The Hope College Great Performance Series will open its 2021-22 season with a performance by PHILADANCO! (The Philadelphia Dance Company) on Friday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre.

PHILDADANCO! has been lauded by everyone from President Barack Obama to dance critics for its innovation and creativity. Working to both preserve the African-American traditions of dance with forward-moving choreography, the company has gained international praise.

Its founder, Joan Meyers Brown, was recently featured in the New York Times for her influence on dance. The company, founded in 1970, has developed dancers and choreographers who have worked through the world. President Obama praised Brown, saying that she has made “an artistic haven for African-American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create and share their unique visions with the national and global dance communities.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer has described PHILADANCO! as being “in peak form — dancer for dancer, probably the best-trained, certainly the most versatile, dance company in Philadelphia.”

Tickets are $24 for regular admission, $19 for senior citizens and members of the Hope College faculty and staff, and $7 for children. Admission is free for Hope College students.  Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890. Tickets can also be purchased online at hope.edu/tickets and will be sold at the door if available.

In addition to Philadanco! this year’s Great Performance Series includes the Paquito D’Rivera Quintet (Oct. 29), WindSync (Nov. 19), Piaf! The Show (Feb. 12), Hot Club of San Francisco (March 11), and the Brentano Quartet with Dawn Upshaw (April 1).  More information about the season and special season subscriptions may be obtained online by visiting hope.edu/gps/ or by calling the ticket office.

Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope is currently requiring that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their work space.

The Knickerbocker Theatre is located downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues.