Dance

Gwendolyn Bye, artistic director of Dancefusion, likes to revive "hidden gems"—wonderful pieces from dance history that have been lost to the past. Bye's most recent diggings have unearthed two works by Mary Anthony: "Women of Troy" and "Lady Macbeth," both of which Bye believes exhibit "the beginnings of modern dance dynamics."

Anthony, in whose company Bye danced for 14 years, came to Philly to work directly with Dancefusion. Setting "Women of Troy," last performed more than 40 years ago, posed certain challenges. The 89-year-old Anthony (pictured, circa 1960) could not recall all the movements, nor could Donald McKayle, an original dancer in the piece, who also came in to help with its restaging. "It was kind of like solving a mystery, piecing the whole thing together. What Mary couldn't remember she had to re-choreograph," says Bye, who adds that as a result, Anthony refers to this new rendering as "more of a re-creation than a reconstruction."

: Ken Duncan

"Lady Macbeth," on the other hand, was reconstructed about five years ago for dancer Mary Ford, who performs the work as a solo guest artist on this program. Ford also performs a piece by Hadassah, a "hidden gem" choreographer from the 1920s. Other works on the program are Daniel Maloney's tempestuous love duet "Close Haven," and Stephen Welsh's "Suite Aviation," a lighthearted work that Bye says "is fun and I thought it would be a nice contrast to this other heavy stuff we're presenting."

Dancefusion, Sat., Feb. 4, 8 p.m. and Sun., Feb. 5, 3 p.m., $10-$20, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-222-7633.