Dunham passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at the age of 96. 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. [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. Katherine Dunham, it includes photographs highlighting the many dimensions of Dunham's life and work. She expressed a hope that time and the "war for tolerance and democracy" (this was during World War II) would bring a change. This was the beginning of more than 20 years during which Dunham performed with her company almost exclusively outside the United States. "[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. After running it as a tourist spot, with Vodun dancing as entertainment, in the early 1960s, she sold it to a French entrepreneur in the early 1970s. In 1948, she opened A Caribbean Rhapsody, first at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, and then took it to the Thtre des Champs-lyses in Paris. Occupation(s): 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! Birth date: October 17, 1956. Katherine Dunham: The Artist as Activist | Center for the Humanities The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance. The first work, entitled A Touch of Innocence: Memoirs of Childhood, was published in 1959. As a graduate student in anthropology in the mid-1930s, she conducted dance research in the Caribbean. She was a woman far ahead of her time. Katherine Johnson | Biography, Education, Accomplishments, & Facts While in Haiti, Dunham investigated Vodun rituals and made extensive research notes, particularly on the dance movements of the participants. The living Dunham tradition has persisted. 2 (2020): 259271. New York: Rizzoli, 1989. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. Grow your vocab the fun way! 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. However, after her father remarried, Albert Sr. and his new wife, Annette Poindexter Dunham, took in Katherine and her brother. Dunham was both a popular entertainer and a serious artist intent on tracing the roots of Black culture. You can't learn about dances until you learn about people. [36] Her classes are described as a safe haven for many and some of her students even attribute their success in life to the structure and artistry of her technical institution. After he became her artistic collaborator, they became romantically involved. Search input Search submit button. Luminaries like Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and Katherine Dunham began to shape and define what this new genre of dance would be. See "Selected Bibliography of Writings by Katherine Dunham" in Clark and Johnson. Katherine Dunham Facts that are Fun!!! Anthropology News 33, no. But Dunham, who was Black and held a doctorate in anthropology, had hoped to spur a "cultural awakening on the East Side," she told . Time reported that, "she went on a 47-day hunger strike to protest the U.S.'s forced repatriation of Haitian refugees. (She later took a Ph.D. in anthropology.) 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. VV A. Clark and Sara E. Johnson, editors, Joliet Central High School Yearbook, 1928. [15] Dunham's relationship with Redfield in particular was highly influential. The family moved to Joliet, Illinois when her father remarried. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of . Katherine Dunham - Dancing with History At this time Dunham first became associated with designer John Pratt, whom she later married. It was considered one of the best learning centers of its type at the time. Inspiring dancers: Ms Katherine Dunham - (Un)popular Cultures Nationality. Even in retirement Dunham continued to choreograph: one of her major works was directing the premiere full, posthumous production Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha in 1972, a joint production of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Morehouse College chorus in Atlanta, conducted by Robert Shaw. Dunham was exposed to sacred ritual dances performed by people on the islands of Haiti and Jamaica. 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. 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. Throughout her distinguished career, Dunham earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. 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. 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. Fun facts. 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. 8 Katherine Dunham facts - Katherine dunham [1] She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US. In December 1951, a photo of Dunham dancing with Ismaili Muslim leader Prince Ali Khan at a private party he had hosted for her in Paris appeared in a popular magazine and fueled rumors that the two were romantically linked. It opened in Chicago in 1933, with a black cast and with Page dancing the title role. [9] In high school she joined the Terpsichorean Club and began to learn a kind of modern dance based on the ideas of Europeans [mile Jaques-Dalcroze] and [Rudolf von Laban]. In 1939, Dunham's company gave additional performances in Chicago and Cincinnati and then returned to New York. First Name Katherine #37. In the 1970s, scholars of Anthropology such as Dell Hymes and William S. Willis began to discuss Anthropology's participation in scientific colonialism. [1] Dunham also created the Dunham Technique. 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. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190264871.003.0001, "Dunham Technique: Fall and recovery with body roll", "Katherine Dunham on need for Dunham Technique", "The Negro Problem in a Class Society: 19511960 Brazil", "Katherine Dunham, Dance Icon, Dies at 96", "Candace Award Recipients 19821990, Page 1", "Katherine the Great: 2004 Lifetime Achievement Awardee Katherine Dunham", Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology, Katherine Dunham on her anthropological films, Guide to the Photograph Collection on Katherine Dunham, Katherine Dunham's oral history video excerpts, "Katherine Dunham on Overcoming 1940s Racism", Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, Recalling Choreographer and Activist Dunham, "How Katherine Dunham Revealed Black Dance to the World", Katherine Dunham, Dance Pioneer, Dies at 96, "On Stage and Backstage withTalented Katherine Dunham, Master Dance Designer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katherine_Dunham&oldid=1139015494, American people of French-Canadian descent, 20th-century African-American politicians, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 1971 she received the Heritage Award from the, In 1983 she was a recipient of one of the highest artistic awards in the United States, the. Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora - Goodreads On one of these visits, during the late 1940s, she purchased a large property of more than seven hectares (approximately 17.3 acres) in the Carrefours suburban area of Port-au-Prince, known as Habitation Leclerc. informed by new methods of america's most highly regarded. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. From the solar system to the world economy to educational games, Fact Monster has the info kids are seeking. [5] She had an older brother, Albert Jr., with whom she had a close relationship. At the recommendation of her mentor Melville Herskovits, PhB'20a Northwestern University anthropologist and African studies expertDunham's calling cards read both "dancer" and . for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. Who Is Katherine Dunham? | GCU Blogs Harrison, Faye V. "Decolonizing Anthropology Moving Further Toward and Anthropology for Liberation." Decolonozing Anthropology: Katherine "the Great" Dunham Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist [1]. [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. Keep reading for more such interesting quotes at Kidadl!) She also choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and the film Cabin in the Sky. 35 Katherine Dunham Quotes | Kidadl At the age of 82, Dunham went on a hunger strike in . After the tour, in 1945, the Dunham company appeared in the short-lived Blue Holiday at the Belasco Theater in New York, and in the more successful Carib Song at the Adelphi Theatre. "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". The program she created runs to this day at the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, revolutionizing lives with dance and culture. Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. In the summer of 1941, after the national tour of Cabin in the Sky ended, they went to Mexico, where inter-racial marriages were less controversial than in the United States, and engaged in a commitment ceremony on 20 July, which thereafter they gave as the date of their wedding. Dunham turned anthropology into artistry - University of Chicago News Birth Year: 1956. Katherine Dunham - Bio, Age, Wiki, Facts and Family - in4fp.com Alumnae include Eartha Kitt, Marlon Brando and Julie Belafonte. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student at the University of Chicago. [21] This style of participant observation research was not yet common within the discipline of anthropology. Dana McBroom-Manno still teaches Dunham Technique in New York City and is a Master of Dunham Technique. [15], In 1935, Dunham was awarded travel fellowships from the Julius Rosenwald and Guggenheim foundations to conduct ethnographic fieldwork in Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad studying the dance forms of the Caribbean. In 1940, she formed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, which became the premier facility for training dancers. Dunham created Rara Tonga and Woman with a Cigar at this time, which became well known. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, . Katherine Dunham, 1909-2006 - WWP This led to a custody battle over Katherine and her brother, brought on by their maternal relatives. 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. While trying to help the young people in the community, Dunham was arrested. A photographic exhibit honoring her achievements, entitled Kaiso! Birth City: Decatur. The recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989. The group performed Dunham's Negro Rhapsody at the Chicago Beaux Arts Ball. It was a huge collection of writings by and about Katherine Dunham, so it naturally covered a lot of area. Updates? (Below are 10 Katherine Dunham quotes on positivity. It closed after only 38 performances. Katherine Dunham facts for kids. They had particular success in Denmark and France. 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. [14] Redfield, Herskovits, and Sapir's contributions to cultural anthropology, exposed Dunham to topics and ideas that inspired her creatively and professionally. Her popular books are Island Possessed (1969), Touch of Innocence (1959), Dances of Haiti (1983), Kaiso! Dancer. 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. Dunham Company member Dana McBroom-Manno was selected as a featured artist in the show, which played on the Music Fair Circuit. 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. Featuring lively Latin American and Caribbean dances, plantation dances, and American social dances, the show was an immediate success. [13], Dunham officially joined the department in 1929 as an anthropology major,[13] while studying dances of the African diaspora. [18] to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master's degree. Pratt, who was white, shared Dunham's interests in African-Caribbean cultures and was happy to put his talents in her service. Leverne Backstrom, president of the board of the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities, still does. Dunham's background as an anthropologist gave the dances of the opera a new authenticity. All rights reserved. 30 seconds. She taught dance lessons to help pay for her education at the University of Chicago. Vintage Dancers You Should Know: Katherine Dunham This is where, in the late 1960s, global dance legend Katherine Dunham put down roots and taught the arts of the African diaspora to local children and teenagers. Born in Glen Ellyn, IL #6. April 30, 2019. Katherine Johnson graduated from college at age 18. Among her dancers selected were Marcia McBroom, Dana McBroom, Jean Kelly, and Jesse Oliver. 8 Katherine Dunham facts. London: Zed Books, 1999. Dunham also created the well-known Dunham Technique [1]. 6 Katherine Dunham facts. Her many original works include Lagya, Shango and Bal Negre. Video. The Katherine Dunham Museum is located at 1005 Pennsylvania Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois. [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. ", "Kaiso! As this show continued its run at the Windsor Theater, Dunham booked her own company in the theater for a Sunday performance. If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. She Learned From Katherine Dunham. At 93, She's Teaching Her Technique Later Dunham established a second home in Senegal, and she occasionally returned there to scout for talented African musicians and dancers. She wanted to know not only how people danced but why they dance. 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. Although Dunham was offered another grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to pursue her academic studies, she chose dance. As Julia Foulkes pointed out, "Dunham's path to success lay in making high art in the United States from African and Caribbean sources, capitalizing on a heritage of dance within the African Diaspora, and raising perceptions of African American capabilities."[65]. Early in 1936, she arrived in Haiti, where she remained for several months, the first of her many extended stays in that country through her life. 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]. The company soon embarked on a tour of venues in South America, Europe, and North Africa. Not only did Dunham shed light on the cultural value of black dance, but she clearly contributed to changing perceptions of blacks in America by showing society that as a black woman, she could be an intelligent scholar, a beautiful dancer, and a skilled choreographer.