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. On February 22, 2022, Selkirk will offer a unique, one-lot auction titled, Divine Technique: Katherine Dunham Ephemera And Documents. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) was a world-renowned choreographer who broke many barriers of race and gender, most notably as an African American woman whose dance company toured the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Australia for several decades. . She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance." Time reported that, "she went on a 47-day hunger strike to protest the U.S.'s forced repatriation of Haitian refugees. "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.". International dance icon Katherine Dunham (right,) also an anthropologist, founded an art museum in East St. Louis, IL. Additionally, she worked closely with Vera Mirova who specialized in "Oriental" dance. Named Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt, she was their only child. The highly respected Dance magazine did a feature cover story on Dunham in August 2000 entitled "One-Woman Revolution". Anthropology News 33, no. However, fully aware of her passion for both dance performance, as well as anthropological research, she felt she had to choose between the two. Katherine Mary Dunham (also known as Kaye Dunn, June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. Katherine Dunham or the "Matriarch of Black Dance'' as many called her, was a revolutionary African American anthropologist and professional dancer. Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 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. Her alumni included many future celebrities, such as Eartha Kitt. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. Although it was well received by the audience, local censors feared that the revealing costumes and provocative dances might compromise public morals. [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. until hia death in the 1986. She did not complete the other requirements for that degree, however, as she realized that her professional calling was performance and choreography. By 1957, Dunham was under severe personal strain, which was affecting her health. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. She was likely named after Catherine of Aragon. Kantherine Dunham passed away of natural causes on May 21, 2006, one month before her 97th birthday. As a result, Dunham would later experience some diplomatic "difficulties" on her tours. In recognition of her stance, President Aristide later awarded her a medal of Haiti's highest honor. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) By Halifu Osumare Katherine Dunham was a world famous dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, social activist, and humanitarian. most important pedagogues original work which includes :Batuada. April 30, 2019. "[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. Here are some interesting facts about Alvin Ailey for you: Facts about Alvin Ailey 1: the popular modern dance 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. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . Its premiere performance on December 9, 1950, at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile,[39][40] generated considerable public interest in the early months of 1951. It opened in Chicago in 1933, with a black cast and with Page dancing the title role. The company returned to New York. 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. 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. After the 1968 riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Dunham encouraged gang members in the ghetto to come to the center to use drumming and dance to vent their frustrations. She . [7] The family moved to a predominantly white neighborhood in Joliet, Illinois. 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. Dana McBroom-Manno still teaches Dunham Technique in New York City and is a Master of Dunham Technique. Using some ballet vernacular, Dunham incorporates these principles into a set of class exercises she labeled as "processions". [54] Her legacy within Anthropology and Dance Anthropology continues to shine with each new day. Dunham was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. Nationality. One example of this was studying how dance manifests within Haitian Vodou. In 19341936, Dunham performed as a guest artist with the ballet company of the Chicago Opera. A actor. [15] Dunham's relationship with Redfield in particular was highly influential. 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. What are some fun facts about Katherine Dunham? "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,". 3 (1992): 24. In 1949, Dunham returned from international touring with her company for a brief stay in the United States, where she suffered a temporary nervous breakdown after the premature death of her beloved brother Albert. She also developed the Dunham Technique, a method of movement to support her dance works. "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". Short Biography. See "Selected Bibliography of Writings by Katherine Dunham" in Clark and Johnson. Dunham continued to develop dozens of new productions during this period, and the company met with enthusiastic audiences in every city. In 1946, Dunham returned to Broadway for a revue entitled Bal Ngre, which received glowing notices from theater and dance critics. Katherine Dunham, was published in a limited, numbered edition of 130 copies by the Institute for the Study of Social Change. Dunham, Katherine dnm . She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. A dance choreographer. Dancer Born in Illinois #12. Actress: Star Spangled Rhythm. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Deren is now considered to be a pioneer of independent American filmmaking. In this post, she choreographed the Chicago production of Run Li'l Chil'lun, performed at the Goodman Theater. They were stranded without money because of bad management by their impresario. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. Her mother, Fanny June Dunham, who, according to Dunham's memoir, possessed Indian, French Canadian, English and probably African ancestry, died when Dunham was four years old. Dunham's last appearance on Broadway was in 1962 in Bamboche!, which included a few former Dunham dancers in the cast and a contingent of dancers and drummers from the Royal Troupe of Morocco. 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. [5] Along with the Great Migration, came White flight and her aunt Lulu's business suffered and ultimately closed as a result. Video. She also choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and the film Cabin in the Sky. Encouraged by Speranzeva to focus on modern dance instead of ballet, Dunham opened her first dance school in 1933, calling it the Negro Dance Group. By Renata Sago. Kraut, Anthea. ", Examples include: The Ballet in film "Stormy Weather" (Stone 1943) and "Mambo" (Rossen 1954). Katherine Dunham is the inventor of the Dunham technique and a renowned dancer and choreographer of African-American descent. In 1963 Dunham was commissioned to choreograph Aida at New York's Metropolitan Opera Company, with Leontyne Price in the title role. 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. 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). She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance."[2]. Choreographer. Q. Katherine Mary Dun ham was an African-American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. Both remained close friends of Dunham for many years, until her death. 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. She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and operaincluding Aida (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. 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. Based on this success, the entire company was engaged for the 1940 Broadway production Cabin in the Sky, staged by George Balanchine and starring Ethel Waters. Beda Schmid. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200003840/. The recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989. In 1945, Dunham opened and directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance and Theatre near Times Square in New York City. 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. Dunham accepted a position at Southern Illinois University in East St. Louis in the 1960s. Omissions? [12] Her work helped send astronauts to the . The PATC teaching staff was made up of former members of Dunham's touring company, as well as local residents. She lectured every summer until her death at annual Masters' Seminars in St. Louis, which attracted dance students from around the world. June 22 Dancer #4. Katherine Dunham Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. "My job", she said, "is to create a useful legacy. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. Transforming Anthropology 20, no. teaches us about the impact Katherine Dunham left on the dance community & on the world. However, it has now became a common practice within the discipline. 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. Photo provided by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Morris Library Special Collections Research Center. Understanding that the fact was due to racial discrimination, she made sure the incident was publicized. [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. Together, they produced the first version of her dance composition L'Ag'Ya, which premiered on January 27, 1938, as a part of the Federal Theater Project in Chicago. Her father, Albert Millard Dunham, was a descendant of slaves from West Africa and Madagascar. . She majored in anthropology at the University of Chicago, and after learning that much of Black . 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. Later Dunham established a second home in Senegal, and she occasionally returned there to scout for talented African musicians and dancers. 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. Throughout her distinguished career, Dunham earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. Search input Search submit button. 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. 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]. movement and expression. Also Known For : . 30 seconds. Katherine Dunham was a rebel among rebels. When she was not performing, Dunham and Pratt often visited Haiti for extended stays. 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. Katherine Dunham on dance anthropology. ..American Anthropologist.. 112, no. However, one key reason was that she knew she would be able to reach a broader public through dance, as opposed to the inaccessible institutions of academia. For almost 30 years she maintained the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supported American black dance troupe at that time. 1. Most Popular #73650. Transforming Anthropology 20 (2012): 159168. 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. Video. The family moved to Joliet, Illinois when her father remarried. New York: Rizzoli, 1989. 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. Childhood & Early Life. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. ", Scholar of the arts Harold Cruse wrote in 1964: "Her early and lifelong search for meaning and artistic values for black people, as well as for all peoples, has motivated, created opportunities for, and launched careers for generations of young black artists Afro-American dance was usually in the avant-garde of modern dance Dunham's entire career spans the period of the emergence of Afro-American dance as a serious art. Members of Dunham's last New York Company auditioned to become members of the Met Ballet Company. ", Richard Buckle, ballet historian and critic, wrote: "Her company of magnificent dancers and musicians met with the success it has and that herself as explorer, thinker, inventor, organizer, and dancer should have reached a place in the estimation of the world, has done more than a million pamphlets could for the service of her people. THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. USA. "Kaiso! Last Name Dunham #5. Intrigued by this theory, Dunham began to study African roots of dance and, in 1935, she traveled to the Caribbean for field research. 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. 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. Her mother passed away when Katherine was only 3 years old. Claude Conyers, "Film Choreography by Katherine Dunham, 19391964," in Clark and Johnson. [54], Six decades before this new wave of anthropological discourse began, Katherine Dunham's work demonstrated anthropology being used as a force for challenging racist and colonial ideologies. The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance. Here are 10 facts about her fascinating life. Some Facts. He was the founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. 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. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! He continued as her artistic collaborator until his death in 1986. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th . Katherine Dunham, was mounted at the Women's Center on the campus. As celebrities, their voices can have a profound influence on popular culture. Leverne Backstrom, president of the board of the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, still does. If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. She also created several other works of choreography, including The Emperor Jones (a response to the play by Eugene O'Neill) and Barrelhouse. Such visitors included ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, novelist and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, Robert Redfield, Bronisaw Malinowski, A.R. 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. The first work, entitled A Touch of Innocence: Memoirs of Childhood, was published in 1959. Dunham early became interested in dance. Dunham became interested in both writing and dance at a young age. 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. Katherine Dunham was born on the 22nd of June, 1909 in Chicago before she was taken by her parents to their hometown at Glen Ellyn in Illinois. Pas de Deux from "L'Ag'Ya".

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