Founded in 2000, under the artistic direction of Steven Weisz, Music & Motion was a fresh, innovative, performance-oriented, youth dance company. Rather than relying on a single dance style or technique, Music & Motion has developed its own unique movement for each new dance work created. The variety of ecletic styles incorporated into its programs include ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, funk, hip hop and acrobatic styles.

Music & Motion Dance had performed throughout the tri-state area and even internationally to a range of audiences in its short yet diverse history. With a deep commitment to group collaboration and exposing new audiences to dance and the performing arts, the company had won both critical acclaim as well as many new fans.

Music & Motion Dance recognized the importance of the performing arts in serving the community and increasing cultural literacy. The company had been at the forefront in organizing and implementing such initiatives as Dance for Hurricane Relief in 2005, Dance for Social Change in 2006 to aid in ending child hunger and RED in 2007 to support the efforts of the The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

For the area's Dance community, Music & Motion, in 2006, launched a virtual portal called PhiladelphiaDANCE.org. This web site has become the most comprehensive internet presence and resource guide for the professional dance community in the greater Philadelphia region. Additional web projects have included the dance listserv, a dance directory of companies and services, a video portal to share dance works, an online dance calendar, monthly e-newsletter of area dance performances, and a virtual dance box office. This community now has membership base of over 10,000 dancers and supporters. In addition, Music & Motion subsidized and created Philly Dance Fest in 2007 to expose audiences to Philadelphia's vibrant and performing arts community.

Music & Motion Dance reached a wide range of audiences each year with mesmeric dances and unique performance concepts. The body of work created by this group, all of which has been created and choreographed by the entire cast, was as diverse as its members.

Commissioned dances by the company have included Primal for the Philadelphia Zoo and Futura for the Franklin Institute. The group was a regular participant in the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival. It was one of the first youth based companies to be incorporated in the festival, presenting Illuminescence in 2004, Elements in 2005, To A Different Beat in 2006, Red in 2007, Continents for 2008 and the 9 muses in 2009.

This collaborative effort of this group was rich in synergy, imagination, celebration and spirit. Audiences had responded with enthusiasm, finding themselves caught up in a world of exhilarating rhythm, movement and music created by this multi-talented group.

After ten years of performances, Music & Motion Dance has restructured and recast itself as MM2 Modern Dance, a pre-professional dance company, whose members comprise college age dance majors and post-college dancers in career transition.


Mission Statement

Music & Motion's mission was to empower youth through dance, movement and the performing arts, ultimately building self-esteem and inspiring creative self-expression and community action and interaction.

As a company, we sought to bring dancer and audience closer together by performing in both traditional and non-traditional venues, having meaningful dialogues and discourse about our dance works, offering free or subsidized programs to venues and generally making dance more accessible to the public.

Music & Motion Dance fulfilled the need of providing young dancers with performing experience in a nurturing environment with professional guidance, while continually exciting audiences wherever they perform.