Philadelphia Dance History Project Forum

Pictured:  Agape Dancers, Wendy Hammarstrom, Elizabeth Luff, Susan Tomita O’Connor-a corner of the Philadelphia Art Museum, 1984

I am looking forward to being part of Philadelphia Dance History Project Forum.Feb 26th & 27th – A group of five dance artists who were among the first in Philadelphia to explore post modern, improvisation and performance genres, were featured in Dance & Dancers, a sold-out presentation at the Harold Prince Theater at the Annenberg Center for Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. Now, these five dancers reunite to reconstruct their work, which will be performed by young Philadelphia dance artists. Each Local Dance History Project program is paired with an emerging choreographer, providing a unique look at contemporary dance, past and future.Feb 28th – An all-day free event, the Philadelphia-based Local Dance History Project Forum features a dance class led by project artists, two panel discussions exploring Philadelphia’s contemporary dance scene in the late 1970s and early 80s, and a presentation of archival video clips, photos, flyers, and more. The panels, moderated by Lisa Kraus, will include LDHP artists alongside Jeff Cain, co-founder of Old City Arts; Gerry Givnish,visual artist and co-founder of the Painted Bride Art Center; Wendy Hammarstrom, Artistic Director and founder of Agape Dancers, who appeared in Dance & Dancers; and Bruce Schimmel, journalist, founder of Philadelphia City Paper, and editor of Dance Dialog (circa 1980). For a complete schedule of events, visit www.philadanceprojects.org.