katherine dunham fun facts

"Between Primitivism and Diaspora: The Dance Performances of Josephine Baker, Zora Neale Hurston, and Katherine Dunham". 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]. The schools she created helped train such notables as Alvin Ailey and Jerome Robbins in the "Dunham technique." Death . You dance because you have to. In the mid-1930s she conducted anthropological research on dance and incorporated her findings into her choreography, blending the rhythms and movements of . Its premiere performance on December 9, 1950, at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile,[39][40] generated considerable public interest in the early months of 1951. Additionally, she worked closely with Vera Mirova who specialized in "Oriental" dance. All You Need to Know About Dunham Technique. Despite 13 knee surgeries, Ms. Dunham danced professionally for more than . [61][62][63][64] During this time, in addition to Dunham, numerous Black women such as Zora Neal Hurston, Caroline Bond Day, Irene Diggs, and Erna Brodber were also working to transform the discipline into an anthropology of liberation: employing critical and creative cultural production.[54]. In September 1943, under the management of the impresario Sol Hurok, her troupe opened in Tropical Review at the Martin Beck Theater. informed by new methods of america's most highly regarded. As I document in my book Katherine Dunham: Dance and the . In 1978, an anthology of writings by and about her, also entitled Kaiso! The Katherine Dunham Company toured throughout North America in the mid-1940s, performing as well in the racially segregated South. Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student at the University of Chicago. In particular, Dunham is a model for the artist as activist. 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. [52], On May 21, 2006, Dunham died in her sleep from natural causes in New York City. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. The committee voted unanimously to award $2,400 (more than $40,000 in today's money) to support her fieldwork in the Caribbean. "Kaiso! She arranged a fundraising cabaret for a Methodist Church, where she did her first public performance when she was 15 years old. He needn't have bothered. It was not a success, closing after only eight performances. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. . Cruz Banks, Ojeya. Biography. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of . [12] Classes are led by Ruby Streate, director of dance and education and artistic director of the Katherine Dunham Children's Workshop. Throughout her distinguished career, Dunham earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. 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. Both remained close friends of Dunham for many years, until her death. Here are some interesting facts about Alvin Ailey for you: Facts about Alvin Ailey 1: the popular modern dance Tune in & learn about the inception of. Katherine Dunham always had an interest in dance and anthropology so her main goal in life was to combine them. 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.". [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. 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! 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. Dunham, Katherine Mary (1909-2006) By Das, Joanna Dee. ", Black writer Arthur Todd described her as "one of our national treasures". She also choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and the film Cabin in the Sky. 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. [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. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, . Long, Richard A, and Joe Nash. [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. "In introducing authentic African dance-movements to her company and audiences, Dunhamperhaps more than any other choreographer of the timeexploded the possibilities of modern dance expression.". "Her mastery of body movement was considered 'phenomenal.' The company soon embarked on a tour of venues in South America, Europe, and North Africa. Birth City: Decatur. Her work inspired many. Beda Schmid. 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. The Katherine Dunham Museum is located at 1005 Pennsylvania Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois. Born Katherine Coleman in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia . He started doing stand-up comedy in the late 1980s. 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. Her many original works include Lagya, Shango and Bal Negre. ZURICH Othella Dallas lay on the hardwood . [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. Lyndon B. Johnson was in the audience for opening night. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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." 1. In 1940, she formed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, which became the premier facility for training dancers. The highly respected Dance magazine did a feature cover story on Dunham in August 2000 entitled "One-Woman Revolution". She was one of the first researchers in anthropology to use her research of Afro-Haitian dance and culture for remedying racist misrepresentation of African culture in the miseducation of Black Americans. You can't learn about dances until you learn about people. After Mexico, Dunham began touring in Europe, where she was an immediate sensation. 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'. American dancer and choreographer (19092006). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. [13] Under their tutelage, she showed great promise in her ethnographic studies of dance. Subsequently, Dunham undertook various choreographic commissions at several venues in the United States and in Europe. She was likely named after Catherine of Aragon. This initiative drew international publicity to the plight of the Haitian boat-people and U.S. discrimination against them. Facts About Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham PhB'36. 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. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. 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 Over the years Katherine Dunham has received scores of special awards, including more than a dozen honorary doctorates from various American universities. The Katherine Dunham Company became an incubator for many well known performers, including Archie Savage, Talley Beatty, Janet Collins, Lenwood Morris, Vanoye Aikens, Lucille Ellis, Pearl Reynolds, Camille Yarbrough, Lavinia Williams, and Tommy Gomez. Schools inspired by it were later opened in Stockholm, Paris, and Rome by dancers who had been trained by Dunham. By 1957, Dunham was under severe personal strain, which was affecting her health. 288 pages, Hardcover. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. New York: Rizzoli, 1989. Radcliffe-Brown, Fred Eggan, and many others that she met in and around the University of Chicago. . [59] She ultimately chose to continue her career in dance without her master's degree in anthropology. Most Popular #73650. (Below are 10 Katherine Dunham quotes on positivity. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal . Katherine returnedto to the usa in 1931 miss Dunham met one of. Katherine Dunham (born June 22, 1909) [1] was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist [1]. Never completing her required coursework for her graduate degree, she departed for Broadway and Hollywood. "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." In 1939, Dunham's company gave additional performances in Chicago and Cincinnati and then returned to New York. She wanted to know not only how people danced but why they dance. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. New York City, U.S. Some Facts. Also that year they appeared in the first ever, hour-long American spectacular televised by NBC, when television was first beginning to spread across America. The show created a minor controversy in the press. Her legacy was far-reaching, both in dance and her cultural and social work. She wrote that he "opened the floodgates of anthropology" for her. This meant neither of the children were able to settle into a home for a few years. Her technique was "a way of life". This led to a custody battle over Katherine and her brother, brought on by their maternal relatives. The family moved to Joliet, Illinois when her father remarried. 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. 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. He was only one of a number of international celebrities who were Dunham's friends. [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. In 2000 she was named one of the first one hundred of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures" by the Dance Heritage Coalition. and creative team that lasted. Katherine Dunham. Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) brought African dance aesthetics to the United States, forever influencing modern and jazz dance. Example. Numerous scholars describe Dunham as pivotal to the fields of Dance Education, Applied Anthropology, Humanistic Anthropology, African Diasporic Anthropology and Liberatory Anthropology. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200003840/. Many of her students, trained in her studios in Chicago and New York City, became prominent in the field of modern dance. 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. Dunham saved the day by arranging for the company to be paid to appear in a German television special, Karibische Rhythmen, after which they returned to the United States. 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. Understanding that the fact was due to racial discrimination, she made sure the incident was publicized. Katherine Dunham, the dancer, choreographer, teacher and anthropologist whose pioneering work introduced much of the black heritage in dance to the stage, died Sunday at her home in Manhattan. Othella Dallas, 93, still teaches Katherine Dunham technique, which she learned from Dunham herself. She was the first American dancer to present indigenous forms on a concert stage, the first to sustain a black dance company. She created and performed in works for stage, clubs, and Hollywood films; she started a school and a technique that continue to flourish; she fought unstintingly for racial justice. Dunham early became interested in dance. Video. 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. Alvin Ailey later produced a tribute for her in 198788 at Carnegie Hall with his American Dance Theater, entitled The Magic of Katherine Dunham. It closed after only 38 performances. She was born on June 22, 1909 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small . Anthropology News 33, no. As a choreographer, anthropologist, educator, and activist, Katherine Dunham transformed the field of dance in the twentieth century. From the beginning of their association, around 1938, Pratt designed the sets and every costume Dunham ever wore. 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. There she met John Pratt, an artist and designer and they got married in 1941 until his death in 1986. Birth Year: 1956. Katherine Dunham, was published in a limited, numbered edition of 130 copies by the Institute for the Study of Social Change. Katherine Mary Dunham was born in Chicago in 1909. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th . Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. Based on her research in Martinique, this three-part performance integrated elements of a Martinique fighting dance into American ballet. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. Our site is COPPA and kidSAFE-certified, so you can rest assured it's a safe place for kids . 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]. Cruz Banks, Ojeya. She also danced professionally, owned a dance company, and operated a dance studio. 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). On February 22, 2022, Selkirk will offer a unique, one-lot auction titled, Divine Technique: Katherine Dunham Ephemera And Documents. Digital Library. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. Keep reading for more such interesting quotes at Kidadl!) Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) is revered as one of the great pillars of American dance history. [14] For example, she was highly influenced both by Sapir's viewpoint on culture being made up of rituals, beliefs, customs and artforms, and by Herkovits' and Redfield's studies highlighting links between African and African American cultural expression. A carriage house on the grounds is to . Dunham was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. Dunham, who died at the age of 96 [in 2006], was an anthropologist and political activist, especially on behalf of the rights of black people. [5] She had an older brother, Albert Jr., with whom she had a close relationship. 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. Died: May 21, 2006. One recurring theme that I really . 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. Dunham also created the well-known Dunham Technique [1]. [6][10] While still a high school student, she opened a private dance school for young black children. Her work helped send astronauts to the . She is a celebrity dancer. Katherine Dunham facts for kids. 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. 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. From the 40s to the 60s, Dunham and her dance troupe toured to 57 countries of the world. Her father was a descendant of slaves from West Africa, and her mother was a mix of French-Canadian and Native-American heritage. Katherine Dunham: The Artist as Activist During World War II. She was also consulted on costuming for the Egyptian and Ethiopian dress. As a student, she studied under anthropologists such as A.R. 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. Katherine Dunham in a photograph from around 1945. Photo provided by Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Morris Library Special Collections Research Center. She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and operaincluding Aida (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. - Pic Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images. American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. He continued as her artistic collaborator until his death in 1986. [60], However, this decision did not keep her from engaging with and highly influencing the discipline for the rest of her life and beyond. After noticing that Katherine enjoyed working and socializing with people, her brother suggested that she study Anthropology. Dancer. On another occasion, in October 1944, after getting a rousing standing ovation in Louisville, Kentucky, she told the all-white audience that she and her company would not return because "your management will not allow people like you to sit next to people like us." Pratt, who was white, shared Dunham's interests in African-Caribbean cultures and was happy to put his talents in her service. The Black Tradition in American Modern Dance. Born in 1909 #28. "[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. The Dunham troupe toured for two decades, stirring audiences around the globe with their dynamic and highly theatrical performances. 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. She also continued refining and teaching the Dunham Technique to transmit that knowledge to succeeding generations of dance students. Her father, Albert Millard Dunham, was a descendant of slaves from West Africa and Madagascar. Interesting facts. Katherine Johnson, ne Katherine Coleman, also known as (1939-56) Katherine Goble, (born August 26, 1918, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, U.S.died February 24, 2020, Newport News, Virginia), American mathematician who calculated and analyzed the flight paths of many spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program. 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. 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. Harrison, Faye V. "Decolonizing Anthropology Moving Further Toward and Anthropology for Liberation." Beautiful, Justice, Black. A photographic exhibit honoring her achievements, entitled Kaiso! Katherine Dunham introduced African and Caribbean rhythms to modern dance. Updates? A dance choreographer. 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. 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. "The Case for Letting Anthropology Burn: Sociocultural Anthropology in 2019." Q. Katherine Mary Dun ham was an African-American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham was active in human rights causes, and in 1992 she staged a 47-day hunger strike to highlight the plight of Haitian refugees.

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