Joan Myers Brown, DFA, DHL, DA (Founder/Executive Artistic Advisor) is the honorary chairperson for the International Association of Blacks in Dance, an organization she established in 1991. She was founder of the International Conference of Black Dance Companies in 1988 and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of the Arts and Howard University in Washington, DC. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Ursinus College and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of the Arts. Listed in Who’s Who in America and described as an “innovator and communicator,” Ms. Brown’s efforts for dance excellence are only part of her contribution to the field. She was co-chair of Dance/USA Philadelphia. She received the Philadelphia Award and was documented in the publication Joan Myers Brown and the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina by Brenda Dixon Gottschild. She has received many awards from the City of Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania. Brown was honored as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania and Outstanding Alumni of West Philadelphia High School. She received the prestigious National Medal of Arts Award from President Barack Obama and the United States Embassy’s Award for Cultural Diplomacy in Skopje, Macedonia. Honored by the American Dance Guild Honoree Award, Ms. Brown was also a recipient of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s 2017 Industry Icon Award and the Philadelphia Cultural Funds David Cohen Award in April 2019. Ms. Brown received the distinguished 2019 "Bessie" award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance for her choreographic influence on black dance in America. In April 2022, Ms. Brown received the 2022 Avenue of the Arts, Inc. illustrious Visionary Award along with many other awards. Now from CEOs to cultural icons, Philadelphia has always been an epicenter for trailblazers. The Power List featured in the 2022 Philadelphia Style Magazine named Joan Myers Brown as one of the four top local luminaries to know now.

Kim Y. Bears-Bailey (Artistic Director) is a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) graduate of The University of Arts. Kim joined PHILADANCO! in 1981. A 1992 "Bessie" award recipient (The New York Dance and Performance Award), Kim represented PHILADANCO! at the 1988 American Dance Festival performing works of Dr. Pearl Primus and appeared in the movie Beloved. Ms. Bears-Bailey is also an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of the Arts. Kim is one of few artists granted permission to remount the works of many world-renowned choreographers including Talley Beatty, Pearl Primus, Gene Hill Sagan, and Louis Johnson. She received the Mary Louise Beitzel Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Silver Star Alumni Award from UArts. Kim choreographs, directs, and produces an annual Dancing with the Stars of Philadelphia event. Kim received the 2017 Bring it to the Marley Icon Award and the 2018 Legacy Award from DCNS Dance.