While in Haiti, Dunham investigated Vodun rituals and made extensive research notes, particularly on the dance movements of the participants. 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". The Washington Post called her "dancer Katherine the Great." A dance choreographer. Dunham also created the well-known Dunham Technique [1]. Katherine Dunham and her Haitian legacy - Dance Australia Katherine Dunham : Dance and the African Diaspora - Google Books Using some ballet vernacular, Dunham incorporates these principles into a set of class exercises she labeled as "processions". Dunham also studied ballet with Mark Turbyfill and Ruth Page, who became prima ballerina of the Chicago Opera. Schools inspired by it were later opened in Stockholm, Paris, and Rome by dancers who had been trained by Dunham. 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). [54] Her dance education, while offering cultural resources for dealing with the consequences and realities of living in a racist environment, also brought about feelings of hope and dignity for inspiring her students to contribute positively to their own communities, and spreading essential cultural and spiritual capital within the U.S.[54], Just like her colleague Zora Neale Hurston, Dunham's anthropology inspired the blurring of lines between creative disciplines and anthropology. 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. THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. All You Need to Know About Dunham Technique. "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." Childhood & Early Life. Katherine Dunham - IMDb Regarding her impact and effect he wrote: "The rise of American Negro dance commenced when Katherine Dunham and her company skyrocketed into the Windsor Theater in New York, from Chicago in 1940, and made an indelible stamp on the dance world Miss Dunham opened the doors that made possible the rapid upswing of this dance for the present generation." Katherine Dunham by:Miracle | Other Quiz - Quizizz Katherine Dunham. 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. In 1966, she served as a State Department representative for the United States to the first ever World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal. Photo provided by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Morris Library Special Collections Research Center. The highly respected Dance magazine did a feature cover story on Dunham in August 2000 entitled "One-Woman Revolution". As a choreographer, anthropologist, educator, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of dance in the twentieth century. Dunham Company member Dana McBroom-Manno was selected as a featured artist in the show, which played on the Music Fair Circuit. She wrote that he "opened the floodgates of anthropology" for her. There, her father ran a dry-cleaning business.[8]. 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. From the 40s to the 60s, Dunham and her dance troupe toured to 57 countries of the world. Katherine Dunham Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements Katherine Dunham and the dances of the African diaspora He has released six stand-up specials and one album of Christmas songs. By Renata Sago. [3] She created many all-black dance groups. 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. Question 2. Both remained close friends of Dunham for many years, until her death. Also Known For : . As a student, she studied under anthropologists such as A.R. ((Photographer unknown, Courtesy of Missouri History Museum Photograph and Prints collection. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) By Halifu Osumare Katherine Dunham was a world famous dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, social activist, and humanitarian. 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. Tune in & learn about the inception of. Dunham is still taught at widely recognized dance institutions such as The American Dance Festival and The Ailey School. Birthday : June 22, 1909. About that time Dunham met and began to work with John Thomas Pratt, a Canadian who had become one of America's most renowned costume and theatrical set designers. Katherine Dunham. 2 (2012): 159168. The company returned to New York. [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. Her father was given a number of important positions at court . At the age of 82, Dunham went on a hunger strike in . 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 [16], After her research tour of the Caribbean in 1935, Dunham returned to Chicago in the late spring of 1936. Katherine Dunham | Encyclopedia.com Her many original works include Lagya, Shango and Bal Negre. Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. Katherine Dunham, was published in a limited, numbered edition of 130 copies by the Institute for the Study of Social Change. He needn't have bothered. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and operaincluding Aida (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. Digital Library. 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. 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. With choreography characterized by exotic sexuality, both became signature works in the Dunham repertory. USA. In 1963 Dunham was commissioned to choreograph Aida at New York's Metropolitan Opera Company, with Leontyne Price in the title role. Katherine Dunham - Dance At this time Dunham first became associated with designer John Pratt, whom she later married. 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. [59] She ultimately chose to continue her career in dance without her master's degree in anthropology. Katherine Dunham was an American dancer and choreographer, credited to have brought the influence of Africa and the Caribbean into American dance . She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. 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". Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) is revered as one of the great pillars of American dance history. April 30, 2019. 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. Katherine Dunham on dance anthropology. It was not a success, closing after only eight performances. It was a huge collection of writings by and about Katherine Dunham, so it naturally covered a lot of area. 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'. Most Popular #73650. She felt it was necessary to use the knowledge she gained in her research to acknowledge that Africanist esthetics are significant to the cultural equation in American dance. Her work helped send astronauts to the . Somewhat later, she assisted him, at considerable risk to her life, when he was persecuted for his progressive policies and sent in exile to Jamaica after a coup d'tat. Over her long career, she choreographed more than ninety individual dances. You dance because you have to. 2 (2020): 259271. She was the first American dancer to present indigenous forms on a concert stage, the first to sustain a black dance company. She created and performed in works for stage, clubs, and Hollywood films; she started a school and a technique that continue to flourish; she fought unstintingly for racial justice. Dunham became interested in both writing and dance at a young age. 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. This initiative drew international publicity to the plight of the Haitian boat-people and U.S. discrimination against them. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology. In September 1943, under the management of the impresario Sol Hurok, her troupe opened in Tropical Review at the Martin Beck Theater. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. The company soon embarked on a tour of venues in South America, Europe, and North Africa. Additionally, she was named one of the most influential African American anthropologists. She expressed a hope that time and the "war for tolerance and democracy" (this was during World War II) would bring a change. 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. [21] This style of participant observation research was not yet common within the discipline of anthropology. She wanted to know not only how people danced but why they dance. 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. 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. [14] Redfield, Herskovits, and Sapir's contributions to cultural anthropology, exposed Dunham to topics and ideas that inspired her creatively and professionally. 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. [17] She was one of the first African-American women to attend this college and to earn these degrees. Many of her students, trained in her studios in Chicago and New York City, became prominent in the field of modern dance. She . This was followed by television spectaculars filmed in London, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Sydney, and Mexico City. 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. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance." Katherine Dunham Quotes On Positivity. Her father, Albert Millard Dunham, was a descendant of slaves from West Africa and Madagascar. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! [50] Both Dunham and the prince denied the suggestion. The show created a minor controversy in the press. Katherine Dunham Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com The PATC teaching staff was made up of former members of Dunham's touring company, as well as local residents. See "Selected Bibliography of Writings by Katherine Dunham" in Clark and Johnson. Kraft from the story by Jerry Horwin and Seymour B. Robinson, directed by Andrew L. Stone, produced by William LeBaron and starring Lena Horne, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and Cab Calloway.The film is one of two Hollywood musicals with an African . Fun Facts. In 1986 the American Anthropological Association gave her a Distinguished Service Award. [20] She recorded her findings through ethnographic fieldnotes and by learning dance techniques, music and song, alongside her interlocutors. The Katherine Dunham Company toured throughout North America in the mid-1940s, performing as well in the racially segregated South. Katherine Dunham on Break the FACTS! - YouTube 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. Initially scheduled for a single performance, the show was so popular that the troupe repeated it for another ten Sundays. most important pedagogues original work which includes :Batuada. About Miss Dunham - Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities [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. Dunhams writings, sometimes published under the pseudonym Kaye Dunn, include Katherine Dunhams Journey to Accompong (1946), an account of her anthropological studies in Jamaica; A Touch of Innocence (1959), an autobiography; Island Possessed (1969); and several articles for popular and scholarly journals. Episode 5 of Break the FACTS! Beautiful, Justice, Black. Who Was Katherine Dunham??? by Adrianne Hoopes - Prezi "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.". Facts about Alvin Ailey talk about the famous African-American activist and choreographer. Years later, after extensive studies and initiations in Haiti,[21] she became a mambo in the Vodun religion. Katherine Dunham. However, it has now became a common practice within the discipline. After this well-received performance in 1931, the group was disbanded. Katherine Dunham - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays She did this for many reasons. Claude Conyers, "Film Choreography by Katherine Dunham, 19391964," in Clark and Johnson. Please scroll down to enjoy more supporting materials. About Modern Dance - Jacqueline Burgess Jacqueline Burgess Pas de Deux from "L'Ag'Ya". 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. Dunham was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of . [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. Book. . - Pic Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. "My job", she said, "is to create a useful legacy. "[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. Dana McBroom-Manno still teaches Dunham Technique in New York City and is a Master of Dunham Technique. Lyndon B. Johnson was in the audience for opening night. Example. Deren is now considered to be a pioneer of independent American filmmaking. 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. Numerous scholars describe Dunham as pivotal to the fields of Dance Education, Applied Anthropology, Humanistic Anthropology, African Diasporic Anthropology and Liberatory Anthropology. Her the best movie is Casbah. In Boston, then a bastion of conservatism, the show was banned in 1944 after only one performance. The program she created runs to this day at the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, revolutionizing lives with dance and culture. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Dunham technique is also inviting to the influence of cultural movement languages outside of dance including karate and capoeira.[36]. The original two-week engagement was extended by popular demand into a three-month run, after which the company embarked on an extensive tour of the United States and Canada. 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. She also developed the Dunham Technique, a method of movement to support her dance works. Chin, Elizabeth. Birth City: Decatur. In Hollywood, Dunham refused to sign a lucrative studio contract when the producer said she would have to replace some of her darker-skinned company members. 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. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. Dunham technique is a codified dance training technique developed by Katherine Dunham in the mid 20th century. London: Zed Books, 1999. In 1938 she joined the Federal Theatre Project in Chicago and composed a ballet, LAgYa, based on Caribbean dance. 1910-2006. June 22 Dancer #4. [3] Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology. In 1947 it was expanded and granted a charter as the Katherine Dunham School of Cultural Arts. In 1963, Dunham became the first African-American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera. After noticing that Katherine enjoyed working and socializing with people, her brother suggested that she study Anthropology. [22] 1. Katherine Dunham facts for kids. Katherine Dunham is the inventor of the Dunham technique and a renowned dancer and choreographer of African-American descent. 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]. 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. Ruth Page had written a scenario and choreographed La Guiablesse ("The Devil Woman"), based on a Martinican folk tale in Lafcadio Hearn's Two Years in the French West Indies. 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. Named Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt, she was their only child. 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. She was instrumental in getting respect for Black dancers on the concert dance stage and directed the first self-supported Black dance company. The recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. 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. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th . Dunham, Katherine Mary (1909-2006) - Routledge for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. Dunham's background as an anthropologist gave the dances of the opera a new authenticity. A Short Danceography: Katherine Dunham - YouTube I Took A Katherine Dunham-Technique Dance Class And Learned - Essence 10 Facts about Alvin Ailey - Fact File [6] After her mother died, her father left the children with their aunt Lulu on Chicago's South Side. [61][62][63][64] During this time, in addition to Dunham, numerous Black women such as Zora Neal Hurston, Caroline Bond Day, Irene Diggs, and Erna Brodber were also working to transform the discipline into an anthropology of liberation: employing critical and creative cultural production.[54]. Short Biography. until hia death in the 1986. From the solar system to the world economy to educational games, Fact Monster has the info kids are seeking. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". Katherine Dunham, a world-renowned dancer and choreographer, had big plans for East St. Louis in 1977. In 1963, she became the first African American to choreograph for the Met since Hemsley Winfield set the dances for The Emperor Jones in 1933. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . 47 Copy quote. 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]. "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". Despite 13 knee surgeries, Ms. Dunham danced professionally for more than . 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. [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. Katherine Dunham - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family - Sticky Facts She was born on June 22, 1909 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small . ", "Kaiso! Dancer. As a graduate student in anthropology in the mid-1930s, she conducted dance research in the Caribbean. 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. Kantherine Dunham passed away of natural causes on May 21, 2006, one month before her 97th birthday. Childhood & Early Life. Vintage Dancers You Should Know: Katherine Dunham 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. Two years later she formed an all-Black company, which began touring extensively by 1943. Understanding that the fact was due to racial discrimination, she made sure the incident was publicized. Banks, Ojeya Cruz. Later in the year she opened a cabaret show in Las Vegas, during the first year that the city became a popular entertainment as well as gambling destination. 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. By the time she received an M.A. Luminaries like Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Katherine Dunham began to shape and define what this new genre of dance would be. Last Name Dunham #5. Katherine Dunham - Author, Career, Childhood - Katherine Dunham Biography During these years, the Dunham company appeared in some 33 countries in Europe, North Africa, South America, Australia, and East Asia. 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. This meant neither of the children were able to settle into a home for a few years. It opened in Chicago in 1933, with a black cast and with Page dancing the title role. [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. Dunham's mother, Fanny June Dunham (ne Taylor), who was of mixed French-Canadian and Native American heritage. [1] The Dunham Technique is still taught today. Dunham, Katherine | FactMonster Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. In 1976, Dunham was guest artist-in-residence and lecturer for Afro-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Fun facts about Julie Belafonte brought to you by IDTC! Text: Julie Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. Katherine Dunham Helped Teach the World to Dance : NPR Facts About Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham Facts for Kids [13] Under their tutelage, she showed great promise in her ethnographic studies of dance. ", 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. used throughout the world choros, rite de passage, los Idies, and. [20] She also became friends with, among others, Dumarsais Estim, then a high-level politician, who became president of Haiti in 1949.

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