Philadanco Dance Company

Fusing ballet, modern, jazz, and ethnic dance, Philadanco exhibits sizzling energy and enjoys international renown. The centerpiece of this performance is Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s new work, “By Way of the Funk,” set to the music of the Funkadelics and Parliament. This work offers a joyous celebration of forty years of Philadanco’s contributions to American dance.

“Philadanco is a company of happy, invigorating contrasts. At 26, this Philadelphia-based troupe is a venerable institution in dance terms. But the company has not lost its youthful verve or the freshness of its strong technical grounding” (The New York Times). More Information

22 Replies to “Philadanco Dance Company”

  1. This was a fantastic performance. A great range of pieces. The funk piece was fun, the Elegy piece was absolutely breathtaking. Wonderful dancers.

  2. Phiadanco was great last night! I felt like the dancers really connected with the audience and broke down the forth wall. It was definitely brought the funk to campus. My favorite part of the show was the dynamic ending piece I still feel the energy from! Excellent performance!

  3. The movement was so unique! I was truly inspired by the power of this incredible dance ensemble.

  4. I’ve been to many dance performances at the FAC and the Philadanco performance was one of the best I’ve ever seen— it was a marvelous combination of ballet and modern dance. I also remember seeing them here in the early 1970s when they performed a Vivaldi work while dressed in Adidas warm-up suites. They were impressive, then, as well.

  5. This dance troupe staged a spectacular performance last night. To tell the truth, I didn’t like “By Way of the Funk” that much — the music was overly loud and the dancing a bit disjointed, I thought. But I loved the other three: “Bolero,” “Elegy,” and “Enemy Behind the Gates” and can’t choose which would be my favorite. All the dancers, men and women, were technically accomplished in a range of styles, and their movements expressed the music perfectly.

  6. Philadanco put on an inspiring performance. Some of the movements were breathtaking and were always evocative. At times they had us tapping our feet and feeling like we were participants rather than an audience. I highly recommend their performance.

  7. Kudos…BRAVO…and 7 cheers for Philadanco. This performance was breathtaking and fresh — with a creative sense of funk and a classic style that engaged all generations. The funky 70s never looked so good!

  8. I loved Bolero Too, one of my favorite pieces anyway and performed as I’d never seen before. I loved the outfits amd couldn’t sit still myself for the music. I liked the Funakadelic/Parliament music, too – brought back great memories.

  9. Philadanco – Fantastic!
    Great skill and form shown by the dancers and wonderful, creative choreography.
    I am so happy I did not miss this.

  10. A spectacle to behold. The dancers owned the stage with their physicality, elegance and majestic presence, shown only by a set of breathtaking choreography. Well worth the price.

  11. I was swinging from frenetic beat of the two first performances to the deep sad beautiful movements of the latest two. Gosh! I feel blessed and inspired. Great show!

  12. I loved the entire show and felt the Funk piece spectacular, but would love to see Elegy again and take in the stunning lighting, the building power of dance and music, the showcase of physicality and humor. May they come again soon.

  13. The show was breathtaking. Each piece was unique yet the whole show had continuity. loved the interactions of the dancers, the humor and emotions.
    Costumes were great too!

  14. Bravo!! Wonderful evening with my daugthers and friends. Beautiful bodies, movements, musicality, and commitment from this company. They inspire us all to be better at something! I loved the range of mood and style, interaction with the audience and humor!! My favorites were Bolero and By the way of Funk for very different reasons!! It was clear that the audience was in awe!!
    Be sure to bring them back before my kids graduate!!

  15. The first and last pieces were strongly choreographed and performed, but I did not feel that the Funk piece was up to that level. (I have very mixed feelings about Elegy so will pass on comment in this message.). There was a supposed energy in Funk, but it simply felt frenetic at times without making me want to dance, too. I really wanted to feel it, but didn’t. The men were terrific dancers; I didn’t feel that way about the female dancers overall.

  16. The company didn’t seem to be quite at 100% during the first piece, though it was enjoyable. However, the last 3 pieces were fantastic. Any dance set to Parliament/Funkadelic immediately gets my attention -WOW. But since dancing to funk is not too difficult, the final two pieces confirmed that Philadanco is a first rate company. Excellent dancing & choreography set to some wonderful ‘modern’ classical music.
    Thanks for a great night out at the Fine Arts Center -best dance performance yet this season. And we can’t wait for Pilobulus!

  17. Fantastic show! I loved By Way of the Funk! I also loved how the dancers contributed to the soundtrack with shouts and other vocals.

  18. I was enthralled with the physicality of the choreography combined with the grace of the dancer’s moves, especially in Ravel’s “Bolero” piece.

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