Joan Myers Brown (born 25 December 1931) is an American dance instructor.
Early life and education
Brown is the only child of Nellie Lewis, a nuclear scientist, and Julius Myers, a chef and restaurateur, born on 25 December 1931 in Philadelphia. Native to both Philadelphia and North Carolina, she grew up mainly on 47th Street and Paschall Avenue of Southwest Philadelphia.[1]
Brown's first dance instructors and role models were Essie Marie Dorsey, Sydney Gibson King, and Marion Durham Cuyjet. As a child she wished to shatter the social barriers prohibiting African Americans from 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
Brown's accomplishments were many:[1]
- 1960: Established The Philadelphia School of Dance Arts
- 1970: Founded The 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 at Howard University
Recognition
- Honored in "Dance Women; Living Legends", a tribute to African American pioneer women of modern dance[3]
- Brown was one of the recipients of the 2012 National Medal of Arts, by President and Mrs. Obama, in the White House's East Room, on Wednesday, July 10, 2013[4]
References
- ^ a b Gottschild, Brenda D. (2016). Joan Myers Brown and the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance. Palgrave Macmillan US. ISBN 978-1-137-51235-2. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ a b Patri 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.