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. [14] Redfield, Herskovits, and Sapir's contributions to cultural anthropology, exposed Dunham to topics and ideas that inspired her creatively and professionally. Photo provided by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Morris Library Special Collections Research Center. Katherine Dunham and John Pratt married in 1949 to adopt Marie-Christine, a French 14-month-old baby. While trying to help the young people in the community, Dunham was arrested. Alvin Ailey later produced a tribute for her in 198788 at Carnegie Hall with his American Dance Theater, entitled The Magic of Katherine Dunham. 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. Dunham was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. [13], Dunham officially joined the department in 1929 as an anthropology major,[13] while studying dances of the African diaspora. Banks, Ojeya Cruz. She also developed the Dunham Technique, a method of movement to support her dance works. She built her own dance empire and was hailed as the queen of black dance. It was a venue for Dunham to teach young black dancers about their African heritage. 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. Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. 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. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) By Halifu Osumare Katherine Dunham was a world famous dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, social activist, and humanitarian. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] [2] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. Harrison, Faye V. "Decolonizing Anthropology Moving Further Toward and Anthropology for Liberation." Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200003840/. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist [1]. In particular, Dunham is a model for the artist as activist. Othella Dallas, 93, still teaches Katherine Dunham technique, which she learned from Dunham herself. Kantherine Dunham passed away of natural causes on May 21, 2006, one month before her 97th birthday. In 1945, Dunham opened and directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance and Theatre near Times Square in New York City. 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. As a graduate student in anthropology in the mid-1930s, she conducted dance research in the Caribbean. 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". Q. Katherine Mary Dun ham was an African-American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. Katherine Dunham Biography, Life, Interesting Facts. A carriage house on the grounds is to . Born in 1909 #28. [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. Commonly grouped into the realm of modern dance techniques, Dunham is a technical dance form developed from elements of indigenous African and Afro-Caribbean dances. [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. Despite 13 knee surgeries, Ms. Dunham danced professionally for more than . Marlon Brando frequently dropped in to play the bongo drums, and jazz musician Charles Mingus held regular jam sessions with the drummers. The impresario Sol Hurok, manager of Dunham's troupe for a time, once had Ms. Dunham's legs insured for $250,000. She also created several other works of choreography, including The Emperor Jones (a response to the play by Eugene O'Neill) and Barrelhouse. "My job", she said, "is to create a useful legacy. Dunham is still taught at widely recognized dance institutions such as The American Dance Festival and The Ailey School. In 1928, while still an undergraduate, Dunham began to study ballet with Ludmilla Speranzeva, a Russian dancer who had settled in Chicago, after having come to the United States with the Franco-Russian vaudeville troupe Le Thtre de la Chauve-Souris, directed by impresario Nikita Balieff. 113 views, 2 likes, 4 loves, 0 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Institute for Dunham Technique Certification: Fun facts about Julie Belafonte brought to you by IDTC! The restructuring of heavy industry had caused the loss of many working-class jobs, and unemployment was high in the city. Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. [20] She also became friends with, among others, Dumarsais Estim, then a high-level politician, who became president of Haiti in 1949. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. After he became her artistic collaborator, they became romantically involved. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal . 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. Interesting facts. 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. Born Katherine Coleman in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia . The following year, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Dunham to be technical cultural advisera sort of cultural ambassadorto the government of Senegal in West Africa. [10], After completing her studies at Joliet Junior College in 1928, Dunham moved to Chicago to join her brother Albert at the University of Chicago. [ ] Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1909 (age 96) in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of . Pas de Deux from "L'Ag'Ya". The next year, after the US entered World War II, Dunham appeared in the Paramount musical film Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) in a specialty number, "Sharp as a Tack," with Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. Katherine Dunham Facts that are Fun!!! The following year, she moved to East St. Louis, where she opened the Performing Arts Training Center to help the underserved community. She is a celebrity dancer. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". [13] Under their tutelage, she showed great promise in her ethnographic studies of dance. Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) brought African dance aesthetics to the United States, forever influencing modern and jazz dance. 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. While Dunham was recognized as "unofficially" representing American cultural life in her foreign tours, she was given very little assistance of any kind by the U.S. State Department. She returned to graduate school and submitted a master's thesis to the anthropology faculty. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance." Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Died On : May 21, 2006. In 1940, she formed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, which became the premier facility for training dancers. [22] In Boston, then a bastion of conservatism, the show was banned in 1944 after only one performance. Dunham's mother, Fanny June Dunham (ne Taylor), who was of mixed French-Canadian and Native American heritage. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . As this show continued its run at the Windsor Theater, Dunham booked her own company in the theater for a Sunday performance. 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. [13] University of Chicago's anthropology department was fairly new and the students were still encouraged to learn aspects of sociology, distinguishing it from other anthropology departments in the US that focused almost exclusively on non-Western peoples. [6][10] While still a high school student, she opened a private dance school for young black children. At the recommendation of her mentor Melville Herskovits, PhB'20a Northwestern University anthropologist and African studies expertDunham's calling cards read both "dancer" and . Long, Richard A, and Joe Nash. 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. Educate, entertain, and engage with Factmonster. 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 . 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. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! [3] Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology. The show created a minor controversy in the press. 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. Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Alumnae include Eartha Kitt, Marlon Brando and Julie Belafonte. She lectured every summer until her death at annual Masters' Seminars in St. Louis, which attracted dance students from around the world. ", "Kaiso! Her technique was "a way of life". Book. Childhood & Early Life. She did not complete the other requirements for that degree, however, as she realized that her professional calling was performance and choreography. Kaiso is an Afro-Caribbean term denoting praise. "Katherine Dunham: Decolonizing Anthropology Through African American Dance Pedagogy." [6] After her mother died, her father left the children with their aunt Lulu on Chicago's South Side. [52], On May 21, 2006, Dunham died in her sleep from natural causes in New York City. Dunham also received a grant to work with Professor Melville Herskovits of Northwestern University, whose ideas about retention of African culture among African Americans served as a base for her research in the Caribbean. 2 (2012): 159168. Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. "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." During this time, she developed a warm friendship with the psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm, whom she had known in Europe. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [3] She created many all-black dance groups. Among her dancers selected were Marcia McBroom, Dana McBroom, Jean Kelly, and Jesse Oliver. Digital Library. Katherine Dunham predated, pioneered, and demonstrated new ways of doing and envisioning Anthropology six decades ahead of the discipline. Writings by and about Katherine Dunham" , Katherine Dunham, 2005. 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. Although it was well received by the audience, local censors feared that the revealing costumes and provocative dances might compromise public morals. 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. 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. American Anthropologist 122, no. Katherine Johnson graduated from college at age 18. In recognition of her stance, President Aristide later awarded her a medal of Haiti's highest honor. Receiving a post graduate academic fellowship, she went to the Caribbean to study the African diaspora, ethnography and local dance. Early in 1947 Dunham choreographed the musical play Windy City, which premiered at the Great Northern Theater in Chicago. In 19341936, Dunham performed as a guest artist with the ballet company of the Chicago Opera. "[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 1976, Dunham was guest artist-in-residence and lecturer for Afro-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Each procession builds on the last and focuses on conditioning the body to prepare for specific exercises that come later. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. Her legacy was far-reaching, both in dance and her cultural and social work. ZURICH Othella Dallas lay on the hardwood . The Met Ballet Company dancers studied Dunham Technique at Dunham's 42nd Street dance studio for the entire summer leading up to the season opening of Aida. "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". She also continued refining and teaching the Dunham Technique to transmit that knowledge to succeeding generations of dance students. . Video. This was followed by television spectaculars filmed in London, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Sydney, and Mexico City. 3 (1992): 24. [21] This style of participant observation research was not yet common within the discipline of anthropology. Katherine Mary Dunham (also known as Kaye Dunn, June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. and creative team that lasted. 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 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 recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989. Here are some interesting facts about Alvin Ailey for you: Facts about Alvin Ailey 1: the popular modern dance New York: Rizzoli, 1989. Katherine Dunham got an early bachelor's degree in anthropology as a student at the University of Chicago. 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. Among Dunham's closest friends and colleagues was Julie Robinson, formerly a performer with the Katherine Dunham Company, and her husband, singer and later political activist Harry Belafonte. She arranged a fundraising cabaret for a Methodist Church, where she did her first public performance when she was 15 years old. ", "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. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. Dunham technique is also inviting to the influence of cultural movement languages outside of dance including karate and capoeira.[36]. What are some fun facts about Katherine Dunham? ", 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. Some Facts. 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. This gained international headlines and the embarrassed local police officials quickly released her. Over her long career, she choreographed more than ninety individual dances. Facts about Alvin Ailey talk about the famous African-American activist and choreographer. 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. Understanding that the fact was due to racial discrimination, she made sure the incident was publicized. Her father was given a number of important positions at court . "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology." Gender: Female. She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. The company soon embarked on a tour of venues in South America, Europe, and North Africa. Her father was a descendant of slaves from West Africa, and her mother was a mix of French-Canadian and Native-American heritage. Dunham became interested in both writing and dance at a young age. After her company performed successfully, Dunham was chosen as dance director of the Chicago Negro Theater Unit of the Federal Theatre Project. Fun facts. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. Luminaries like Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Katherine Dunham began to shape and define what this new genre of dance would be. Katherine Dunham, it includes photographs highlighting the many dimensions of Dunham's life and work. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. Most Popular #73650. [2] Most of Dunham's works previewed many questions essential to anthropology's postmodern turn, such as critiquing understandings of modernity, interpretation, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism. In 1986 the American Anthropological Association gave her a Distinguished Service Award. Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. Using some ballet vernacular, Dunham incorporates these principles into a set of class exercises she labeled as "processions". Born: June 22, 1909. Text:. for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. The group performed Dunham's Negro Rhapsody at the Chicago Beaux Arts Ball. The troupe performed a suite of West Indian dances in the first half of the program and a ballet entitled Tropic Death, with Talley Beatty, in the second half. . "Kaiso! 2023 The HistoryMakers. - Pic Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. "[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. Genres Novels. Over the years Katherine Dunham has received scores of special awards, including more than a dozen honorary doctorates from various American universities. She was instrumental in getting respect for Black dancers on the concert dance stage and directed the first self-supported Black dance company. [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". In August she was awarded a bachelor's degree, a Ph.B., bachelor of philosophy, with her principal area of study being social anthropology. Dancer Born in Illinois #12. 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. [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. This was the beginning of more than 20 years during which Dunham performed with her company almost exclusively outside the United States. Her dance career was interrupted in 1935 when she received funding from the Rosenwald Foundation which allowed her to travel to Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad, and Haiti for eighteen months to explore each country's respective dance cultures. With choreography characterized by exotic sexuality, both became signature works in the Dunham repertory. Grow your vocab the fun way! Back in the United States she formed an all-black dance troupe, which in 1940 performed her Tropics and Le Jazz . Through her ballet teachers, she was also exposed to Spanish, East Indian, Javanese, and Balinese dance forms.[23]. 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.
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