The International Association of Blacks in Dance

Originally conceived in 1988,^[1] the organization got its start when Joan Myers Brown hosted an "International Conference on Black Dance Companies" in Philadelphia.^[1][2][3][4] The conference was the direct result of a five thousand dollar grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts^[5] and additional support from the City of Philadelphia, Coalition of African American Cultural Organizations, Entertainment Business Services, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and University of the Arts.^[6]

Attendees of the first IABD conference included: Jeraldyne Blunden, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Dayton, OH; Joan Myers Brown, PHILADANCO! The Philadelphia Dance Company, Philadelphia, PA; Denise Jefferson, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York, NY; Louis Johnson; Cleo Parker Robinson, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Denver, CO; Lula Washington, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Los Angeles, CA; and Ann Williams, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas, TX.^[5][6]

Since that first conference, the IABD annual conference has grown to a multi-day event that attracts hundreds of professional dancers, choreographers, dance scholars, entertainment agents and managers, dance company administrators and volunteers, grantmakers, dance studio owners, academic researchers, dance merchandisers, dance students, and dance supporters.^[4][7]

In addition to the annual conference, IABD operates as an intermediary grantmaker, making gifts to Black dance companies;^[7] provides a forum for scholarly discussions and publications that center on dance, Blacks in dance, and other dance topics;^[7] hosts dance combine auditions for multiple dance companies;^[6] offers regular workshops, training, special events, and other programs for IABD members and the general public^[7] with the overall organizational goal to enrich the dance culture of America.^[8]

In 1993, Bonnie Bing was appointed as IABD's first executive director with responsibility of day-to-day operations.^[6]

At its 1996 annual conference, IABD became the first organization in the United States to hold an open combine audition for dancers where they could perform for a variety of artistic directors and choreographers from different dance companies.^[6]

In 1999, Sherrill Berryman Johnson (1947–2010),^[9] a dance professor at Howard University, was named IABD's second executive director, and moved the organization's administrative offices to a building on Howard's campus.^[6]

In 2000, IABD was recognized with a special citation “Bessie Award” for its service to the field of dance.^[10][11]

In 2011, IABD was incorporated as a nonprofit organization.^[4]

In 2017, Denise Saunders Thompson was promoted to IABD's first president and chief executive officer.^[4][12] She had previously served as IABD's third executive director from 2010 to 2017,^[6] and would serve as IABD president until 2023.^[13]

Beginning in 2017, IABD, in collaboration with the Nonprofit Finance Fund,^[14] developed the Comprehensive Organization Health Initiative (COHI | MOVE) to provide financial, technical, and wellness support to thirty dance organizations.^[15] The COHI|MOVE program was expanded by the launch of IABD's “Building Up: Integrated Learning and Development (BUILD)” program and now offers resources to an additional twenty-five dance companies.^[15]

In 2020, IABD published “The Black Report,” an analysis and assessment of several Black dance companies in the United States.^[16]

In 2023, IABD received the 2021 National Medal of Arts from President Joseph Biden.^[8][17]

In 2024, IABD counts nearly 3,500 members located across the world.^[1][4] The organizations operates on $1.75 million annual budget, and is managed by co-executive directors Omar Ingram and Natasha R. Moreland-Spears.^[4]