Mr. Brown holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). For over thirty years he taught credited dance courses at the Katherine Dunham Center for the Performing Arts at SIUE in East St. Louis. Courses included Dunham Technique, Primitive Rhythms, Body Conditioning, Tap Dance, West African Percussion and Drama. Edward also taught workshops, master classes, and lecture demonstrations in Dunham Technique and African Percussion at elementary, high schools and colleges throughout the St. Louis metro-east and bi-state areas. A master drummer, he also taught African Percussion for more than twenty years at SIUE and nine years at Forest Park Community College in St. Louis. He was master drummer for Katherine Dunham Center’s Dance Company, percussionist for Better Family Life’s Black Dance USA and percussionist for The Sounds of St. Louis band for ten years. Mr. Brown received his percussion training from
renowned master drummers Omer Thiam, Larosa (an original Dunham drummer) and Mamady Keita.
For over twenty-five years, Edward performed and toured with professional performance companies, Katherine Dunham Center Dance Company and Unity Theater Ensemble.
Mr. Brown’s dance skills also includes creating choreography for the national and international performances of the Lincoln High School Swing Choir, the Normandy High School Swing Choir, the Junior Dance Company at SIUE and the awarding winning KDCPA Tap Company also at the East St. Louis Center of SIUE.
Ed says, "My career was on track to becoming very fruitful and successful. I was unable to enjoy my blooming career because of a lack of the understanding of self and life purpose. Throughout my life I have been seeking to understand the mystery of life. Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? Like everybody, I was trying to get through each of life’s trials and tests the best way I could. But I was not doing very well with my life tests. To be honest, I did not know these life problems were tests. This leaves one pretty beat up and somewhat depressed at times. And it was during this most trying time of my life, that God made himself known to me. On the night of October 20, 1972, I had what I thought was a dream. In this dream, I saw a young lady, I had never met, who said to me “Look Ed, don’t you see it’s 1973.” This dream turned out to be an inner plane experience that proved itself to be true. In the same month, October 1972, I met a young lady who looked similar to the one I saw in the dream. She spoke to me about the times, Master Berry and the wisdom knowledge that he taught. Determined to meet him, finally on new year’s day, January 1, I973, I was introduced to him and needless to say his life instruction and guidance literally saved my life."
JoAnn B. Tucker, Vice President
Bonnie M. Harmon-Greene, Treasurer
Nefertitti Berry, Assistant Treasurer
Osiris Tucker, YIC Coordinator
Donna K. Scott, DMB Scholarship Committee