Group Motion was originally founded in 1962 as Gruppe Motion Berlin, a chamber dance company evolving from the Mary Wigman School of Dance. In 1968, under the direction of Brigitta Herrmann, Helmut Gottschild, and Manfred Fischbeck, the company relocated to Philadelphia and was quick to receive critical success - making historic appearances at Judson Church in New York in 1968 and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 1969 and joining the NEA touring program in the 1970s.

Group Motion came under the sole artistic and executive direction of Manfred Fischbeck in 1989 and has continued to develop within the forefront of contemporary dance, working with nationally and internationally known choreographers and artists and creating a substantial body of more than 45 dance theater pieces.

The company began a world-wide touring program in the mid-1990s and has since taken its repertory to France, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Cyprus, and Taiwan as well as to locations throughout the United States. Group Motion has also continually expanded its scope as a performing arts organization, with its performance series, workshops, and co-creation of the Kumquat Dance Center.

Acknowledgement of Support

Support for Group Motion Dance Company has been generously provided in part by funds from the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT), William Penn Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Independence Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Cultural Facilities Fund, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Philadelphia Foundation, and Dance Advance (a program of the Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by Drexel University).

PennPAT is a program of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation developed and funded by the Vira I. Heinz Endowment; the William Penn Foundation; the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts; and the Pew Charitable Trusts.