Named Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt, she was their only child. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". Search input Search submit button. [3] Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology. They had particular success in Denmark and France. Her popular books are Island Possessed (1969), Touch of Innocence (1959), Dances of Haiti (1983), Kaiso! Video. Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. What are some fun facts about Katherine Dunham? [17] She was one of the first African-American women to attend this college and to earn these degrees. American Anthropologist 122, no. The impresario Sol Hurok, manager of Dunham's troupe for a time, once had Ms. Dunham's legs insured for $250,000. The Dunham company's international tours ended in Vienna in 1960. [34], According to Dunham, the development of her technique came out of a need for specialized dancers to support her choreographic visions and a greater yearning for technique that "said the things that [she] wanted to say. Fun facts. 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". A continuation based on her experiences in Haiti, Island Possessed, was published in 1969. A short biography on the legendary Katherine Dunham.All information found at: kdcah.org Enjoy the short history lesson and visit dancingindarkskin.com for mo. In September 1943, under the management of the impresario Sol Hurok, her troupe opened in Tropical Review at the Martin Beck Theater. Barrelhouse. Radcliffe-Brown, Edward Sapir, Melville Herskovits, Lloyd Warner and Bronisaw Malinowski. Chin, Elizabeth. 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. Lyndon B. Johnson was in the audience for opening night. Another fact is that it was the sometime home of the pioneering black American dancer Katherine Dunham. Dunham was both a popular entertainer and a serious artist intent on tracing the roots of Black culture. ", "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. 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.". Katherine Dunham Birthday & Fun Facts | Kidadl informed by new methods of america's most highly regarded. 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. She . Interesting facts. Dunham created Rara Tonga and Woman with a Cigar at this time, which became well known. In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! Jeff Dunham hails from Dallas, Texas. "[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. 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 choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and the film Cabin in the Sky. Writings by and about Katherine Dunham" , Katherine Dunham, 2005. It was a venue for Dunham to teach young black dancers about their African heritage. Katherine Dunham Quotes On Positivity. Although it was well received by the audience, local censors feared that the revealing costumes and provocative dances might compromise public morals. "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,". Kraut, Anthea. 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 by:Miracle | Other Quiz - Quizizz 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. Katherine Dunham died on May 21 2006. A Short Danceography: Katherine Dunham - YouTube Born in 1909 #28. "Katherine Dunham: Decolonizing Anthropology Through African American Dance Pedagogy." [14] Redfield, Herskovits, and Sapir's contributions to cultural anthropology, exposed Dunham to topics and ideas that inspired her creatively and professionally. 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. 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]. Dunham's mother, Fanny June Dunham (ne Taylor), who was of mixed French-Canadian and Native American heritage. Actress: Star Spangled Rhythm. Katherine Dunham | Biography, Dance, Technique, Dance - Britannica [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". Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. This won international acclaim and is now taught as a modern dance style in many dance schools. In 1976, Dunham was guest artist-in-residence and lecturer for Afro-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Born in Glen Ellyn, IL #6. Birth Year: 1956. Back in the United States she formed an all-black dance troupe, which in 1940 performed her Tropics and Le Jazz . Katherine Dunham Fused Together Dance and Anthropology In 1921, a short story she wrote when she was 12 years old, called "Come Back to Arizona", was published in volume 2 of The Brownies' Book. [22] [20] She recorded her findings through ethnographic fieldnotes and by learning dance techniques, music and song, alongside her interlocutors. ", 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. 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. Dunham also created the well-known Dunham Technique [1]. Her the best movie is Casbah. Cruz Banks, Ojeya. For almost 30 years she maintained the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supported American black dance troupe at that time. Katherine Dunham : Dance and the African Diaspora - Google Books The restructuring of heavy industry had caused the loss of many working-class jobs, and unemployment was high in the city. With choreography characterized by exotic sexuality, both became signature works in the Dunham repertory. [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. She was a woman far ahead of her time. Never completing her required coursework for her graduate degree, she departed for Broadway and Hollywood. Tropics (choreographed 1937) and Le Jazz Hot (1938) were among the earliest of many works based on her research. Two Avant-Garde Women Who Took Big Risks in Chicago's Art Scene Most Popular #73650. 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. Banks, Ojeya Cruz. 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. Featuring lively Latin American and Caribbean dances, plantation dances, and American social dances, the show was an immediate success. If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. She majored in anthropology at the University of Chicago, and after learning that much of Black . 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. She did not complete the other requirements for that degree, however, as she realized that her professional calling was performance and choreography. 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. About Modern Dance - Jacqueline Burgess Jacqueline Burgess Katherine Dunham - IMDb Katherine Dunham - Dancing with History Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) By Halifu Osumare Katherine Dunham was a world famous dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, social activist, and humanitarian. Additionally, she worked closely with Vera Mirova who specialized in "Oriental" dance. Fighting, Alive, Have Faith. Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 May 21, 2006)[1] was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. 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. Divine Technique: Katherine Dunham Archive - Selkirk Auctioneers Anna Kisselgoff, a dance critic for The New York Times, called Dunham "a major pioneer in Black theatrical dance ahead of her time." movement and expression. 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] 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. Katherine Mary Dunham was born in Chicago in 1909. Over the years Katherine Dunham has received scores of special awards, including more than a dozen honorary doctorates from various American universities. Who Was Katherine Dunham??? by Adrianne Hoopes - Prezi She died a month before her 97th birthday.[53]. Katherine Dunham's long and remarkable life spanned the fields of anthropology, dance, theater, and inner city social work.As an anthropologist, Dunham studied and lived among the peoples of Haiti and other Caribbean islands; as a dancer and choreographer she combined "primitive" Caribbean dances with . A dance choreographer. She directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University. [4] In 1938, using materials collected ethnographic fieldwork, Dunham submitted a thesis, The Dances of Haiti: A Study of Their Material Aspect, Organization, Form, and Function,. One example of this was studying how dance manifests within Haitian Vodou. 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. Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. The Katherine Dunham Museum: Saving the Legacy of a True Renaissance Woman Katherine Dunham. for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. 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. 52 Copy quote. 1. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. [3] She created many all-black dance groups. Marlon Brando frequently dropped in to play the bongo drums, and jazz musician Charles Mingus held regular jam sessions with the drummers. American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. [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. Educate, entertain, and engage with Factmonster. While in Haiti, she hasn't only studied Vodun rituals, but also participated and became a mambo, female high priest in the Vodun religion. Nationality. By 1957, Dunham was under severe personal strain, which was affecting her health. This concert, billed as Tropics and Le Hot Jazz, included not only her favorite partners Archie Savage and Talley Beatty, but her principal Haitian drummer, Papa Augustin. Dancer Born in Illinois #12. He lived on 5 January 1931 and passed away on 1 December 1989. Birth date: October 17, 1956. "Kaiso! Later Dunham established a second home in Senegal, and she occasionally returned there to scout for talented African musicians and dancers. One of her fellow professors, with whom she collaborated, was architect Buckminster Fuller. From the 40s to the 60s, Dunham and her dance troupe toured to 57 countries of the world. She is known for her many innovations, one of her most known . 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. She is a celebrity dancer. Katherine Dunham: Dance and the African Diaspora - Goodreads Alumnae include Eartha Kitt, Marlon Brando and Julie Belafonte. The Dunham troupe toured for two decades, stirring audiences around the globe with their dynamic and highly theatrical performances. [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]. Katherine Dunham - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help 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. She made national headlines by staging a hunger strike to protest the U.S. governments repatriation policy for Haitian immigrants. Dunham had been invited to stage a new number for the popular, long-running musical revue Pins and Needles 1940, produced by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal . She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. A actor. TOP 25 QUOTES BY KATHERINE DUNHAM | A-Z Quotes He needn't have bothered. 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. Video. The living Dunham tradition has persisted. [4], Katherine Mary Dunham was born on 22 June 1909 in a Chicago hospital. The highly respected Dance magazine did a feature cover story on Dunham in August 2000 entitled "One-Woman Revolution". In 1946, Dunham returned to Broadway for a revue entitled Bal Ngre, which received glowing notices from theater and dance critics. "Katherine Dunham's Dance as Public Anthropology." In 1963, Dunham became the first African-American to choreograph for the Metropolitan Opera. There, her father ran a dry-cleaning business.[8]. Omissions? 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. Katherine Dunham on dance anthropology. Katherine Dunham - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia