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Steve Sucato   |  November 21, 2023

Philadanco Triumphs in Super-Charged Return to Cleveland [REVIEW]

Philadanco! (The Philadelphia Dance Company)Playhouse Square – Mimi Ohio TheatreNovember 11, 2023By Steve Sucato Absent from DANCECleveland’s dance card since 2006, Philadanco’s triumphant return to Cleveland Saturday night at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre begged the question, why did it take so long to have them back? Presented by DANCECleveland and Tri-C Performing Arts, the 53+-year-old Philadelphia-based modern dance company kicked butt in four uber-energetic group dance works that had Mimi Ohio Theatre audience members on the edge of their seats. The company of twelve dancers was off to the races from the opening curtain and kept that pace throughout beginning with choreographer Francisco Gella’s Seasons (2022). Set to composer Max Richter’s recomposition of Antonio Vivaldi’s familiar “The Four Seasons,” Seasons six sections took their thematic cues from Gella’s interviews on what the four seasons meant to people. The full company moved through busy unison choreography on themes ranging from anticipation to jubilation that... Read On