In September 1943, under the management of the impresario Sol Hurok, her troupe opened in Tropical Review at the Martin Beck Theater. The show created a minor controversy in the press. He was the founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. In 2000 Katherine Dunham was named America's irreplaceable Dance Treasure. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. You dance because you have to. Dunham ended her fast only after exiled Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Jesse Jackson came to her and personally requested that she stop risking her life for this cause. Katherine Dunham - IMDb Most Popular #73650. [15] Dunham's relationship with Redfield in particular was highly influential. On graduating with a bachelors degree in anthropology she undertook field studies in the Caribbean and in Brazil. Keep reading for more such interesting quotes at Kidadl!) She died a month before her 97th birthday.[53]. At the height of her career in the 1940s and 1950s, Dunham was renowned throughout Europe and Latin America and was widely popular in the United States. Dunham created Rara Tonga and Woman with a Cigar at this time, which became well known. Question 2. During these years, the Dunham company appeared in some 33 countries in Europe, North Africa, South America, Australia, and East Asia. Beda Schmid. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. Katherine Dunham's Biography - The HistoryMakers In 1950, Sol Hurok presented Katherine Dunham and Her Company in a dance revue at the Broadway Theater in New York, with a program composed of some of Dunham's best works. As a dancer and choreographer, Katherine Dunham (1910-2002) wowed audiences in the 1930s and 1940s when she combined classical ballet with African rhythms to create an exciting new dance style. As Julia Foulkes pointed out, "Dunham's path to success lay in making high art in the United States from African and Caribbean sources, capitalizing on a heritage of dance within the African Diaspora, and raising perceptions of African American capabilities."[65]. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. After this well-received performance in 1931, the group was disbanded. 35 Katherine Dunham Quotes | Kidadl [14] For example, she was highly influenced both by Sapir's viewpoint on culture being made up of rituals, beliefs, customs and artforms, and by Herkovits' and Redfield's studies highlighting links between African and African American cultural expression. Dunham is a ventriloquist comedian and uses seven different puppets in his act, known by his fans as the "suitcase posse." His first Comedy Central Presents special premiered in 2003. Dunham was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. The recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989. 10 Facts About Katherine Johnson - Mental Floss Born Katherine Coleman in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia . Corrections? At the time, the South Side of Chicago was experiencing the effects of the Great Migration were Black southerners attempted to escape the Jim Crow South and poverty. The Dunham Technique Ballet African Dancing Her favorite color was platinum Caribbean Dancing Her favorite food was Filet of Sole How she started out Ballet African Dance Caribbean Dance The Dunham Technique wasn't so much as a technique so Dunham's dance career first began in Chicago when she joined the Little Theater Company of Harper Avenue. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology. Katherine was also an activist, author, educator, and anthropologist. After noticing that Katherine enjoyed working and socializing with people, her brother suggested that she study Anthropology. Katherine Dunham Fused Together Dance and Anthropology Born: June 22, 1909. New York City, U.S. Dunham herself was quietly involved in both the Voodoo and Orisa communities of the Caribbean and the United States, in particular with the Lucumi tradition. Katherine Dunham is credited Her dance troupe in venues around. Dunham technique is a codified dance training technique developed by Katherine Dunham in the mid 20th century. 8 Katherine Dunham facts. Despite these successes, the company frequently ran into periods of financial difficulties, as Dunham was required to support all of the 30 to 40 dancers and musicians. [20] She recorded her findings through ethnographic fieldnotes and by learning dance techniques, music and song, alongside her interlocutors. Who Was Katherine Dunham??? by Adrianne Hoopes - Prezi Dunham and her company appeared in the Hollywood movie Casbah (1948) with Tony Martin, Yvonne De Carlo, and Peter Lorre, and in the Italian film Botta e Risposta, produced by Dino de Laurentiis. The company returned to New York. From the 40s to the 60s, Dunham and her dance troupe toured to 57 countries of the world. Initially scheduled for a single performance, the show was so popular that the troupe repeated it for another ten Sundays. Never completing her required coursework for her graduate degree, she departed for Broadway and Hollywood. After running it as a tourist spot, with Vodun dancing as entertainment, in the early 1960s, she sold it to a French entrepreneur in the early 1970s. Members of Dunham's last New York Company auditioned to become members of the Met Ballet Company. Glory Van Scott and Jean-Lon Destin were among other former Dunham dancers who remained her lifelong friends. He has released six stand-up specials and one album of Christmas songs. As an African American woman, she broke barriers of race and gender, most notably as the founder of an important dance company that toured the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Australia for several decades. Radcliffe-Brown, Edward Sapir, Melville Herskovits, Lloyd Warner and Bronisaw Malinowski. As a student, she studied under anthropologists such as A.R. [4] In 1938, using materials collected ethnographic fieldwork, Dunham submitted a thesis, The Dances of Haiti: A Study of Their Material Aspect, Organization, Form, and Function,. In 1986 the American Anthropological Association gave her a Distinguished Service Award. She was instrumental in getting respect for Black dancers on the concert dance stage and directed the first self-supported Black dance company. It was a venue for Dunham to teach young black dancers about their African heritage. She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. Also Known For : . katherine dunham fun factsaiken county sc register of deeds katherine dunham fun facts Dunham married Jordis McCoo, a black postal worker, in 1931, but he did not share her interests and they gradually drifted apart, finally divorcing in 1938. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . Jobson, Ryan Cecil. Her work helped send astronauts to the . TOP 25 QUOTES BY KATHERINE DUNHAM | A-Z Quotes A dance choreographer. About Miss Dunham - Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities Throughout her career, Dunham occasionally published articles about her anthropological research (sometimes under the pseudonym of Kaye Dunn) and sometimes lectured on anthropological topics at universities and scholarly societies.[27]. She graduated from Joliet Central High School in 1928, where she played baseball, tennis, basketball, and track; served as vice-president of the French Club, and was on the yearbook staff. He had been a promising philosophy professor at Howard University and a protg of Alfred North Whitehead. In 1931, at the age of 21, Dunham formed a group called Ballets Ngres, one of the first black ballet companies in the United States. VV A. Clark and Sara E. Johnson, editors, Joliet Central High School Yearbook, 1928. theatrical designers john pratt. In 1967 she officially retired, after presenting a final show at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. movement and expression. She majored in anthropology at the University of Chicago, and after learning that much of Black . Barrelhouse. Lyndon B. Johnson was in the audience for opening night. In 1963, Dunham became the first African-American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera. Katherine Dunham is the inventor of the Dunham technique and a renowned dancer and choreographer of African-American descent. Nationality. ", Kraut, Anthea, "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 22:48. In 1937 she traveled with them to New York to take part in A Negro Dance Evening, organized by Edna Guy at the 92nd Street YMHA. Many of Dunham students who attended free public classes in East St. Louis Illinois speak highly about the influence of her open technique classes and artistic presence in the city. Kaiso is an Afro-Caribbean term denoting praise. forming a powerful personal. [20] She also became friends with, among others, Dumarsais Estim, then a high-level politician, who became president of Haiti in 1949. Here are 10 facts about her fascinating life. Book. [18] to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree. The prince was then married to actress Rita Hayworth, and Dunham was now legally married to John Pratt; a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas had taken place earlier in the year. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. In 1940, she formed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, which became the premier facility for training dancers. Katherine Dunham was a rebel among rebels. For several years, Dunham's personal assistant and press promoter was Maya Deren, who later also became interested in Vodun and wrote The Divine Horseman: The Voodoo Gods of Haiti (1953). Dunham was active in human rights causes, and in 1992 she staged a 47-day hunger strike to highlight the plight of Haitian refugees. It was not a success, closing after only eight performances. Video. Transforming Anthropology 20 (2012): 159168. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology." In 1976, Dunham was guest artist-in-residence and lecturer for Afro-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Dunham passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at the age of 96. Our site is COPPA and kidSAFE-certified, so you can rest assured it's a safe place for kids . She was one of the first researchers in anthropology to use her research of Afro-Haitian dance and culture for remedying racist misrepresentation of African culture in the miseducation of Black Americans. Zombies, The Third Person, Intelligent Dancers, and Katherine Dunham (Below are 10 Katherine Dunham quotes on positivity. "In introducing authentic African dance-movements to her company and audiences, Dunhamperhaps more than any other choreographer of the timeexploded the possibilities of modern dance expression.". Biography. [4], Katherine Mary Dunham was born on 22 June 1909 in a Chicago hospital. Her mother passed away when Katherine was only 3 years old. Born in 1512 to Sir Thomas Parr, lord of the manor of Kendal in Westmorland, and Maud Green, an heiress and courtier, Catherine belonged to a family of substantial influence in the north. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. One of the most important dance artists of the twentieth century, dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) created works that thrilled audiences the world over. [7] The family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Joliet, Illinois. She was born on June 22, 1909 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of Chicago, to Albert Millard Dunham, a tailor and dry cleaner, and his wife, Fanny June Dunham. With choreography characterized by exotic sexuality, both became signature works in the Dunham repertory. Another fact is that it was the sometime home of the pioneering black American dancer Katherine Dunham. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. As a graduate student in anthropology in the mid-1930s, she conducted dance research in the Caribbean. 6 Katherine Dunham facts. Cruz Banks, Ojeya. What are some fun facts about Katherine Dunham? While a student at the University of Chicago, Dunham also performed as a dancer, ran a dance school, and earned an early bachelor's degree in anthropology. Facts About Katherine Dunham. Inspiring dancers: Ms Katherine Dunham - (Un)popular Cultures One example of this was studying how dance manifests within Haitian Vodou. "Hoy programa extraordinario y el sbado dos estamos nos ofrece Katherine Dunham,", Constance Valis Hill, "Katherine Dunham's, Anna Kisselgoff, "Katherine Dunham's Legacy, Visible in Youth and Age,". 4 (December 2010): 640642. Despite 13 knee surgeries, Ms. Dunham danced professionally for more than . Long, Richard A, and Joe Nash. She wanted to know not only how people danced but why they dance. Legendary dancer, choreographer and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born June 22, 1909, to an African American father and French-Canadian mother who died when she was young. The Katherine Dunham Museum: Saving the Legacy of a True Renaissance Woman Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. "[48] During her protest, Dick Gregory led a non-stop vigil at her home, where many disparate personalities came to show their respect, such Debbie Allen, Jonathan Demme, and Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. As a teenager, she won a scholarship to the Dunham school and later became a dancer with the company, before beginning her successful singing career. [54] This wave continued throughout the 1990s with scholars publishing works (such as Decolonizing Anthropology: Moving Further in Anthropology for Liberation,[55] Decolonizing Methodologies,[56] and more recently, The Case for Letting Anthropology Burn[57]) that critique anthropology and the discipline's roles in colonial knowledge production and power structures. The company was located on the property that formerly belonged to the Isadora Duncan Dance in Caravan Hill but subsequently moved to W 43rd Street. Marlon Brando frequently dropped in to play the bongo drums, and jazz musician Charles Mingus held regular jam sessions with the drummers. It next moved to the West Coast for an extended run of performances there. She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and operaincluding Aida (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. Katherine Dunham was an African-American dancer and choreographer, producer, author, scholar, anthropologist and Civil Rights activist. ", Examples include: The Ballet in film "Stormy Weather" (Stone 1943) and "Mambo" (Rossen 1954). Gender: Female. As this show continued its run at the Windsor Theater, Dunham booked her own company in the theater for a Sunday performance. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] [2] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". Katherine Johnson graduated from college at age 18. She is known for her many innovations, one of her most known . See "Selected Bibliography of Writings by Katherine Dunham" in Clark and Johnson. There she was able to bring anthropologists, sociologists, educational specialists, scientists, writers, musicians, and theater people together to create a liberal arts curriculum that would be a foundation for further college work. According to the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, Dunham never thought she'd have a career in dance, although she did study with ballerina and choreographer Ruth Page, among others. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! Early in 1936, she arrived in Haiti, where she remained for several months, the first of her many extended stays in that country through her life. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. [1] She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. A continuation based on her experiences in Haiti, Island Possessed, was published in 1969. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dunham, The Kennedy Center - Biography of Katherine Dunham, Katherine Dunham - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Dancers are frequently instructed to place weight on the balls of their feet, lengthen their lumbar and cervical spines, and breathe from the abdomen and not the chest. In addition, Dunham conducted special projects for African American high school students in Chicago; was artistic and technical director (196667) to the president of Senegal; and served as artist-in-residence, and later professor, at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, and director of Southern Illinoiss Performing Arts Training Centre and Dynamic Museum in East St. Louis, Illinois. Other Interesting Katherine Dunham Facts And Trivia 'Come Back To Arizona', a short story Katherine Dunham penned when she was 12 years old, was published in 1921 in volume two of 'The Brownies' Book'. In the mid-1930s she conducted anthropological research on dance and incorporated her findings into her choreography, blending the rhythms and movements of . USA. As a choreographer, anthropologist, educator, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of dance in the twentieth century. Video. The Dunham company's international tours ended in Vienna in 1960. She returned to the United States in 1936 informed by new methods of movement and expression, which she incorporated into techniques that transformed the world of dance. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Many of her students, trained in her studios in Chicago and New York City, became prominent in the field of modern dance. Dunham saved the day by arranging for the company to be paid to appear in a German television special, Karibische Rhythmen, after which they returned to the United States. By the time she received an M.A. Omissions? London: Zed Books, 1999. - Pic Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. In 1939, Dunham's company gave additional performances in Chicago and Cincinnati and then returned to New York. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. While trying to help the young people in the community, Dunham was arrested. [58] Early on into graduate school, Dunham was forced to choose between finishing her master's degree in anthropology and pursuing her career in dance. "The Case for Letting Anthropology Burn: Sociocultural Anthropology in 2019." [22] In her biography, Joyce Aschenbrenner (2002), credits Ms Dunham as the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance", and describes her work as: "fundamentally . [37] One historian noted that "during the course of the tour, Dunham and the troupe had recurrent problems with racial discrimination, leading her to a posture of militancy which was to characterize her subsequent career."[38]. This was followed by television spectaculars filmed in London, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Sydney, and Mexico City. Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, creator of the Dunham Technique, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist. [1] The Dunham Technique is still taught today. [6][10] While still a high school student, she opened a private dance school for young black children. The Dunham troupe toured for two decades, stirring audiences around the globe with their dynamic and highly theatrical performances. About Modern Dance - Jacqueline Burgess Jacqueline Burgess In the summer of 1941, after the national tour of Cabin in the Sky ended, they went to Mexico, where inter-racial marriages were less controversial than in the United States, and engaged in a commitment ceremony on 20 July, which thereafter they gave as the date of their wedding. [5] Along with the Great Migration, came White flight and her aunt Lulu's business suffered and ultimately closed as a result. Admission is $10, or $5 for students and seniors, and hours are by appointment; call 618-875-3636, or 618-618-795-5970 three to five days in advance. "[35] Dunham explains that while she admired the narrative quality of ballet technique, she wanted to develop a movement vocabulary that captured the essence of the Afro-Caribbean dancers she worked with during her travels. In 1938 she joined the Federal Theatre Project in Chicago and composed a ballet, LAgYa, based on Caribbean dance. This concert, billed as Tropics and Le Hot Jazz, included not only her favorite partners Archie Savage and Talley Beatty, but her principal Haitian drummer, Papa Augustin. I Took A Katherine Dunham-Technique Dance Class And Learned - Essence Katherine Dunham - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Katherine Dunham. [34], According to Dunham, the development of her technique came out of a need for specialized dancers to support her choreographic visions and a greater yearning for technique that "said the things that [she] wanted to say. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) is revered as one of the great pillars of American dance history. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal . She was a woman far ahead of her time. She had one of the most successful dance careers in Western dance theatre in the 20th century and directed her own dance company for many years. Katherine Dunham, a world-renowned dancer and choreographer, had big plans for East St. Louis in 1977. Each procession builds on the last and focuses on conditioning the body to prepare for specific exercises that come later. Decolonozing Anthropology: Katherine "the Great" Dunham Katherine Dunham - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays [15] He showed her the connection between dance and social life giving her the momentum to explore a new area of anthropology, which she later termed "Dance Anthropology". [52], On May 21, 2006, Dunham died in her sleep from natural causes in New York City. Biography of Jeff Dunham, Comedian and Ventriloquist All rights reserved. A fictional work based on her African experiences, Kasamance: A Fantasy, was published in 1974. She was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors Award, the Plaque d'Honneur Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce Award, and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. When you have faith in something, it's your reason to be alive and to fight for it. Birthday : June 22, 1909. katherine dunham fun facts Two years later she formed an all-Black company, which began touring extensively by 1943. [49] In fact, that ceremony was not recognized as a legal marriage in the United States, a point of law that would come to trouble them some years later. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th . In my mind, it's the most fascinating thing in the world to learn".[19]. The Katherine Dunham Company toured throughout North America in the mid-1940s, performing as well in the racially segregated South. . Birth City: Decatur. A highlight of Dunham's later career was the invitation from New York's Metropolitan Opera to stage dances for a new production of Aida, starring soprano Leontyne Price. The Katherine Dunham Fund buys and adapts for use as a museum an English Regency-style townhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue at Tenth Street in East Saint Louis. Dancer Born in Illinois #12. Please scroll down to enjoy more supporting materials. Later Dunham established a second home in Senegal, and she occasionally returned there to scout for talented African musicians and dancers. for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. Katherine Dunham Birthday & Fun Facts | Kidadl THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. [54] After recovering crucial dance epistemologies relevant to people of the African diaspora during her ethnographic research, she applied anthropological knowledge toward developing her own dance pedagogy (Dunham Technique) that worked to reconcile with the legacy of colonization and racism and correct sociocultural injustices. Dunham became interested in both writing and dance at a young age. She was hailed for her smooth and fluent choreography and dominated a stage with what has been described as 'an unmitigating radiant force providing beauty with a feminine touch full of variety and nuance. Throughout her distinguished career, Dunham earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist [1]. Katherine Dunham - Wikipedia In 1950, while visiting Brazil, Dunham and her group were refused rooms at a first-class hotel in So Paulo, the Hotel Esplanada, frequented by many American businessmen. Dance is an essential part of life that has always been with me. Katherine Dunham | Encyclopedia.com At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. [13] Under their tutelage, she showed great promise in her ethnographic studies of dance. [54] Her legacy within Anthropology and Dance Anthropology continues to shine with each new day. Her legacy was far-reaching, both in dance and her cultural and social work. She also developed the Dunham Technique, a method of movement to support her dance works. The schools she created helped train such notables as Alvin Ailey and Jerome Robbins in the "Dunham technique." Death . Dunham, who died at the age of 96 [in 2006], was an anthropologist and political activist, especially on behalf of the rights of black people. In 2000 she was named one of the first one hundred of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures" by the Dance Heritage Coalition. Katherine Dunham on dance anthropology. She was also consulted on costuming for the Egyptian and Ethiopian dress.