Philadelphia has a rich history of producing world-class dance talent, from virtuoso tap dancers LaVaughn Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers to the contemporary house and street dancers from Rennie Harris Puremovement, the longest running street dance theater company in the world.
And, like the signature Philly sound, the city has moves with soul.
“Philly has always been a very soulful town, and the dancers here have always danced a little different, with their own flavor,” says David “Disco Dave” Austin, a pioneering dancer in Philadelphia’s 1980s house scene who was drawn to its rhythmic music and freestyle dance styles with African diasporic and Latin influences.
And it’s this infusion of soul that helps make Philadelphia house so distinct from its harder-edged Chicago, Detroit and New York counterparts. More than three decades later, a tight-knit, intergenerational community of house dancers, DJs and event producers in Philadelphia are still working, amidst commercialization and club closures, to keep the original underground spirit of the scene alive: Dinita and Kyle Clark, founders of the Just Sole! Street Dance Company with their dancers Marcus Branch and Imani Griffith; DJs Lee Jones and Francisco Collazo, founders of the legendary Sundae Party, one of the longest running house parties in Philadelphia; DJ Terry “Tee” Alford, producer and host of Funky People Radio.
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Our history. Our culture. Our moves.
KQED Arts’ award-winning video series #IfCitiesCouldDance is back for a fourth season! In each episode, meet dancers from across the country representing their city’s signature moves. Watch a new episode from season four of the video series every other week.
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🎶 Listen to our curated house playlist: https://bit.ly/ICCDxPAxMusicPlaylist
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👟 Featured dancers:
Dinita Clark
Kyle Clark
Marcus Branch
Imani Griffith
David Austin
Brittany Stanger
Jazmin Gilbert
Sheeron Randall
Tiffany McGuinn
David Castro
🖼️ Featured Murals:
0:12 Mosaic by Isaiah Zagar
0:12 Mural by Le Josh
0:13 A Love Letter For You © 2009 Stephen Powers
0:15 Legendary © 2013 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Amber Art & Design featuring Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
0:23 "Soul of the Black Bottom" by el Seed
City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Drew Billiau, David Guinn, Isaiah Zagar, Patrick Dougher, Josh Sarantitis, Nicole Nikolich, Ernel Martinez, Claudio Ethos, Juano Suarce, Simon Vasquez, Le Josh
Dr. J © 1990 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Kent Twitchell
untitled © 2018 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Ru8icon1
A Love Letter For You © 2009 Stephen Powers
Dreams, Diaspora, and Destiny © 2018 City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program / Joshua Mays & King Britt
📌 Editor’s note: This episode was filmed under strict guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic. Safety parameters were followed to protect the health of the dancers and video production team.
#HouseDance #HouseMusic #Philadelphia #Philly #IfCitiesCouldDance
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