Joan Myers Brown

Joan Myers Brown (born 25 December 1931) is an American dance company director and former dancer. In 1970, she founded PHILADANCO, a modern dance company in Philadelphia. In 2012, she received a National Medal of Arts in recognition of her career.

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.

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.

Accomplishments Brown's accomplishments were many: 2009 -- The Philadelphia Award, an annual award given to "a citizen of the Philadelphia region who, during the preceding year, acted and served on behalf of the best interests of the community." 2012 -- National Medal of Arts, presented by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, in the White House's East Room, on Wednesday, July 10, 2013.