NextMove Dance

NextMove Dance

Producer: Karen Smyles

NextMove is Philadelphia’s premiere forum for the best that dance has to offer. Founded in 1979 by Artistic Director Randy Swartz as the American Ballet Competition to support American dancers competing in international dance competitions, the organization legally changed its name in 2005 to Dance Affiliates to more appropriately reflect its mission and programming to promote, support and present dance since 1983. Its annual Dance Celebration series was renowned for 32 years. In October 2015, the organization opened the inaugural season of its new dance series called NextMove, Dance at the Prince, in Center City Philadelphia, offering more performances and outreach activities through extended engagements and residencies to reach more diverse audiences and give the series the potential to become a powerful player on the city’s cultural landscape with its location within the scope of the Avenue of the Arts. With its second season launch in the fall of 2016, the organization’s name will officially change to NextMove Dance (NMD).

NMD serves its mission through a commitment to artistic excellence in the presentation of diverse dance styles and choreography, cultures and nationalities; commission of original works from local and nationally-known choreographers; cultivation of broadly-based adult and youth audiences; enrichment of the school curriculum through high-quality performance, arts education, and outreach programs; collaborations with performing arts partners in the field; service to the local dance community; and active participation in the vibrant Philadelphia arts community. NMD’s greatest strength is that it has endured and thrived for more than three decades as one of the nation’s few remaining exclusive presenters of dance and is regarded by those in the field as a catalyst and industry model for similar dance presenters.

As a former dancer, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Moses Pendleton, one of the founders of Pilobolus dance company, and founder of Momix. He was every bit as entertaining and engaging as his work. I spoke with him at the Prince Theater during a recent run of performances of Opus Cactus, about the creation of the work and what it inspired it. I also talked with NextMove artistic director, Randy Swartz about the organizations history and how it has managed to keep dance alive in Philadelphia.


Nature, the Body, and Photography with Moses Pendleton
Produced by Karen Smyles
Edited by Nick Gandolfo-Lucia

This vignette collects a series of Moses Pendleton’s musings on nature, life, dancing, and photography, as well as Pendleton’s own story of how he began dancing. Accompanied by images from Pendleton’s personal archive, these musings flesh out the philosophy undergirding this enigmatic director’s work.

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