On the Shoulders of Female Giants

March 2026 Time Keepers of the Flame 

The IABD: A Catalyst for Change

Preserving History. Creating the Future.

Reflections by Stephanie S. Hughley and Denise Saunders Thompson 

Stephanie S. Hughley:

I came of age in the 1960s, shaped by the Black Power Movement and a generation unapologetically committed to voice, visibility, and self-determination. We believed deeply that people of African descent had the right to define ourselves, tell our own stories, and claim space in every cultural arena. That conviction was never about separation, but about equity. I have always believed that all people are equal, that all cultures are equal, and that no culture should be denied access to audiences, funding, or institutional support. That belief has guided my work throughout my life and continues to shape everything I do.

That worldview shaped my relationship with the International Association of Blacks in Dance and the broader ecosystem of Black dance advocacy. In 1988, I—together with a stellar team of staff, consultants, artists, funders, and an incredibly supportive community—launched the first National Black Arts Festival, with dance as a central pillar. That inaugural festival honored Katherine Dunham, affirming Black dance as a history, a scholarship, and a cultural inheritance. Her children’s company performed, underscoring the importance of legacy and transmission. Joan Myers Brown was present, and Alvin Ailey offered the introduction for the Dunham tribute. Those days were filled with creative energy and shared purpose—conversations about preservation, sustainability, and responsibility were everywhere.

Denise Saunders Thompson:

I grew up in Tolland, Connecticut, a small New England town close to the Massachusetts state line. (Yes, Black people are everywhere.) Well—four Black families. My mother, Jeannette, was a high school music teacher in the Hartford Public School system for more than 40 years, and my father, Edward, was a self-taught mechanic, an Air Force veteran, and later the owner of E&J Body Shop a few towns over.

My mom says I started dancing when I was little, so she signed me up for classes at the Richard Risley Dance Studio in Coventry, CT. It was there that I fell in love with dance and decided I wanted to be a dancer and performer like those in the Ailey Company. I pursued that dream and was eventually accepted to my mother’s alma mater.

I arrived on Howard University’s campus in August 1987—a young woman eager to leave Connecticut behind, ready to find her Blackness, ready to show the world who she was (not just the Black girl who “spoke really well”), and ready to begin her performance journey as one of the first Musical Theatre majors in the College of Fine Arts, Department of Drama. Dance wasn’t a major at Howard when I arrived; classes were offered as part of the performance curriculum and through the Physical Education program. In a small dance studio behind the Fine Arts building, Dr. Sherrill Berryman-Miller was also teaching dance, and it was through her that I first heard the name The International Association of Blacks in Dance. 

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The Birth of IABD:

Circa 1987, when the Blacks in Dance Conference began, there were only two large dance companies comprised primarily of Black performers and artistic staff—and both were in New York: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem. A small number of smaller companies and independent choreographers existed in New York and across the country. As freedom of expression reshaped social, moral, civil, and political attitudes, so did the aesthetics of dance evolve. For a number of years, concert and folk dance saw an enormous surge in support from audiences, dancers, teachers, and funders.

You’d think that decades after the Civil Rights Movement, things were changing—right? Yet the world of dance remained exclusionary, with closed doors and forgotten histories. Even though the dance field was growing, many of the issues and aesthetic interests of Blacks in dance were not being adequately addressed by the presenters, managers, funders, and artistic directors who controlled most of the available resources. A national dance service organization formed years earlier was already showing signs of focusing primarily on servicing the largest and most popular companies—none of which were Black-founded or Black-led.

For many Black dancers, this growth in concert dance brought new opportunities to perform, conquer old stages, and establish new ones. But not all elements within the field grew at the same rate—and this imbalance catalyzed the birth of IABD to address long-standing, deeply rooted issues.

Systemic challenges plagued companies, history books, funding systems, artistic opportunities, and more. In response, Black dance artists created a space for themselves. “Let’s just build our own damn table.”

And in 1988, Joan Myers Brown, Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Philadanco!, along with her staff, launched the 1st International Conference of Black Dance Companies, supported by a Pew Charitable Trusts grant. Eighty professionals attended in Philadelphia, PA. Ms. Brown believed that convening the Black dance community would serve not only her needs but also the needs of other Black dance professionals. The gatherings continued in Philadelphia (Philadanco!) and Denver (Cleo Parker Robinson Dance). In 1991, at the conference hosted by Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) was formalized, and an Emergency Fund for artists and companies was established. 

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Stephanie S. Hughley:

Although I formally met Joan Myers Brown during the National Black Arts Festival, I had known of her long before. When I danced with the Dance Theater of Boston under Billy Wilson, her name was spoken with deep respect. Billy, also from Philadelphia, understood her influence and leadership. Still, it was through shared work overtime that our relationship deepened.

That fuller connection came in 1997, during my tenure at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. In collaboration with 651 Arts—where Mikki Shepherd conceived the project—Laura Greer at Aaron Davis Hall, and with support from Baraka Sele and Linda Walton, we presented Dance Women: Living Legends, a tribute to five African American pioneers who founded distinguished modern dance companies with deep roots in Black communities. Through this initiative, I grew to truly know Joan Myers Brown, Jeraldyne Blunden, Cleo Parker Robinson, Lula Washington, and Ann Williams—not only as icons but as institution builders, educators, and stewards of cultural memory. The project spanned multiple communities through performances, panels, and classes and received recognition from critics, including Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times.

Denise Saunders Thompson:

In 1994, I moved to Atlanta after earning my Master of Fine Arts in Arts Producing and Management from UCLA. My first jobs were as Box Office Manager for Horizon Theatre Company and Project Coordinator for the Atlanta Dance Initiative run by Several Dancers Core (SDC). Arts Action Research served as consultants for an initiative to convene Atlanta’s smaller dance companies. I worked with SDC for several years, eventually leaving my role as General Manager in 1995 to work for the Olympic Arts Festival in 1996 and later becoming the first African American Development Associate—eventually promoted to Development Events Manager—at the Alliance Theatre.

In the spring of 1997, I received a call from Al Freeman Jr., Chair of the Howard University Department of Theatre Arts. He had heard about the work I was doing in Atlanta and offered me a faculty position as Lecturer in Theatre Arts Administration. It was a one-year appointment (now nearly 30 years later), aimed at overhauling the struggling program after leadership changes. This was the very program through which I earned my BFA.

During my time at Howard as a student, I had changed my major from Musical Theatre to Theatre Arts Administration after confronting deep-rooted colorism and recognizing that my path to Broadway would not be without obstacles. I knew I didn’t want a life of constant gigging; rejection was hard for me, and I loved working behind the scenes. I thrived first as a technician, then as a production stage manager (AEA), and ultimately as a staunch Black woman arts administrator. I learned where the real power in the performing arts lies—with the producer, the person responsible for the artistic, technical, and administrative decisions, and ultimately, the finances.

Upon my return to Howard, a petite, stern, no-nonsense, highly educated woman—one who took no prisoners and might call you before 8 a.m.—entered and took root in my life: Dr. Sherrill Berryman-Johnson. I would eventually buy her sister’s home, volunteer for IABD for years, and in 2010 be appointed the third Chairperson/Executive Director, following Sherrill. A few months later, we unexpectedly lost my mentor. I vowed to elevate IABD, safeguard the Howard University Dance Program (the first HBCU to offer a BFA in Dance), and expand the dance field’s knowledge and respect for Black dance and its contributions. They say when one door closes, another opens. They said we couldn’t—but we did. We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams. 

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Building a National Movement:

For more than 35 years, IABD has uplifted and celebrated dance companies, artists, scholars, administrators, educators, and others within the dance ecosystem. In its early years, IABD attracted companies in various stages of artistic and institutional development. Through the conference, funders had an opportunity to understand the field of Black dance, and the field in turn gained deeper insight into funders.

IABD also created showcasing opportunities—now a full festival—for companies, dancers, teachers, and choreographers to perform before potential presenters, leading to collaborations and partnerships. In this way, IABD educated presenters about the breadth of Black dance. The organization was built to bridge gaps. Even the name signaled that the challenges faced by Blacks in dance were not limited to African Americans but extended to all people of African descent. 

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Denise Saunders Thompson:

I was passed the “Timekeepers of the Flame” torch and began a journey that transformed my life and this institution—wedding-vow style: in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, and in… (well, I wasn’t subscribing to that last part). Sherrill Berryman-Johnson believed in me, and so did Joan Myers Brown.

It began with a promise to secure the organization’s 501(c)(3) status so we could pursue all forms of funding. That led to an appointment to the Dance/USA Board of Directors, where I was ready to stir things up again. A chance encounter with consultant Baraka Sele confirmed she was the person I needed to help stabilize IABD and deepen community relationships. Soon after came a $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant that took IABD to the homes and dance spaces of our constituents. From there came partnerships, opportunities, a groundbreaking report that reframed the narrative, resources to build a sustainable budget exceeding $7 million, and—icing on the cake—the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Joe Biden. The highest arts honor in the United States.

Can You Hear Me Now?

I knew when it was time to step aside and let the next generation lead. But I must acknowledge the simple truth: the Founding Members had already developed the blueprint—I simply followed it. Today, many of the conditions that sparked IABD’s founding have evolved. Where the initial focus was on networking among professional dancers and companies, the organization now includes many students, schools, and semi-professional groups. This growth reflects the aspirations of many who wish to stand on the shoulders of those who came before. This continued interest proves that there was—and still is—a profound need for what IABD provides: the Black Dance experience. 

Stephanie S. Hughley:

Looking back, I see a clear and intentional through line. The founding of IABD, the National Black Arts Festival, the work of 651 Arts and Aaron Davis Hall, the National Black Theatre Festival, and so many other institutions—alongside the vital work of educational spaces such as Howard University, the Atlanta University Center, and HBCUs nationwide—together formed an ecosystem of cultural stewardship.

This work created pathways: from classroom to stage, from student to professional, from legacy to future vision. It insisted on equity where exclusion had long been normalized and helped ensure that Black artistry would not be temporary or peripheral but permanent and foundational. Seen together, these efforts represent more than institutions—they represent a movement rooted in community, sustained by shared values, and committed to safeguarding culture so that future generations inherit not silence, but voice. 

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IABD’s Lasting Impact:

One of the greatest outcomes of IABD’s existence has been its role in bringing together the field of Black Dance. Conference panels created space for discussion, critical assessment, and problem-solving. Master classes offered exposure to some of the most talented artists in the field. Workshops highlighted resources and surfaced new perspectives.

IABD has given us opportunities to capture and honor ourselves as no one else would—to acknowledge our contributions to the creation and preservation of dance performed, created, and produced by people of African ancestry and origin around the world.

Stephanie S. Hughley

2026 Joan Myers Brown “Keeper of the Flame” Legacy Awardee

Artist, Curator, Educator, General and Company Manager, Presenter, Producer, and Performing Arts Consultant

Denise Saunders Thompson

President and CEO, IABD (2018 - 2023)

Assistant Dean for Administration

Howard University

Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts