Determined to Be

Passport Dance: Discover West Java and Bali

Event Information
Rhoden Arts Center
Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building
Join Us
General Public
Free with museum admission
Contact
Lori Waselchuk
Group photo of the Modero company. There are nine dancers, three kneeling and six standing, holding a dance pose. All the dancers are wearing intricate and colorful costumes. The photo was taken outdoors, with trees and cars in the background.

Modero & Company will transport you to Indonesia in an immersive performance of traditional dances from West Java and Bali. Indonesian dance is a centuries-old cultural expression blending story-telling with intricate movements, brilliant costumes, and captivating music.  Modero is a Philadelphia community-based group that was founded in 2011 by the talented Indonesian dance artist, Sinta Penyami Storms. Since its inception, Modero has been dedicated to preserving the rich and vibrant Indonesian culture in all its forms. 

Free with museum admission 

John Rhoden - The Global Citizen

Black and white photograph of John Rhoden and two unidentified men in front of a pyramid. Rhoden is wearing a headscarf and another man is wearing a fez.

Passport Dance is inspired by the American sculpture John Rhoden (1916 - 2001), who was an accomplished, world-traveled artist. John Rhoden made every effort to meet new people anywhere he went. He developed networks with international artists, sharing skills, techniques, and ideas along the way. Rhoden attended the American Academy in Rome from 1951 to 1954 first on a Fulbright Fellowship and then the Prix de Rome. Rhoden was selected by the United States Department of State to serve as an art specialist from 1955 through 1959 as a part of the International Cultural Exchange and Fair Participation Act of 1956 (ambassadors were sent as early as 1954). During this service, he visited over 20 countries [including Iceland, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Uganda, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Zanzibar (now Tanzania), the USSR, Poland, India, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and the Soviet Union] in an official capacity. Learn more about this extraordinary artist in the exhibition, Determined To Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden, and the John Rhoden Digital Archives.