She and her company frequently had difficulties finding adequate accommodations while on tour because in many regions of the country, black Americans were not allowed to stay at hotels. Others who attended her school included James Dean, Gregory Peck, Jose Ferrer, Jennifer Jones, Shelley Winters, Sidney Poitier, Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty. Katherine Dunham died on May 21 2006. [59] She ultimately chose to continue her career in dance without her master's degree in anthropology. Corrections? Updates? Deren is now considered to be a pioneer of independent American filmmaking. In 1992, at age 83, Dunham went on a highly publicized hunger strike to protest the discriminatory U.S. foreign policy against Haitian boat-people. In the 1930s, she did fieldwork in the Caribbean and infused her choreography with the cultures . [21] This style of participant observation research was not yet common within the discipline of anthropology. Through much study and time, she eventually became one of the founders of the field of dance anthropology. He has released six stand-up specials and one album of Christmas songs. [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. Jobson, Ryan Cecil. It was a venue for Dunham to teach young black dancers about their African heritage. Her father, Albert Millard Dunham, was a descendant of slaves from West Africa and Madagascar. Episode 5 of Break the FACTS! The State Department regularly subsidized other less well-known groups, but it consistently refused to support her company (even when it was entertaining U.S. Army troops), although at the same time it did not hesitate to take credit for them as "unofficial artistic and cultural representatives". [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". She had incurred the displeasure of departmental officials when her company performed Southland, a ballet that dramatized the lynching of a black man in the racist American South. A fictional work based on her African experiences, Kasamance: A Fantasy, was published in 1974. First Name Katherine #37. 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. She describes this during an interview in 2002: "My problemmy strong drive at that time was to remain in this academic position that anthropology gave me, and at the same time continue with this strong drive for motionrhythmic motion". [60], However, this decision did not keep her from engaging with and highly influencing the discipline for the rest of her life and beyond. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. From the beginning of their association, around 1938, Pratt designed the sets and every costume Dunham ever wore. Photo provided by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Morris Library Special Collections Research Center. He continued as her artistic collaborator until his death in 1986. Last Name Dunham #5. International dance icon Katherine Dunham (right,) also an anthropologist, founded an art museum in East St. Louis, IL. Anthropology News 33, no. Alvin Ailey, who stated that he first became interested in dance as a professional career after having seen a performance of the Katherine Dunham Company as a young teenager of 14 in Los Angeles, called the Dunham Technique "the closest thing to a unified Afro-American dance existing.". Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. Dunham's dance career first began in Chicago when she joined the Little Theater Company of Harper Avenue. Named Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt, she was their only child. [5] Along with the Great Migration, came White flight and her aunt Lulu's business suffered and ultimately closed as a result. [41] The State Department was dismayed by the negative view of American society that the ballet presented to foreign audiences. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In 1987 she received the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award, and was also inducted into the. In 1947 it was expanded and granted a charter as the Katherine Dunham School of Cultural Arts. 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. The next year the production was repeated with Katherine Dunham in the lead and with students from Dunham's Negro Dance Group in the ensemble. Katherine Mary Dunham was born in Chicago in 1909. In 1978 Dunham was featured in the PBS special, Divine Drumbeats: Katherine Dunham and Her People, narrated by James Earl Jones, as part of the Dance in America series. After the national tour of Cabin in the Sky, the Dunham company stayed in Los Angeles, where they appeared in the Warner Brothers short film Carnival of Rhythm (1941). Unlike other modern dance creators who eschewed classical ballet, Dunham embraced it as a foundation for her technique. "Katherine Dunham: Decolonizing Anthropology Through African American Dance Pedagogy. Chin, Elizabeth. 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. Dunham Technique was created by Katherine Dunham, a legend in the worlds of dance and anthropology. 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. Her mother passed away when Katherine was only 3 years old. Her work inspired many. Choreographer. [1] The Dunham Technique is still taught today. [28] Strongly founded in her anthropological research in the Caribbean, Dunham technique introduces rhythm as the backbone of various widely known modern dance principles including contraction and release,[29] groundedness, fall and recover,[30] counterbalance, and many more. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In 1921, a short story she wrote when she was 12 years old, called "Come Back to Arizona", was published in volume 2 of The Brownies' Book. ZURICH Othella Dallas lay on the hardwood . 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. Childhood & Early Life. Writings by and about Katherine Dunham" , Katherine Dunham, 2005. A carriage house on the grounds is to . ((Photographer unknown, Courtesy of Missouri History Museum Photograph and Prints collection. The Washington Post called her "dancer Katherine the Great." On another occasion, in October 1944, after getting a rousing standing ovation in Louisville, Kentucky, she told the all-white audience that she and her company would not return because "your management will not allow people like you to sit next to people like us." [11], During her time in Chicago, Dunham enjoyed holding social gatherings and inviting visitors to her apartment. [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. Othella Dallas, 93, still teaches Katherine Dunham technique, which she learned from Dunham herself. forming a powerful personal. Facts about Alvin Ailey talk about the famous African-American activist and choreographer. [8], Despite her choosing dance, Dunham often voiced recognition of her debt to the discipline: "without [anthropology] I don't know what I would have done.In anthropology, I learned how to feel about myself in relation to other people. Dunham refused to hold a show in one theater after finding out that the city's black residents had not been allowed to buy tickets for the performance. Pratt, who was white, shared Dunham's interests in African-Caribbean cultures and was happy to put his talents in her service. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. These exercises prepare the dancers for African social and spiritual dances[31] that are practiced later in the class including the Mahi,[32] Yonvalou,[33] and Congo Paillette. In 1963, Dunham became the first African-American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera. As Wendy Perron wrote, "Jazz dance, 'fusion,' and the search for our cultural identity all have their antecedents in Dunham's work as a dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. ", Examples include: The Ballet in film "Stormy Weather" (Stone 1943) and "Mambo" (Rossen 1954). Here are some interesting facts about Alvin Ailey for you: Facts about Alvin Ailey 1: the popular modern dance Also that year they appeared in the first ever, hour-long American spectacular televised by NBC, when television was first beginning to spread across America. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". Dunham is still taught at widely recognized dance institutions such as The American Dance Festival and The Ailey School. A key reason for this choice was because she knew that through dance, her work would be able to be accessed by a wider array of audiences; more so than if she continued to limit her work within academia. 1. During her tenure, she secured funding for the Performing Arts Training Center, where she introduced a program designed to channel the energy of the communitys youth away from gangs and into dance. Her father was given a number of important positions at court . 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190264871.003.0001, "Dunham Technique: Fall and recovery with body roll", "Katherine Dunham on need for Dunham Technique", "The Negro Problem in a Class Society: 19511960 Brazil", "Katherine Dunham, Dance Icon, Dies at 96", "Candace Award Recipients 19821990, Page 1", "Katherine the Great: 2004 Lifetime Achievement Awardee Katherine Dunham", Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology, Katherine Dunham on her anthropological films, Guide to the Photograph Collection on Katherine Dunham, Katherine Dunham's oral history video excerpts, "Katherine Dunham on Overcoming 1940s Racism", Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, Recalling Choreographer and Activist Dunham, "How Katherine Dunham Revealed Black Dance to the World", Katherine Dunham, Dance Pioneer, Dies at 96, "On Stage and Backstage withTalented Katherine Dunham, Master Dance Designer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katherine_Dunham&oldid=1139015494, American people of French-Canadian descent, 20th-century African-American politicians, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 1971 she received the Heritage Award from the, In 1983 she was a recipient of one of the highest artistic awards in the United States, the. Katherine Dunham got an early bachelor's degree in anthropology as a student at the University of Chicago. Katherine Johnson, ne Katherine Coleman, also known as (1939-56) Katherine Goble, (born August 26, 1918, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S.died February 24, 2020, Newport News, Virginia), American mathematician who calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program. Using some ballet vernacular, Dunham incorporates these principles into a set of class exercises she labeled as "processions". Fun Facts. [51] The couple had officially adopted their foster daughter, a 14-month-old girl they had found as an infant in a Roman Catholic convent nursery in Fresnes, France. 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. . Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) brought African dance aesthetics to the United States, forever influencing modern and jazz dance. They were stranded without money because of bad management by their impresario. Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. Katherine Dunham, pseudonym Kaye Dunn, (born June 22, 1909, Glen Ellyn, Illinois, U.S.died May 21, 2006, New York, New York), American dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in the field of dance anthropology. Early in 1947 Dunham choreographed the musical play Windy City, which premiered at the Great Northern Theater in Chicago. [3] She created many all-black dance groups. 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. Harrison, Faye V. "Decolonizing Anthropology Moving Further Toward and Anthropology for Liberation." 3 (1992): 24. She made national headlines by staging a hunger strike to protest the U.S. governments repatriation policy for Haitian immigrants. Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. New York: Rizzoli, 1989. Short Biography. [18] to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree. Born in Glen Ellyn, IL #6. The critics acknowledged the historical research she did on dance in ancient Egypt, but they were not appreciative of her choreography as staged for this production.[25]. USA. Later that year she took her troupe to Mexico, where their performances were so popular that they stayed and performed for more than two months. She . Her dance company was provided with rent-free studio space for three years by an admirer and patron, Lee Shubert; it had an initial enrollment of 350 students. (Below are 10 Katherine Dunham quotes on positivity. 8 Katherine Dunham facts. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student at the University of Chicago. Her father was of black ancestry, a descendant of slaves from West Africa and Madagascar, while her mother belonged to mixed French-Canadian and Native . ", "Kaiso! Even in retirement Dunham continued to choreograph: one of her major works was directing the premiere full, posthumous production Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha in 1972, a joint production of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Morehouse College chorus in Atlanta, conducted by Robert Shaw. It next moved to the West Coast for an extended run of performances there. Her alumni included many future celebrities, such as Eartha Kitt. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. "Katherine Dunham: Decolonizing Anthropology Through African American Dance Pedagogy." The program included courses in dance, drama, performing arts, applied skills, humanities, cultural studies, and Caribbean research. In the mid-1930s she conducted anthropological research on dance and incorporated her findings into her choreography, blending the rhythms and movements of . Her father was a descendant of slaves from West Africa, and her mother was a mix of French-Canadian and Native-American heritage. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200003840/. Occupation(s): Featuring lively Latin American and Caribbean dances, plantation dances, and American social dances, the show was an immediate success. THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and operaincluding Aida (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. She was instrumental in getting respect for Black dancers on the concert dance stage and directed the first self-supported Black dance company. Dunham's background as an anthropologist gave the dances of the opera a new authenticity. Never completing her required coursework for her graduate degree, she departed for Broadway and Hollywood. From the solar system to the world economy to educational games, Fact Monster has the info kids are seeking. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. It closed after only 38 performances. [15] It was in a lecture by Redfield that she learned about the relationship between dance and culture, pointing out that Black Americans had retained much of their African heritage in dances. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him. Here are 10 facts about her fascinating life. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. Long, Richard A, and Joe Nash. From the 40s to the 60s, Dunham and her dance troupe toured to 57 countries of the world. Charm Dance from "L'Ag'Ya". Dunham was both a popular entertainer and a serious artist intent on tracing the roots of Black culture. She also choreographed and starred in dance sequences in such films as Carnival of Rhythm (1942), Stormy Weather (1943), and Casbah (1947). Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist [1]. New York City, U.S. Dunham created many all-black dance groups. 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. Tune in & learn about the inception of. Question 2. from the University of Chicago, she had acquired a vast knowledge of the dances and rituals of the Black peoples of tropical America. A photographic exhibit honoring her achievements, entitled Kaiso! Radcliffe-Brown, Edward Sapir, Melville Herskovits, Lloyd Warner and Bronisaw Malinowski. The Katherine Dunham Company became an incubator for many well known performers, including Archie Savage, Talley Beatty, Janet Collins, Lenwood Morris, Vanoye Aikens, Lucille Ellis, Pearl Reynolds, Camille Yarbrough, Lavinia Williams, and Tommy Gomez. Classes are led by Ruby Streate, director of dance and education and artistic director of the Katherine Dunham Children's Workshop. "My job", she said, "is to create a useful legacy. The schools she created helped train such notables as Alvin Ailey and Jerome Robbins in the "Dunham technique." Death . As this show continued its run at the Windsor Theater, Dunham booked her own company in the theater for a Sunday performance. [5] She had an older brother, Albert Jr., with whom she had a close relationship. Fun Facts. Birthday : June 22, 1909. ", "Dunham's European success led to considerable imitation of her work in European revues it is safe to say that the perspectives of concert-theatrical dance in Europe were profoundly affected by the performances of the Dunham troupe. In 2000 Katherine Dunham was named America's irreplaceable Dance Treasure. Known for her many innovations, Dunham developed a dance pedagogy, later named the Dunham Technique, a style of movement and exercises based in traditional African dances, to support her choreography. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, First Pan-African World Festival of Negro Arts, National Museum of Dance's Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame, "Katherine Dunham | African American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist", "Timeline: The Katherine Dunham Collection at the Library of Congress (Performing Arts Encyclopedia, The Library of Congress)", "Special Presentation: Katherine Dunham Timeline". The 1940s and 1950s saw the successors to the pioneers, give rise to such new stylistic variations through the work of artistic giants such as Jos Limn and Merce Cunningham. While in Haiti, Dunham investigated Vodun rituals and made extensive research notes, particularly on the dance movements of the participants. Katherine Dunham in 1956. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal . Kraut, Anthea. Born Katherine Coleman in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia . Actress: Star Spangled Rhythm. Dunham considered some really important and interesting issues, like how class and race issues translate internationally, being accepted into new communities, different types of being black, etc. She is a celebrity dancer. 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. [15], In 1935, Dunham was awarded travel fellowships from the Julius Rosenwald and Guggenheim foundations to conduct ethnographic fieldwork in Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad studying the dance forms of the Caribbean. The Katherine Dunham Museum is located at 1005 Pennsylvania Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . The PATC teaching staff was made up of former members of Dunham's touring company, as well as local residents. 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. Dunham became interested in both writing and dance at a young age. "What Dunham gave modern dance was a coherent lexicon of African and Caribbean styles of movementa flexible torso and spine, articulated pelvis and isolation of the limbs, a polyrhythmic strategy of movingwhich she integrated with techniques of ballet and modern dance." She expressed a hope that time and the "war for tolerance and democracy" (this was during World War II) would bring a change. Katherine Dunham Facts that are Fun!!! [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,. She built her own dance empire and was hailed as the queen of black dance. Glory Van Scott and Jean-Lon Destin were among other former Dunham dancers who remained her lifelong friends. Childhood & Early Life. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! As one of her biographers, Joyce Aschenbrenner, wrote: "Today, it is safe to say, there is no American black dancer who has not been influenced by the Dunham Technique, unless he or she works entirely within a classical genre",[2] and the Dunham Technique is still taught to anyone who studies modern dance. This was the beginning of more than 20 years during which Dunham performed with her company almost exclusively outside the United States. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The following year, she moved to East St. Louis, where she opened the Performing Arts Training Center to help the underserved community. Katherine Dunham or the "Matriarch of Black Dance'' as many called her, was a revolutionary African American anthropologist and professional dancer. During these years, the Dunham company appeared in some 33 countries in Europe, North Africa, South America, Australia, and East Asia. Upon returning to Chicago, the company performed at the Goodman Theater and at the Abraham Lincoln Center. 2023 The HistoryMakers. Born in 1909 during the turn of the century Victorian era in the small town of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, she became one of the first dance anthropologists, started the first internationally-touring pre-dominantly black dance company . movement and expression. While trying to help the young people in the community, Dunham was arrested. ", While in Europe, she also influenced hat styles on the continent as well as spring fashion collections, featuring the Dunham line and Caribbean Rhapsody, and the Chiroteque Franaise made a bronze cast of her feet for a museum of important personalities.". The school was managed in Dunham's absence by Syvilla Fort, one of her dancers, and thrived for about 10 years. most important pedagogues original work which includes :Batuada. Katherine Mary Dunham, 22 Jun 1909 - 21 May 2006 Exhibition Label Born Glen Ellyn, Illinois One of the founders of the anthropological dance movement, Katherine Dunham distilled Caribbean and African dance elements into modern American choreography. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology. 4 (December 2010): 640642. Dunham used Habitation Leclerc as a private retreat for many years, frequently bringing members of her dance company to recuperate from the stress of touring and to work on developing new dance productions. In her biography, Joyce Aschenbrenner (2002), credits Ms Dunham as the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance", and describes her work as: "fundamentally . 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. Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. 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'. Called the Matriarch of Black Dance, her groundbreaking repertoire combined innovative interpretations of Caribbean dances, traditional ballet, African rituals and African American rhythms to create the Dunham Technique, which she performed with her dance troupe in venues around the world. Example. [6] At the age of 15, she organized "The Blue Moon Caf", a fundraising cabaret to raise money for Brown's Methodist Church in Joliet, where she gave her first public performance. 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. After this well-received performance in 1931, the group was disbanded. These experiences provided ample material for the numerous books, articles and short stories Dunham authored. Her world-renowned modern dance company exposed audiences to the diversity of dance, and her schools brought dance training and education to a variety of populations sharing her passion and commitment to dance as a medium of cultural communication.
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