Avenue of the Arts to honor Joan Myers Brown

Avenue of the Arts, Inc., the organization that champions Philadelphia’s theater and cultural arts district will present its Third Annual Visionary Awards to two women who have changed the trajectory of dance in Philadelphia with their vision and dedication.

Joan Myers Brown, the founder of PHILADANCO, Philadelphia’s predominately Black Internationally Renowned Modern Dance company, and Christine Cox, the co-founder of Ballet X, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary Ballet company, will be honored at the organizations April 22 gala at Arthaus, the newest addition to the Avenue of the Arts’ skyline.

Avenue of the Arts, Inc. Executive Director Laura Burkhardt said, “Both women display the type of vision that has made the Avenue of the Arts such an incubator for talent and growth in the arts. That type of innovation keeps the Avenue vibrant and draws audiences, investment, residents and all of the elements that make this great street the heart of our city.”

Brown is the only child of Nellie Lewis, a nuclear scientist, and Julius Myers, a chef and restauranteur. “When I was growing up,” said Brown, now 90 years old and still as vibrant as ever, “Black folks were trying to introduce their children the finer things in life, to culture, to things like dance, music and so forth. My mother decided to enroll me in a dance class and soon I was hooked.”

Brown was also hooked on the idea that the old social barriers prohibiting African Americans from becoming famous in the world of dance should be shattered. During a time when famous dance personalities were predominately light skinned, Brown worked hard to make sure that people of color acquired equal status in mainstream dance. Dreaming of a school where African Americans could learn and develop through methods tailored specifically to their individual needs, Brown founded PHILADANCO in 1970 as well as the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in 1960.

“I wanted to give young dancers of color a chance to learn and perform,” Brown explains. “Nobody would give them an opportunity to display their talent so many of them would just give up. I wanted to change all that. Today, many of my dancers go off to dance with Alvin Ailey’s troupe and are doing very well.”

However, she adds, there’s still a need to get more Black dancers involved in the dance. “I think the basic problem is that young children are not being exposed to ballet. Parents don’t take their children to see it. In fact, I meet mothers who not only don’t understand it but have never even seen it themselves. And when I tell them to take their children to the Academy of Music to watch ballet, they say, ‘Where’s that?’ They live in the city and don’t even know where the Academy is located.”

Over the years, Brown, who herself has met with much opposition in the world of dance, has done much to encourage and enhance the lives of others. She has served as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Black Dance (IABD) since 1991, an organization she laid the groundwork for with the founding of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies, in 1988.

Additionally, she is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, one of several colleges to award her with honorary Doctorate degrees. She is also a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

In addition to her upcoming award, Brown has received many others and is proud of her many accomplishments. High on that list is when, in 2012, President Obama presented her with the National Medal of the Arts.

But, she insists, one of her proudest moments has been realizing the dream she had so many years ago.

“PHILADANCO has flourished for many years, and my wish today is that my company is subsidized as they should be, and that the world opens up to Black dancers and give them the kind of opportunities they deserve.

Brown’s goal has always been to give them the kind of exposure they need, although she herself never really got to be the ballerina she always wanted to be.

“But now, as I watch others achieve their dreams, it makes me very proud to feel a part of that. I’ve had a good run!”