By Kate Durnan, The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO)

After a dance company has celebrated its 42^nd birthday, there aren’t that many “firsts” left to encounter. But Philadelphia’s legendary The Philadelphia Dance Company (more affectionately known worldwide as PHILADANCO) enjoyed one more milestone last month: the company had two different performances—in two different countries—on the same day!

On January 28, PHILADANCO had the honor of performing in the United States and in Canada at two prestigious engagements. Members of the professional and D/2 apprentice companies participated in the Academy of Music’s 155^th Anniversary Concert and Ball in Philadelphia, sharing the stage that night with such esteemed artists as Yo-Yo Ma and Diana Krall. Accompanied by The Philadelphia Orchestra, our dancers performed an original work choreographed by Milton Myers and set to Gershwin’s Cuban Overture. The audience—including the Orchestra’s new music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin—was thrilled by this unique artistic collaboration between two of the city’s most treasured cultural institutions.

Meanwhile, the rest of the professional company along with artistic staff members traveled to Toronto for the 24^th annual International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) conference. PHILADANCO’s performance of Ray Mercer’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner—which had its world premiere last March at The Joyce Theater in New York—was an international showcase favorite. As a founding member of IABD, PHILADANCO is proud that the association will celebrate its 25^th annual conference next year, to be held in Washington, DC. Click here for more information about IABD and the 2013 conference. (link to http://www.iabdassociation.org/)