Philadelphia, PA - The Wilma Theater is the recipient of a one-year grant in the amount of $80,000 from Dance Advance, a program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University. The grant will fund Dance Wilma!, a new dance series, January 9 - 27, 2002. The series will showcase up to six young dance companies in the Philadelphia area. As part of the grant, the Wilma will also act as mentor to these young dance companies, sharing its experiences and expertise in the areas of marketing and production. Nick Stuccio, Founder/Producing Director of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, will act as project curator for Dance Wilma!

"Having once been a fledgling artistic company that relied on others' professional expertise, we are eager to extend our hands to Philadelphia's burgeoning dance companies," said Artistic Director Blanka Zizka. "We are excited to provide regional audiences an opportunity to see diverse, high-quality, small dance companies performing in a state-of-the-art venue. Jiri and I have a great love of dance and are excited to expose Wilma and Philadelphia audiences to innovative dance companies that they may otherwise not see."

Dance Advance is a program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Drexel University. Dance Advance targets funding to projects of outstanding merit within the five-county Philadelphia region. Projects can embrace a variety of artistic needs: research and development, rehearsal and creation or production and presentation. All styles, genres and cultural traditions in dance are eligible to be supported through Dance Advance. Applicants must reside in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware or Montgomery counties.

The Pew Charitable Trusts support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, the Trusts make strategic investments to help organizations and citizens develop practical solutions to difficult problems. In 2000, with approximately $4.9 billion in assets, the Trust committed over $235 million to 302 nonprofit organizations.

The Wilma Theater has a history of presenting dance. In 1999 eight sold-out performances of Noche Flamenca graced the stage with their high-energy flamenco dancing. Last summer, the Wilma was the host for Rennie Harris Puremovement's presentation of Rome & Jewels, and for the Philadelphia debut of Jeanne Ruddy Dance.

Tickets for Dance Wilma! will be available for $15 each or three weekend packages for $40. For more information on Dance Wilma! or to order tickets, contact The Wilma Theater Box Office at (215) 546-STAGE or visit us online at www.wilmatheater.org.