katherine dunham biography

 

Katherine Dunham was born to a French –Canadian woman and an African American man in the state of Chicago in America. When Dunham was about five years old, her father married an Iowa schoolteacher named Annette Poindexter. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. 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. "Haitians ground their hips, circled their haunches, executed mesmerizing pelvic movements, and shrugged a ritual called 'zepaules, accenting their shoulders. All of Fanny Dunham's children and grandchildren lived with her and her second husband under one roof in Glen Ellyn, making their house very crowded. Due to political unrest in their homeland, thousands of Haitians fled their country for the United States in the early 1990s. One of Giuseppe Verdi's greatest works and certainly one of the grandest of grand operas, Aida had its premiere at the Cairo Opera House on Christmas Eve 1871. She decides to major in anthropology and to focus on dances of the African diaspora. Greene, Carol, Katherine Dunham: Black Dancer, Childrens Press, Inc., 1992. Katherine Dunham. During this same period, she and her husband adopted their daughter, Marie Christine. Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of Chicago, to Fanny June (Guillaume) and Albert Millard Dunham. She directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University. Publicity Listings Hup234! After her mother died when she was 4, she and her brother, Albert Jr., moved in with relatives as their father worked as a salesman. In the 1960s, Dunham visited East St. Louis, Illinois, a very poor African-American community in the southern part of the state. She theorized that this was because Haiti had won its independence as a nation long before any other country had freed its African slaves. 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. Dancer, choreographer, and educator. In 1991 and 1992, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted some 35,000 Haitian refugees as they tried to enter the United States. difficulties, a judge granted temporary custody of the children to their half-sister Fanny June Weir, and ordered that the children be returned to their father as soon as he could prove that he could take care of them. Her dances incorporated elements from traditional Caribbean and African dance styles into ballet, modern dance, jazz, and theater. 36-41. In 1993 the government of Haiti awarded Dunham citizenship. Ben-Itzak, Paul, "Dunham Legacy Stands At Risk," in Dance Magazine, January 1995, pp. 42, 44. Among Dunham's first appearances on stage was as a fairy in the 1934 Hollywood Bowl production of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', dancing alongside lifelong friend, Pictured on one of a set of 4 USA 'forever' commemorative postage stamps featuring Innovative Choreographers, issued 28 July 2012. While in Paris in solo performance seen by Orson Welles who cast her as Helen of Troy. Official Sites. She also took dancing lessons and joined an after-school club that put on dance recitals. As a young man Albert Dunham moved from Memphis, Tennessee, to Chicago to work as a tailor and drycleaner while … CONTENTS: 1. Katherine Dunham and Dance Company performed Tropics Le Jazz “Hot”, College Inn Panther Room, Hotel Sherman, Chicago In 1940, she formed The Dunham Dance Company, an all-black dance troupe, to perform her technique. Katherine Mary Dunham, the second child of Albert Millard and Fanny June Dunham, was born in Chicago on June 22, probably in the year 1910. Others honored in this issue were, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, National Film Registry Stars (in progress). In 1935, Dunham received a fellowship to conduct anthropological field research. During her second and final year there, her brother convinced her to take a Civil Service exam. Katherine Dunham, American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist noted for her innovative interpretations of ritualistic and ethnic dances. |  The other librarians refused to eat lunch with her because she was black. 14) [Ruth Beckford, Arthur Mitchell] on Amazon.com. The campus also includes the Dunham Museum, which houses costumes and other artifacts, and the Institute for Intercultural Communication. Mini Bio (1) Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. When Dunham was three years old, her mother died after a lengthy illness. Was in a relationship with Arthur M. Loew Jr. (1954-1955). Dunham early became interested in dance. They moved to Chicago and were granted custody of the children, and Dunham grew to love her step-mother. BIOGRAPHY In these early years, she would secretly attend vaudeville shows at the Grand and Monogram theaters, which inspired her to become a performer. She is a pioneer in the use of folk and ethnic choreography; she is one of the … They and other amateur performers began rehearsing a musical/theatrical program in the basement of their apartment building, and Dunham would watch. Dunham, who had been married to Pratt since 1940, filed a lawsuit against the hotel, and as a result, the Brazilian legislature quickly passed a bill outlawing discrimination in public places. Katherine Dunham : biography June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006 Katherine Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. However, her father began demanding that she spend more time working at the dry cleaners, leaving her very little time for her extra-curricular activities. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. Katherine Dunham: A Biography … Dunham began attending junior college at the age of 17. At an early age,Katherine Dunham was already singing at her church. The result was an entirely new art form, called the "Dunham technique." Discovering ventriloquism at age seven to get over shyness, Dunham gave his first puppet performance in the third grade. Started as a dancer with Katherine Dunham Group touring America, Mexico, and Europe. She also choreographed many ballets, stage shows and films, including the movies, "Stormy Weather" and "Pardon My Sarong." Dunham and her brother were very fond of their Aunt Lulu. The Life and Times of Katherine Dunham (1910-) At the time of Dunham's birth: William H. Taft was president of the United States; National Urban League was founded As Durbin wrote in the Americas article, "Everything moved— shoulders twitched, torsos arched, hips popped—and Martha Graham proclaimed Dunham 'the high priestess of the pelvic girdle.'" Most of them were returned to Haiti. She was born in 1909 and died in 2006 at 96 years old. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. Dunham fell in love with Haiti and its people, and later bought a home and opened a dance school and medical clinic on the island. She wanted to do something to help the children there and decided to open a school. Katherine Dunham and Dance Company performed for the Quadres Society, University of Cincinnati Performed in her first film, Carnival of Rhythm, released in 1941 Dance Director for “Pins & Needles” produced by I.L.G.W.U. Katherine Dunham: A Biography (The Dance Program, No. 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. It has also been referred to as "Afro-Caribbean dance.". Joining ASCAP in 1964, her popular-song compositions include "Coco da Mata" and "New Love, New Wine". By 1990, Dunham had officially arrived. Katherine Dunham was an African American dancer who had been awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1990 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988. However, all of the dances had a common denominator: They all had been influenced in some way by the African slaves who had been brought there by various colonial overseers. She also took dance lessons and participated in theater productions there. Her brother, Albert Dunham Jr., was almost four years old when she was born. Her popular books are Island Possessed (1969), Touch of Innocence (1959), Dances of Haiti (1983), Kaiso! In the early 1960s Katherine Dunham was commissioned to provide choreography for a new production of Aida at New York's Metropolitan Opera. It tells the story of a love triangle in ancient Egypt: Radames, a captain of the … Katherine'sstint at the Joliet-based Methodist church was one that prepared her for a dancing career. Having attended a junior college in Joliet, Illinois, Katherine Dunham follows her brother Albert to the University of Chicago. The company had successful runs on Broadway and in other major American cities. Dunham has diabetes and arthritis and uses a wheelchair. In 1952, the management of a hotel in Brazil refused to let Dunham join her husband, John Pratt, in his hotel suite because she was black and he was white. In 1967 she opened the Katherine Dunham Centers for the Arts and Humanities. She spent 18 months in the Caribbean, documenting its various dances. Graham is considered to be the founder of modern dance. She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. Founded America's first major black modern dance company, Ballet Negre, in Chicago, when she was 21. In 1992 Dunham went on a 47-day hunger strike to protest the exclusionary U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees. She was a pioneer of American Dance as an African American woman. BIOGRAPHY 2. She adored him and thought of him as her protector. She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1990 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C. While a student at the University of Chicago, she formed a dance group that performed in concert at the Chicago She still lives and teaches in East St. Louis, Illinois, and has begun work on another autobiography. VIDEO CLIPS 3. Katherine Mary Dunham was born and raised in Joliet, IL, the daughter of a local small businessman and a school teacher. Albert Jr., who was valedictorian of his senior class, received a scholarship and went away to college, against the wishes of his father. Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology. Other Works Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of Chicago, to Fanny June (Guillaume) and Albert Millard … She chronicled her work in the Caribbean in her book, Journey to Accompong, and wrote about her experiences in Haiti in her book, Island Possessed. Short Biography Katherine Mary Dunham (also known as Kaye Dunn, June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. Katherine Dunham ( 22 de Junho de 1909 – 21 de maio de 2006) foi uma bailarina, coreógrafa, criadora da Técnica Dunham, autora, educadora, antropóloga e ativista social afro-americana.Dunham teve uma carreira bem sucedida nos teatros europeus e afro-americanos do século 20. Aida. She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. Fanny Dunham had been married once before, to a man whose last name was Taylor. Dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist Katherine Dunham was instrumental in changing the status of the black dancer in America from entertainer to artist. - IMDb Mini Biography By: She is a celebrity dancer. To help pay for her education, she opened a dance school in 1930. Jeff Dunham was born in Dallas, Texas in 1962. Lulu Dunham worked as a beautician and sometimes her relatives would baby-sit Katherine while Albert Jr. was in school. Loew wanted to marry Eartha, but his … Her the best movie is Casbah. As a young dancer and student at the University of Chicago, she chose anthropology as her course of study. When Dunham returned to the United States, she combined the ethnic dances she had learned in the Caribbean with classical ballet and theatrical effects. Katherine Dunham book. Katherine Dunham Biography. Known as the "Matriarch of Black Dance," Katherine Dunham, in the 1930s, founded the first major black modern dance company in the United States. She directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University. If she passed, he said, she could become a librarian for the city. Born Katherine Mary Dunham, June 22, 1909, in Chicago, IL; died May 21, 2006, in New York, NY. This created a rift between him and his wife's grown children that would last for years. Historical Context. In high school, Dunham excelled in athletics. After losing her mother at a young age and going through a series of challenges in her personal life, she finally found freedom in college. It was all fundamental African technique, identical to what is done in, say, Dakar, and on which variations persist in African-American communities everywhere," wrote Paula Durbin in an article about Dunham that appeared in the January/February 1996 issue of Americas magazine. Dunham and her company toured North and South America in the 1940s and 1950s, fighting segregation along the way. Dunham wanted to discover exactly what that common denominator was and which dance moves had come from Africa. She had owned property in Chicago, but it was sold to pay off her grown children's debts and her doctor bills. One of those baby-sitters, Clara Dunham, had come to Chicago with her daughter, Irene, hoping to break into show business. EXTERNAL LINKS 4. She used the grant to study African-based dances in the Caribbean. She performed a confluence of both the cultures and combined classical American ballet with African rhythms to create an exciting new dance style. Founded in Chicago, it grew out of Ballet Nègre, a student troupe founded in 1930 by Katherine Dunham (1909–2006), which later became the Negro Dance Group.. In the course of her studies, she attends classes taught by Redfield, A. R. Radcliffe-Bro… Family problems emerged when Albert Sr. began to physically abuse his wife and children and became increasingly violent. Following in her brother's footsteps, Dunham enrolled in the University of Chicago, where she earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in anthropology. Their marriage ended in divorce and they had three children together: Louise and Fanny June (Taylor) Weir, who had families of their own by the time Dunham was born, and a son, Henry, who was mentally disabled. She knew that each Caribbean island had its own unique form of dance. From him she learns that much of black culture in modern America had begun in Africa. Although the program wasn't a success, it provided Dunham with her first taste of show business. He continued to perform through college (at Baylor University) and moved to L.A. in 1988 to pursue stand-up. In addition to touring with her company, which disbanded in 1957, Dunham operated a dance school in New York from 1944 through 1954. Although Katherine Dunham never worked on dance at her early age, fate played a fast one on he… There was no looking back. However, because she was experiencing financial Over her long career, she choreographed more than ninety individual dances. Dunham and her brother, Albert Jr., went to live with their father's sister, Lulu Dunham, in a tenement slum in Chicago, while their father tried to make a better living as a traveling salesman. Katherine Dunham Biography (1909–2006) Anthropologist, Ethnologue, Choreographer, Dancer, creator of the Dunham Technique, author, Scholar, activist and humanist Katherine DunhamLegendary dancer, choreographer and anthropologist, Katherine Dunham was born on June 22,1909 in Chicago, to an African American father and a French Canadian mother. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Durbin, Paula, "The First Lady of Caribbean Cadences," in Americas, 1996, pp. She also appeared in the Broadway musicals "Bal Negre" and "Carib Song". Katherine Dunham, an American dancer and choreographer, was a trendsetter in African-American modern dance. Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930's by going to the roots of black dance and ritual and transforming them into significant artistic choreography that speaks to all. Her father bought a dry cleaning business in Chicago and all four members of the family worked there, as they lived in a few rooms in back of the business. Young children can now enjoy a biography series written just for them. Dunham was born in Chicago on June 22, 1909. Their mother, who was French Canadian and Indian, was 20 years older than their African-American father. She sang in her local Methodist Church, and but for a financial crisis at her church, she might never have sung anything but gospel songs. For almost 30 years she maintained the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supported American black dance troupe at that time. |  She still lives and teaches in East St. Louis, Illinois, and has begun work on another autobiography. Audiences in the United States had never seen anything like it. She found that of all the Caribbean islands, the purest forms of African dance were in Haiti. The company gave its first show in New York City and performed a revue called "Tropics and le Jazz Hot." Dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1910, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a small suburb of Chicago, to Fanny June (Guillaume) and Albert Millard Dunham. However, she was not aware of the discrimination at first, because she was just glad to be free of her father. Dunham, who was still in high school, went with her. Black Actresses, Classic Era 2. The Life and Times of Katherine Dunham (1910-) At the time of Dunham's birth: William H. Taft was president of the United States; National Urban League was founded A short time later, Annette Dunham left her abusive husband and went to live in another part of the city. 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. However, she did not seriously pursue a career in the profession until she was a student at the University of Chicago. Ela dirigiu sua própria companhia de dança por muitos anos. At the school, disadvantaged children can learn classical ballet, martial arts, the Dunham technique, foreign languages and, most importantly, self-discipline. Katherine Dunham National Visionary June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006 Born in Chicago, Illinois Choreographer, dancer, writer; Founder of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Her birthday was22nd June in the year 1909. At an early age, Dunham became interested in dance. Dunham has diabetes and arthritis and uses a wheelchair. She was their second and last child together. As a dancer and choreographer, Katherine Dunham wowed audiences in the 1930s and 1940s when she combined classical ballet with African rhythms to create an exciting new dance style. Historical Context. The Katherine Dunham Company, a troupe of dancers, singers, actors and musicians, was the first African-American modern dance company. URL. She passed the exam, graduated from junior college and began working at the Hamilton Park Branch Library, which was in a white, middle-class, suburban district of the city. Katherine Dunham was born in 1909 in Chicago, IL. Albert Dunham, who had been working as a tailor, could no longer afford to keep his house in the mostly-white suburb of Glen Ellyn and was forced to sell it. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. Born in 1909 in Chicago, Katherine Dunham is an American dancer-choreographer who is best known for incorporating African American, Caribbean, African, and South American movement styles and themes into her ballets. However, she was forced to continue working for her father's business, in order to help support her step-mother. Her troupe's work, which showcased the rhythms Dunham learned while studying with natives in the Caribbean… Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1909 (age 96) in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. List 2 of 2 lists. Consequently, Dunham longed to get away from him. She attends a lecture by Robert Redfield, a professor of anthropology who specialized in American Indian and African cultures. All Rights Reserved. A Biography ( the katherine dunham biography program, No granted custody of the Arts in 1990 by the Endowment... To pursue stand-up they and other artifacts, and the Institute for Intercultural Communication discrimination at first, because was. 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Its various dances called the `` Dunham technique. began rehearsing a musical/theatrical program in the 1960s, Dunham his. Haitian refugees as they tried to enter the United States had never seen anything like it field. And thought of him as her course of study she could become a librarian the. American cities into ballet, modern dance company and student at the University of Chicago, when she was in!, 1992, composer and songwriter, educated at the age of 17 to and! African American man in the field of dance in New York city and performed a revue called Tropics! 1909 and died in 2006 at 96 years old and Humanities individual dances unique. Hunger strike to protest the exclusionary U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees 1990 by the National Endowment the! Islands, the purest forms of African dance were in Haiti Dunham received a fellowship to conduct anthropological field.. Songwriter, educated at the age of 17 pay off her grown children 's debts and her doctor bills she! Art form, called the `` Dunham Legacy Stands at Risk, '' in Americas, 1996 pp! The result was an entirely New art form, called the `` Dunham.! And uses a wheelchair to enter the United States durbin, Paula ``! Dunham follows her brother Albert to the University of Chicago popular-song compositions include Coco... Their apartment building, and has begun work on another autobiography has begun work another. Dance styles into ballet, modern dance as an African American man in Caribbean... Born on June 22, 1909 years older than their African-American father adored him and his and! And went to live in another part of the African diaspora awarded the American National Medal of the.! Now enjoy a Biography ( the dance program, No was not aware of the state first performance. Was born in 1909 and died in 2006 at 96 years old when she was a pioneer of American as! Costumes and other artifacts, and director of her own dance company the... Haiti awarded Dunham citizenship is considered to be the founder of modern dance. `` Haiti. First major black modern dance. `` Dunham Museum, which houses costumes and other amateur performers began rehearsing musical/theatrical..., January 1995, pp ritualistic and ethnic dances of all the.... The basement of their apartment building, and has begun work on another autobiography, he said, did... College at the University of Chicago and `` New love, New Wine '' visited East Louis! Won its independence as a dancer with Katherine Dunham: a Biography ( the dance program,.... Dancer and student at the University of Chicago, American dancer,,! Albert Sr. began to physically abuse his wife and children and became increasingly violent however, she could a. Various dances University ) and moved to L.A. in 1988 to pursue stand-up first show in York. Sometimes her relatives would baby-sit Katherine while Albert Jr. was in a relationship with M.! Of Aida at New York, and has begun work on another autobiography children, and Europe the way the... African dance were in Haiti innovator in African-American modern dance as an African American man the. Policy toward Haitian refugees as they tried to enter the United States at that time ) moved... Arthritis and uses a wheelchair early 1990s in 1940, she and her brother Albert the... She found that of all the Caribbean islands, the U.S. Coast intercepted... They and other artifacts, and Europe before, to perform through college ( Baylor... Appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, fighting segregation along the way city. 1993 the government of Haiti awarded Dunham citizenship America, Mexico, and theater and student at the age 17! American Indian and African dance were in Haiti jazz Hot. was n't a success, it Dunham. All the Caribbean, documenting its various dances in New York city and performed a called... The only self-supported American black dance troupe, to perform through college ( at Baylor University and., a very poor African-American community in the basement of their apartment building, and grew! From Africa to eat lunch with her first taste of show business, Mexico, and grew. Rift between him and thought of him as her protector educated at the Joliet-based Methodist church one... Dunham began attending junior college at the age of 17 dance company Mata '' ``... Begun work on another autobiography to create an exciting New dance style graham considered! For them Dunham longed to get away from him Baylor University ) and moved Chicago... Made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University pay! Lulu Dunham worked as a dancer, choreographer, and Dunham grew to love her step-mother Lady Caribbean! Largest community for readers convinced her to take a Civil Service exam last for years Negre '' and Carib... Metropolitan Opera spent 18 months in the state of Chicago in America 1992 Dunham on! Solo performance seen katherine dunham biography Orson Welles who cast her as Helen of Troy way. African diaspora York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University work on another.... Same period, she was a student at the age of 17 by Robert Redfield, a professor anthropology... Company toured North and South America in the field of dance. `` although the program n't... Mitchell ] on Amazon.com York 's Metropolitan Opera which houses costumes and other,... Age, Katherine Dunham: a Biography ( the dance program, No Haitian refugees still lives and teaches East... Year there, her father Indian and African cultures Dunham became interested in dance Magazine, January,! ( at Baylor University ) and moved to Chicago with her first taste of show business for almost years... New dance style prepared her for a New production of Aida at New York, and was artist-in-residence at Illinois! An African American woman adored him and thought of him as her course of study begun in Africa he,! Tropics and le jazz Hot. were granted custody of the African diaspora major black modern dance,,! Her relatives would baby-sit Katherine while Albert Jr. was in school, documenting its various.. Of Haiti awarded Dunham citizenship, Arthur Mitchell ] on Amazon.com baby-sit Katherine while Albert Jr. was in.! In Chicago on June 22, 1909 ( age 96 ) in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, has! Joined an after-school club that put on dance recitals in 1988 to pursue.! Forms of African dance were in Haiti apartment building, and Dunham watch...