Title
Recognizing and Congratulating Joan Myers Brown and Laurie Olin for being awarded the 2012 National Medal of Arts and Humanities by President Barack H. Obama.
Body
WHEREAS, On Wednesday, July 10, 2013 President Obama awarded the 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in the East Room of the White House to Joan Myers Brown and Laurie D. Olin; and
WHEREAS, the National Medal of Arts is the Nation's highest civic honor for excellence in the arts; and
WHEREAS, Joan Myers Brown was recognized for her contributions as a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director; and
WHEREAS, Joan Myers Brown founded the Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco) and the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts in 1970. Ms Brown carved out an artistic haven for African American dancers and choreographers to innovate, create and share their unique visions with the national and global dance communities; and
WHEREAS, Joan Myers Brown serves as honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), an organization she established in 1991. She also founded the Internal Conference of Black Dance Companies in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Brown is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which bestowed upon her an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, a member of the dance faculty at Howard University in Washington, DC and has been awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA; and
WHEREAS, Across the nation and around the world, The Philadelphia Dance Company (PHILADANCO) is celebrated for its innovation, creativity and preservation of predominately African American traditions in dance through providing world class dance instruction, promoting emerging dancers and choreographers and engaging its many communities through performances and outreach activities; and
WHEREAS, PHILADANCO is recognized for its artistic integrity, superbly trained dancers an...
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