Philadelphia City Councilwoman at-large Blondell Reynolds Brown is living proof that it's never to late to chase a dream, and there's always time left to make a difference.
Inspired as a young girl by the Lawrence Welk Show, the Philly born and bred spitfire didn't start taking dance lessons until she was 16, when she got a job at Geno's and could afford them on her own. A quick study with natural ability, she auditioned in college at Penn State and made the dance troupe there. That's no small feat considering most dancers have been taking instruction since they could walk. She turned down a chance to study abroad her senior year and performed with the school's jazz dance theater.
After graduation, Brown was considering the Peace Corps, but her mother convinced her to come back to Philly. A friend encouraged her to audition for Philadanco, the legendary Philadelphia dance company, and Brown spent the next eight years with a dance bag on her shoulder, traveling by subway to rehearsals and performances. Next came gut-check time: At a 1982 audition for a Broadway-themed show at an Atlantic City casino, Brown put on 3-inch heels to meet the 5-foot-6 requirement for dancers and was called back. She was selected to perform in the show, the shortest woman in the kickline -- but also the brightest -- and spent a year on stage in A.C.
She performed in Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., then slept underneath her dressing room table on a cement floor until it was time to prep for the 7 p.m. show. Still, she says "We were so happy." After a year in the casino, Brown embarked on a 16-year career teaching dance at Philadanco. The only thing that took Brown away from her passion was a calling to public service. In 1999, she launched her campaign for City Council, and Brown, ever the late bloomer but always arriving in a big way, hasn't left City Hall since. She has earned a reputation as a leader in addressing issues facing children, public health, and arts and culture.
Brown still teaches dance, and is learning a little bit, too. She helps her 12 year-old daughter learn new routines, and Brown is proud to have recently perfected that new Beyonce dance that seems to mystify most who try it.
For Brown, natural ability has taken her only so far. Her fortitude to push forward and her passion for dance and helping people have allowed this Philly girl to rise to great heights despite jumping on the ladder late in the game. Brown has come a long way from that dressing room floor in Atlantic City, and aren't we all lucky she has?
