Joan Myers Brown
Joan Myers Brown(born 25 December 1931) is an American dance instructor.
Early life and education
[edit]Brown is theonly childof Nellie Lewis, a nuclear scientist, and Julius Myers, a chef and restaurateur, born on 25 December 1931 inPhiladelphia.Native to both Philadelphia andNorth Carolina,she grew up mainly on 47th Street and Paschall Avenue ofSouthwest Philadelphia.[1]
Brown's first dance instructors and role models wereEssie Marie Dorsey,Sydney Gibson King,andMarion Durham Cuyjet.As a child she wished to shatter the social barriers prohibitingAfrican Americansfrom becoming famous in the world of dance.[2]
During a time where famous dance personalities were predominantly light-skinned, Brown worked hard to make sure that people of color acquired equal status in mainstream dance. She dreamed of a school where African Americans could learn and develop through methods tailored specifically to their individual needs - a program that was specially created for ethnic bodies.[2]
Accomplishments
[edit]Brown's accomplishments were many:[1]
- 1960: Established The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts
- 1970: FoundedThe Philadelphia Dance Company(more commonly known as Philadanco)
- 1988: Founded the International Conference of Black Dance Companies
- 1991: Created the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) in 1991
- 1995–: Distinguished guest, dance faculty atHoward University
Recognition
[edit]- Honored in "Dance Women; Living Legends", a tribute to African American pioneer women ofmodern dance[3]
- Brown was one of the recipients of the 2012National Medal of Arts,by President and Mrs. Obama, in theWhite House'sEast Room,on Wednesday, July 10, 2013[4]
References
[edit]- ^abGottschild, Brenda D. (2016).Joan Myers Brown and the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance.Palgrave Macmillan US.ISBN978-1-137-51235-2.Retrieved2 September2022.
- ^abPatri Warren, Charmaine.Dance Women/Living Legends,1997.
- ^"Joan Myers Brown",Philadanco.
- ^"President Obama to Award 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal",The White House, July 3, 2013.