Othella Dallas, 93, still teaches Katherine Dunham technique, which she learned from Dunham herself. Lyndon B. Johnson was in the audience for opening night. In her biography, Joyce Aschenbrenner (2002), credits Ms Dunham as the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance", and describes her work as: "fundamentally . In 1945, Dunham opened and directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance and Theatre near Times Square in New York City. Alvin Ailey later produced a tribute for her in 198788 at Carnegie Hall with his American Dance Theater, entitled The Magic of Katherine Dunham. Childhood & Early Life. Understanding that the fact was due to racial discrimination, she made sure the incident was publicized. The PATC teaching staff was made up of former members of Dunham's touring company, as well as local residents. [49] In fact, that ceremony was not recognized as a legal marriage in the United States, a point of law that would come to trouble them some years later. forming a powerful personal. The prince was then married to actress Rita Hayworth, and Dunham was now legally married to John Pratt; a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas had taken place earlier in the year. Intrigued by this theory, Dunham began to study African roots of dance and, in 1935, she traveled to the Caribbean for field research. Unlike other modern dance creators who eschewed classical ballet, Dunham embraced it as a foundation for her technique. [35] In a different interview, Dunham describes her technique "as a way of life,[36]" a sentiment that seems to be shared by many of her admiring students. Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. Katherine Dunham. ", Kraut, Anthea, "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 22:48. Dunham passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at the age of 96. Video. Biography. 6 Katherine Dunham facts. until hia death in the 1986. for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. Through her ballet teachers, she was also exposed to Spanish, East Indian, Javanese, and Balinese dance forms.[23]. 1910-2006. Katherine Dunham is the inventor of the Dunham technique and a renowned dancer and choreographer of African-American descent. [54] Her legacy within Anthropology and Dance Anthropology continues to shine with each new day. Dunham's mother, Fanny June Dunham (ne Taylor), who was of mixed French-Canadian and Native American heritage. "Her mastery of body movement was considered 'phenomenal.' She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. In response, the Afonso Arinos law was passed in 1951 that made racial discrimination in public places a felony in Brazil.[42][43][44][45][46][47]. When she was not performing, Dunham and Pratt often visited Haiti for extended stays. 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. He was the founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. Her many original works include Lagya, Shango and Bal Negre. Barrelhouse. most important pedagogues original work which includes :Batuada. Dunham continued to develop dozens of new productions during this period, and the company met with enthusiastic audiences in every city. Dana McBroom-Manno still teaches Dunham Technique in New York City and is a Master of Dunham Technique. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. While a student at the University of Chicago, she formed a dance group that performed in concert at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1934 and with the Chicago Civic Opera company in 193536. Dunham was active in human rights causes, and in 1992 she staged a 47-day hunger strike to highlight the plight of Haitian refugees. Pratt, who was white, shared Dunham's interests in African-Caribbean cultures and was happy to put his talents in her service. Dun ham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. . Birth State: Alabama. 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. [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. 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. Birth Year: 1956. Her father was a descendant of slaves from West Africa, and her mother was a mix of French-Canadian and Native-American heritage. Much of the literature calls upon researchers to go beyond bureaucratic protocols to protect communities from harm, but rather use their research to benefit communities that they work with. First Name Katherine #37. 4 (December 2010): 640642. [37] One historian noted that "during the course of the tour, Dunham and the troupe had recurrent problems with racial discrimination, leading her to a posture of militancy which was to characterize her subsequent career."[38]. In the 1930s, she did fieldwork in the Caribbean and infused her choreography with the cultures . Another fact is that it was the sometime home of the pioneering black American dancer Katherine Dunham. She was instrumental in getting respect for Black dancers on the concert dance stage and directed the first self-supported Black dance company. 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 She is known for her many innovations, one of her most known . Leverne Backstrom, president of the board of the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, still does. Marlon Brando frequently dropped in to play the bongo drums, and jazz musician Charles Mingus held regular jam sessions with the drummers. She established the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities in East St. Louis to preserve Haitian and African instruments and artifacts from her personal collection. A fictional work based on her African experiences, Kasamance: A Fantasy, was published in 1974. 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. This led to a custody battle over Katherine and her brother, brought on by their maternal relatives. She had one of the most successful dance careers in Western dance theatre in the 20th century and directed her own dance company for many years. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] [2] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. Both remained close friends of Dunham for many years, until her death. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology. Katherine Dunham was a rebel among rebels. Katherine Dunham predated, pioneered, and demonstrated new ways of doing and envisioning Anthropology six decades ahead of the discipline. from the University of Chicago, she had acquired a vast knowledge of the dances and rituals of the Black peoples of tropical America. In particular, Dunham is a model for the artist as activist. 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. . 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. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance."[2]. Chin, Elizabeth. Katherine Dunham always had an interest in dance and anthropology so her main goal in life was to combine them. For almost 30 years she maintained the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supported American black dance troupe at that time. [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. Among her dancers selected were Marcia McBroom, Dana McBroom, Jean Kelly, and Jesse Oliver. She lectured every summer until her death at annual Masters' Seminars in St. Louis, which attracted dance students from around the world. 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. In 19341936, Dunham performed as a guest artist with the ballet company of the Chicago Opera. Birthday : June 22, 1909. Throughout her distinguished career, Dunham earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. Text:. Radcliffe-Brown, Edward Sapir, Melville Herskovits, Lloyd Warner and Bronisaw Malinowski. The school was managed in Dunham's absence by Syvilla Fort, one of her dancers, and thrived for about 10 years. 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. She majored in anthropology at the University of Chicago, and after learning that much of Black . The restructuring of heavy industry had caused the loss of many working-class jobs, and unemployment was high in the city. In 1967, Dunham opened the Performing Arts Training Center (PATC) in East St. Louis in an effort to use the arts to combat poverty and urban unrest. In 1931, at the age of 21, Dunham formed a group called Ballets Ngres, one of the first black ballet companies in the United States. Katherine Dunham is credited Her dance troupe in venues around. 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. In 1938 she joined the Federal Theatre Project in Chicago and composed a ballet, LAgYa, based on Caribbean dance. She also choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and the film Cabin in the Sky. Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 1. With choreography characterized by exotic sexuality, both became signature works in the Dunham repertory. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) is revered as one of the great pillars of American dance history. Her choreography and performances made use of a concept within Dance Anthropology called "research-to-performance". Dunham's dance career first began in Chicago when she joined the Little Theater Company of Harper Avenue. Additionally, she was named one of the most influential African American anthropologists. Receiving a post graduate academic fellowship, she went to the Caribbean to study the African diaspora, ethnography and local dance. However, fully aware of her passion for both dance performance, as well as anthropological research, she felt she had to choose between the two. (She later took a Ph.D. in anthropology.) Katherine Dunham on dance anthropology. 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 . Search input Search submit button. In 2004 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from, In 2005, she was awarded "Outstanding Leadership in Dance Research" by the. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th . 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. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) brought African dance aesthetics to the United States, forever influencing modern and jazz dance. Q. Katherine Mary Dun ham was an African-American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. In 1946, Dunham returned to Broadway for a revue entitled Bal Ngre, which received glowing notices from theater and dance critics. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As this show continued its run at the Windsor Theater, Dunham booked her own company in the theater for a Sunday performance. She taught dance lessons to help pay for her education at the University of Chicago. 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. 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.". Example. The incident was widely discussed in the Brazilian press and became a hot political issue. 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. Throughout her career, Dunham occasionally published articles about her anthropological research (sometimes under the pseudonym of Kaye Dunn) and sometimes lectured on anthropological topics at universities and scholarly societies.[27]. She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. All rights reserved. A dance choreographer. 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. Kraut, Anthea. Katherine Dunham in 1956. After he became her artistic collaborator, they became romantically involved. 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. Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 May 21, 2006)[1] was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Katherine Dunham PhB'36. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of . In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! Katherine Mary Dunham (also known as Kaye Dunn, June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. During this time, she developed a warm friendship with the psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm, whom she had known in Europe. Dunham technique is a codified dance training technique developed by Katherine Dunham in the mid 20th century. USA. In 1937 she traveled with them to New York to take part in A Negro Dance Evening, organized by Edna Guy at the 92nd Street YMHA. [12] At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. 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. 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. Glory Van Scott and Jean-Lon Destin were among other former Dunham dancers who remained her lifelong friends. He lived on 5 January 1931 and passed away on 1 December 1989. One example of this was studying how dance manifests within Haitian Vodou. Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. : Writings by and About Katherine Dunham. The following year, she moved to East St. Louis, where she opened the Performing Arts Training Center to help the underserved community. Subsequently, Dunham undertook various choreographic commissions at several venues in the United States and in Europe. One of her fellow professors, with whom she collaborated, was architect Buckminster Fuller. [11], During her time in Chicago, Dunham enjoyed holding social gatherings and inviting visitors to her apartment. All You Need to Know About Dunham Technique. In this post, she choreographed the Chicago production of Run Li'l Chil'lun, performed at the Goodman Theater. Dunham 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. Updates? [5] Along with the Great Migration, came White flight and her aunt Lulu's business suffered and ultimately closed as a result. This gained international headlines and the embarrassed local police officials quickly released her. One recurring theme that I really . Her the best movie is Casbah. Best Known For: Mae C. Jemison is the . She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. Alumnae include Eartha Kitt, Marlon Brando and Julie Belafonte. 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. Last Name Dunham #5. These experiences provided ample material for the numerous books, articles and short stories Dunham authored. - Pic Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. She built her own dance empire and was hailed as the queen of black dance. In 2000 she was named one of the first one hundred of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures" by the Dance Heritage Coalition. They had particular success in Denmark and France. Transforming Anthropology 20, no. While trying to help the young people in the community, Dunham was arrested. June 22 Dancer #4. Each procession builds on the last and focuses on conditioning the body to prepare for specific exercises that come later. 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 . 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. "Kaiso! Years later, after extensive studies and initiations in Haiti,[21] she became a mambo in the Vodun religion. Omissions? She was a woman far ahead of her time. Banks, Ojeya Cruz. 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. teaches us about the impact Katherine Dunham left on the dance community & on the world. Long, Richard A, and Joe Nash. "[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. Dunham created Rara Tonga and Woman with a Cigar at this time, which became well known. In 1963, Dunham became the first African-American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera. Tropics (choreographed 1937) and Le Jazz Hot (1938) were among the earliest of many works based on her research. It next moved to the West Coast for an extended run of performances there. It opened in Chicago in 1933, with a black cast and with Page dancing the title role. ", "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 1986 the American Anthropological Association gave her a Distinguished Service Award. In the mid-1950s, Dunham and her company appeared in three films: Mambo (1954), made in Italy; Die Grosse Starparade (1954), made in Germany; and Msica en la Noche (1955), made in Mexico City. He continued as her artistic collaborator until his death in 1986. 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. 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. In 1947 it was expanded and granted a charter as the Katherine Dunham School of Cultural Arts. [13] The Anthropology department at Chicago in the 1930s and 40s has been described as holistic, interdisciplinary, with a philosophy of liberal humanism, and principles of racial equality and cultural relativity. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance." She was born on June 22, 1909 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small . On February 22, 2022, Selkirk will offer a unique, one-lot auction titled, Divine Technique: Katherine Dunham Ephemera And Documents. "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,". You dance because you have to. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". Gender: Female. She is a celebrity dancer. The Dunham troupe toured for two decades, stirring audiences around the globe with their dynamic and highly theatrical performances. There is also a strong emphasis on training dancers in the practices of engaging with polyrhythms by simultaneously moving their upper and lower bodies according to different rhythmic patterns. 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 schools she created helped train such notables as Alvin Ailey and Jerome Robbins in the "Dunham technique." Death . Johnson 's gift for numbers allowed her to accelerate through her education. 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. In my mind, it's the most fascinating thing in the world to learn".[19]. and creative team that lasted. However, it has now became a common practice within the discipline. Dunham also studied ballet with Mark Turbyfill and Ruth Page, who became prima ballerina of the Chicago Opera. . At the age of 82, Dunham went on a hunger strike in . 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. 8 Katherine Dunham facts. At the recommendation of her mentor Melville Herskovits, PhB'20a Northwestern University anthropologist and African studies expertDunham's calling cards read both "dancer" and . "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". Although Dunham was offered another grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to pursue her academic studies, she chose dance. 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. 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'. 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. But Dunham, who was Black and held a doctorate in anthropology, had hoped to spur a "cultural awakening on the East Side," she told . The living Dunham tradition has persisted. After Mexico, Dunham began touring in Europe, where she was an immediate sensation. You can't learn about dances until you learn about people. Her field work in the Caribbean began in Jamaica, where she lived for several months in the remote Maroon village of Accompong, deep in the mountains of Cockpit Country. . Our site is COPPA and kidSAFE-certified, so you can rest assured it's a safe place for kids . 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. [3] Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology. [52], On May 21, 2006, Dunham died in her sleep from natural causes in New York City. In 1987 she received the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award, and was also inducted into the. The Katherine Dunham Museum is located at 1005 Pennsylvania Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois. 52 Copy quote. 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.
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