The highly respected Dance magazine did a feature cover story on Dunham in August 2000 entitled "One-Woman Revolution". Some Facts. [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. 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". Writings by and about Katherine Dunham" , Katherine Dunham, 2005. for teaching dance that is still la'ag'ya , Shange , Veraruzana, nanigo. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In 1963 Dunham was commissioned to choreograph Aida at New York's Metropolitan Opera Company, with Leontyne Price in the title role. [52], On May 21, 2006, Dunham died in her sleep from natural causes in New York City. [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. Early in 1947 Dunham choreographed the musical play Windy City, which premiered at the Great Northern Theater in Chicago. [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. [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. 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. Dunham ended her fast only after exiled Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and Jesse Jackson came to her and personally requested that she stop risking her life for this cause. Short Biography. 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. Born in 1909 #28. [54] Her legacy within Anthropology and Dance Anthropology continues to shine with each new day. She was a woman far ahead of her time. 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. 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. Dunham turned anthropology into artistry - University of Chicago News Biography. Katherine Dunham or the "Matriarch of Black Dance'' as many called her, was a revolutionary African American anthropologist and professional dancer. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. However, after her father remarried, Albert Sr. and his new wife, Annette Poindexter Dunham, took in Katherine and her brother. She built her own dance empire and was hailed as the queen of black dance. Dunham and Kitt collaborated again in the 1970s in an Equity Production of the musical Peg, based on the Irish play, Peg O' My Heart. She also developed the Dunham Technique, a method of movement to support her dance works. Over her long career, she choreographed more than ninety individual dances. Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. Born Katherine Coleman in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia . She also choreographed and starred in dance sequences in such films as Carnival of Rhythm (1942), Stormy Weather (1943), and Casbah (1947). Among her dancers selected were Marcia McBroom, Dana McBroom, Jean Kelly, and Jesse Oliver. 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. 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 There, her father ran a dry-cleaning business.[8]. [15] Dunham's relationship with Redfield in particular was highly influential. The result of this trip was Dunham's Master's thesis entitled "The Dances of Haiti". In August she was awarded a bachelor's degree, a Ph.B., bachelor of philosophy, with her principal area of study being social anthropology. Corrections? This was followed by television spectaculars filmed in London, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Sydney, and Mexico City. "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,". (Below are 10 Katherine Dunham quotes on positivity. In this post, she choreographed the Chicago production of Run Li'l Chil'lun, performed at the Goodman Theater. 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 . She wanted to know not only how people danced but why they dance. Chin, Elizabeth. 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. 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. Encouraged by Speranzeva to focus on modern dance instead of ballet, Dunham opened her first dance school in 1933, calling it the Negro Dance Group. 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. 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. This initiative drew international publicity to the plight of the Haitian boat-people and U.S. discrimination against them. Zombies, The Third Person, Intelligent Dancers, and Katherine Dunham After noticing that Katherine enjoyed working and socializing with people, her brother suggested that she study Anthropology. In Boston, then a bastion of conservatism, the show was banned in 1944 after only one performance. 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. . By the time she received an M.A. Katherine Dunham is credited Her dance troupe in venues around. This meant neither of the children were able to settle into a home for a few years. Dunham technique is a codified dance training technique developed by Katherine Dunham in the mid 20th century. In the mid-1930s she conducted anthropological research on dance and incorporated her findings into her choreography, blending the rhythms and movements of . Grow your vocab the fun way! A highlight of Dunham's later career was the invitation from New York's Metropolitan Opera to stage dances for a new production of Aida, starring soprano Leontyne Price. Katherine returnedto to the usa in 1931 miss Dunham met one of. She directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University. 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. 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." for the developing one of the the world performed many of her. 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. A photographic exhibit honoring her achievements, entitled Kaiso! Katherine Dunham Timeline | Articles and Essays | Selections from the 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. Tune in & learn about the inception of. Stormy Weather is a 1943 American musical film produced and released by 20th Century Fox, adapted by Frederick J. Jackson, Ted Koehler and H.S. [41] The State Department was dismayed by the negative view of American society that the ballet presented to foreign audiences. Stormy Weather (1943 film) - Wikipedia Katherine Dunham's Biography - The HistoryMakers Her legacy was far-reaching, both in dance and her cultural and social work. In 1938 she joined the Federal Theatre Project in Chicago and composed a ballet, LAgYa, based on Caribbean dance. 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. Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham or the "Matriarch of - Medium Here are some interesting facts about Alvin Ailey for you: Facts about Alvin Ailey 1: the popular modern dance Dunham early became interested in dance. He started doing stand-up comedy in the late 1980s. 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. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) By Halifu Osumare Katherine Dunham was a world famous dancer, choreographer, author, anthropologist, social activist, and humanitarian. At the recommendation of her mentor Melville Herskovits, PhB'20a Northwestern University anthropologist and African studies expertDunham's calling cards read both "dancer" and . Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. Dunham, Katherine | FactMonster In 1950, while visiting Brazil, Dunham and her group were refused rooms at a first-class hotel in So Paulo, the Hotel Esplanada, frequented by many American businessmen. Dunham passed away on Sunday, May 21, 2006 at the age of 96. 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. 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. [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,. Katherine Dunham Facts for Kids | KidzSearch.com "Katherine Dunham: Decolonizing Anthropology through African American Dance Pedagogy." 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. Dunham, Katherine dnm . ", Kraut, Anthea, "Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of, This page was last edited on 12 February 2023, at 22:48. Katherine Dunham died on May 21 2006. 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). [20] She recorded her findings through ethnographic fieldnotes and by learning dance techniques, music and song, alongside her interlocutors. [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. She is a celebrity dancer. She is best known for bringing African and Caribbean dance styles to the US [1]. On graduating with a bachelors degree in anthropology she undertook field studies in the Caribbean and in Brazil. Each procession builds on the last and focuses on conditioning the body to prepare for specific exercises that come later. For several years, Dunham's personal assistant and press promoter was Maya Deren, who later also became interested in Vodun and wrote The Divine Horseman: The Voodoo Gods of Haiti (1953). Later Dunham established a second home in Senegal, and she occasionally returned there to scout for talented African musicians and dancers. In 1967 she officially retired, after presenting a final show at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She wrote that he "opened the floodgates of anthropology" for her. Her choreography and performances made use of a concept within Dance Anthropology called "research-to-performance". If Cities Could Dance: East St. Louis. She also continued refining and teaching the Dunham Technique to transmit that knowledge to succeeding generations of dance students. Dunham, Katherine Mary (1909-2006) - Routledge Facts about Alvin Ailey talk about the famous African-American activist and choreographer. Dunham Company member Dana McBroom-Manno was selected as a featured artist in the show, which played on the Music Fair Circuit. 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. Birth State: Alabama. It was a huge collection of writings by and about Katherine Dunham, so it naturally covered a lot of area. She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student . In 2000 she was named one of the first one hundred of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures" by the Dance Heritage Coalition. A fictional work based on her African experiences, Kasamance: A Fantasy, was published in 1974. Born: June 22, 1909. 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.

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