Joan Myers Brown Book Research and Development

Brenda Dixon Gottschild, an acclaimed performer, author, and scholar, conducted research for a new book chronicling the life of Joan Myers Brown, in an effort to address issues of race within the dance industry. Brown founded the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in 1960, as well as the Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) in 1970, defying the social barriers preventing African Americans from becoming professional ballerinas. Gottschild's book Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina: A Biohistory of American Performance was published by UK publisher Palgrave Macmillan in January 2012 with Center support.