses, black people had to sit in the back. But one day Rosa Parks took a seat in front and refused to move. She was arrested, and in response, the community organized a bus boycott.

The boycott eventually forced the bus company to end segregation on buses and focused national attention on the campaign for equal treatment for all people.

T I AM PHOTO BY WILL

L PHI TT PO

/R

EU TE

RS

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN

Rosa Parks, who became known as the “mother of the civil rights movement.”

The dance begins in silence. One woman sits next to an empty chair.

Other women approach the seat but then leave, afraid to take it. Finally one woman, after an emotional solo, takes the seat.

Watch for and think about... ❖ how the seated woman uses her body to make others feel unwelcome.

❖ the emotions expressed by the dancer representing Rosa Parks.

❖ why the choreographer chose this music.

Dance Someone’s Story Choose a historical figure who has inspired you. How would you tell part of that person’s experience through dance? Write a short plan describing the story, dance movements, music, and costumes. Practice a few movements. Share your ideas with classmates.

Everything Is Everything

Dancing in Four Styles (2005)

Choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett Music: Songs by Lauryn Hill, from the Grammy ®-Award-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

The five sections in this dance are named after and performed to songs

by Lauryn Hill. This work combines elements of ballet, modern dance, and hip hop to express the songs’ themes of love, anger, and salvation.

Watch for... ❖ how the dancers respond to the different songs.

❖ the prominent roles of both female and male dancers.

Pretty Is Skin Deep, Ugly to the Bone (1976) Choreography by Talley Beatty Music: Songs by Earth, Wind, & Fire and Quincy Jones

Philadanco performs many different dance styles, sometimes blended together. Here, the legs lifted and extended backward (an arabesque position) and rounded arms are typical of ballet, while bare feet are common in modern dance.

Talley Beatty was one of the first African American modern-dance choreographers to become well known.

In excerpts from this jazz dance, you will see features Beatty used often— energetic movements and interactions from inner-city life.

Watch for... ❖ complicated, fast movements ❖ different ensemble interactions

You will see Philadanco perform four types of dance:

❖ Ballet was developed hundreds of years ago. It uses five basic positions of the hands and feet. Dancers wear slippers or pointe shoes (shoes female dancers wear that allow them to stand on the tips of their toes) and typically keep their upper bodies stiff and straight. Ballet features many jumps, lifts, and other moves that appear to defy gravity.

❖ Modern dance started about 100 years ago. It builds on modified versions of ballet positions and uses as many positions as the choreographer can imagine. Dancers perform in bare feet to maintain a closer connection to the floor. Their upper bodies are usually loose and fluid.

❖ Jazz dancing developed in the twentieth century and fuses tap and stage dancing. Jazz dancers often use a bent knee, or plié, position that keeps the body closer to the ground and allows for quick sideways movements. Dancers also move individual body parts like the hips or head in isolation (by themselves).

❖ Hip hop dancing, along with hip hop music, emerged from clubs and break dancing street performances in the late 1970s. Usually performed in casual clothes, typical movements include back or head spins on the floor and freezes (holding a pose).

Notice elements of modern dance in these scenes—barefoot performers, a sense of weight, and angular movements.

The Company’s Founder he story of Philadanco is also the story of its founder and director, Joan Myers Brown. Growing up in the 1940s, she dreamed of dancing ballet. But she faced a challengeonly one dance school in her home city Philadelphia would take black students.

That made it hard for her to train.

T

When she grew up, she decided to change things. In 1960, she started her own dance school so that black students—and students of any skin color—could train professionally in not only ballet but also jazz, tap, African, and modern dance.

So that her best students could perform, Myers Brown founded Joan Myers Brown the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) in 1970. Today, as artistic director of Philadanco, Myers Brown decides what dances the company will perform and where the company will tour.

About Philadanco

Learn More

Philadanco performs all over the United States and abroad. The company is known for its energy, athleticism, and expressiveness. Because of its strong tradition of supporting African American dancers and choreographers, Philadanco continues to be mainly African American. However, the company welcomes dancers from any background.

Before the lecture and demonstration, try to learn more about Rosa Parks. One resource that could help you is Rosa Parks: My Story, written by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins (Puffin Books, 1999).

Welcome to Cuesheet, a performance guide published by the Education Department of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. This Cuesheet is designed to help you enjoy

About the Lecture and Demonstration

Philadanco’s lecture and demonstration.

At this special demonstration, you will see the dancers perform and hear artistic director Joan Myers Brown talk about the challenges of training and performing in a modern dance company.

Be prepared to watch and listen carefully and to ask questions.

Compare and Contrast After the lecture and demonstration, compare and contrast the three dances. Consider all the elements: topics, dance movements, costumes, music, and lighting. Which dance did you enjoy the most? Why?

The flexibility these dancers demonstrate comes from years of training.

The dancer Stephen A. Schwarzman Chairman Michael M. Kaiser President Darrell M. Ayers Vice President, Education

marks topics

Philadanco Lecture and Demonstration Cuesheet

or family.

for discussion or activities you may want to do with other students, friends,

Editorial and Art Director: Marcia A. Friedman Writer: Kirsten Bodensteiner Design: The Kirwan Company, Inc. Special thanks to Jessica Cimini and Joan Myers Brown for their assistance in developing this Cuesheet.

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE, a program of the Kennedy Center Education Department.

For more information about the performing arts and arts education, visit our Web sites: www.kennedy-center.org/education www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org Questions, comments? Write us at cuesheets@artsedge.kennedycenter.org.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN

© 2007 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The U.S. Department of Education supports approximately one-third of the budget for the Kennedy Center Education Department.The contents of this Cuesheet do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

hiladanco is a modern dance company that performs many styles. At the lecture and demonstration, you will see modern dance, ballet, jazz, and hip hop. The company will present three different works by three different choreographers (people who create dances). The

P

program’s variety showcases the many possibilities of dance as a way to express emotions, ideas, or situations. It also highlights the versatility of the dancers in Philadelphia’s renowned modern dance repertory company.

In this special presentation, members of Philadanco, also known as the Philadelphia Dance Company, will perform three dances to recorded music. Afterward, they will discuss their work and take questions from the audience.

PHOTO BY DEBORAH BOARDMAN