The company has been lauded by everyone from presidents to dance critics for its innovation and creativity. Working to preserve the African-American traditions of dance with forward-moving choreography, the company has gained international praise. “The company is in peak form — dancer for dancer, probably the best-trained, certainly the most versatile, dance company in Philadelphia,” says The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The company, founded in 1970, has developed dancers and choreographers who have worked throughout the world. President Obama praised its founder, saying Joan Myers Brown has made “an artistic haven for African-American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create and share their unique visions with the national and global dance communities.”