By Josh Dubin, City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy City Hall Presents, a new event series supported by a 2011 Knight Arts Challenge grant, is slowly but surely turning Philadelphia’s City Hall into one of the most fun and unique places in the city to experience the power of the performing arts.  This past spring, audiences were invited into spaces inside the building to witness acts ranging from poetry to tap dance.  Summer’s arrival, however, means the events can finally move outdoors and into the newly restored City Hall courtyard.  And last Wednesday, June 6th, the summer season started off with a bang…literally!

The season-opening event featured three different percussion ensembles from across the city.  Timbalona y su Bomba started off the evening with a traditional Puerto Rican bomba performance, as dancers matched the playful rhythms of floor drums and maracas.  KyoDaiko followed, filling the courtyard with the deep, resonating beats of Japanese Taiko drums.  Troupe Da-Da concluded the evening with a display of West African and Afro-Cuban dance set to the Djembe, Dundun, Conga and Bata drums, then invited members of the audience on stage to learn a dance together.

The remaining summer concerts, which all take place in the courtyard on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30pm, will feature classical music, jazz, gospel, ballet, modern dance, and hip hop, and even circus acrobatics!  If you would like to learn about and RSVP for any upcoming performances, or are a performance artist or organization interested in participating, please click here