Joan Merwyn is an award winning and critically acclaimed performing artist, choreographer, stage director and educator. As a movement, theater, mime, circus and multi-arts specialist, she conducts mentoring services, artist-in-residencies and professional development training seminars for educators and teaching artists. Joan has worked creatively with both general education students and special needs populations since 1983. She is committed to bringing innovative, multi-arts classes and professional development training experiences to communities of all ages, abilities and cultures. Her students have included professional performers, college students, teachers, teaching artists, parents, homeless families, seniors, mentally ill adults and adolescents, developmentally and cognitively challenged people of all ages, and children of all academic levels in public and private schools and colleges. Joan is an original co-creator of the Federally funded Everyday Arts for Special Education (EASE), through Urban Arts Partnership and NYC School District 75, and has also served special needs populations extensively through Hospital Audiences, Inc. (now called Healing Arts Initiative) With Marquis Studios, Joan offers professional development for teaching artists and special education teachers in autism spectrum classrooms at Teaching Artist Training Institute (TATI). Joan custom designs her curriculum to fit with the needs of each school, teacher and classroom. For more information on Joan's performance work,, please visit www.JoanMerwyn.com