I attended San Francisco State University, where I studied jazz, ballet, modern, and Afro. I earned my teaching credential and a B.A. in Liberal Studies in 1975. Due to a shortage of teaching jobs at the time, I pursued my passion for dance and began teaching at the Powell Reilly Dance Studio in San Francisco. In 1980, after moving to Fremont, I began teaching four ballet classes through Union City Leisure Services—and the rest is history. Thirteen years later, in January of 1993, Joanne Brown Dancers officially opened its doors and is still going strong today. For many years, you would often find me using my teaching credential to substitute teach at Eastin Elementary School in Union City. I’ve taught dance programs at Pioneer, Kitiyama, and Alvarado Elementary Schools, and I am currently still teaching dance at Eastin Elementary for 1st–5th graders. I’ve also taught master classes in Lake Tahoe and Portland, Oregon. In 1998, I re-joined Union City Leisure Services, where I now coordinate their dance program. One of my proudest moments was choreographing the number that helped Union City win the 1999 All-American City Award. Currently, I continue to coordinate the Union City Leisure Services Dance Program and have also added the Fremont Recreation Dance Program. The Joanne Brown Dancers participate in many local dance competitions, as well as national dance competitions in Anaheim, Las Vegas, and Florida. We’ve had the opportunity to perform on several cruise ships. Our newest experience was performing with Dance The Magic in the Halloween Disney Parade down Main Street. It checked off a childhood dream of dancing at Disneyland. We loved the experience so much, we’re doing it again in December for their holiday parade. Teaching, dancing, and performing are my passions, and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to continue doing what I LOVE.