Katherine Dunham was a legendary dancer who made the cultures of African Diaspora known through dancing and choreography. But she is much more than that, she was an artist, author, anthropologist, manager, movie star, teacher, and mother. She revolutionized American dance by using her experience in black dance and rituals and transforming them into a choreography that speaks to the audience.
Katherine Dunham was born June 22, 1909 and she died May 21, 2006. But she accomplished so much in her life. She originally never thought of a career in dance, She, like her brother, when to the university of Chicago and earned bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in anthropology. At the same time, she became a student of Ludmilla Speranzeva. After she graduated, she founded the Negro Dance Group and they performed at the Chicago Beaux Arts Theater. During one of the performances a certain Mrs. Alfred Rosenwald Stern watched and was impressed enough to have Dunham appear before the foundation, who …show more content…
She showed the world that African American heritage is beautiful and when she returned to the United states she has all new methods of movement and expression, and with that she created the Dunham Technique. She founded the Katherine Dunham Dance group, an all-black company, which later developed to the Katherine Dunham Company. She was called the “Matriarch of Black Dance”, she was a master of body movement, and was considered a living breathing institution of information.
The Dunham company helped launch the career of many African American performers, such as Alvin Ailey, Rosalie King, Eartha Kitt, and Walter Nicks. They then used her teaches to further their lives in dance. Alvin Ailey even uses the teachings he learned for Katherine Dunham in his own school.
Katherine Dunham was a magnificent women who left behind a huge impact on the world and revolutionized dance with African American
Katherine Dunham was born June 22, 1909 and she died May 21, 2006. But she accomplished so much in her life. She originally never thought of a career in dance, She, like her brother, when to the university of Chicago and earned bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in anthropology. At the same time, she became a student of Ludmilla Speranzeva. After she graduated, she founded the Negro Dance Group and they performed at the Chicago Beaux Arts Theater. During one of the performances a certain Mrs. Alfred Rosenwald Stern watched and was impressed enough to have Dunham appear before the foundation, who …show more content…
She showed the world that African American heritage is beautiful and when she returned to the United states she has all new methods of movement and expression, and with that she created the Dunham Technique. She founded the Katherine Dunham Dance group, an all-black company, which later developed to the Katherine Dunham Company. She was called the “Matriarch of Black Dance”, she was a master of body movement, and was considered a living breathing institution of information.
The Dunham company helped launch the career of many African American performers, such as Alvin Ailey, Rosalie King, Eartha Kitt, and Walter Nicks. They then used her teaches to further their lives in dance. Alvin Ailey even uses the teachings he learned for Katherine Dunham in his own school.
Katherine Dunham was a magnificent women who left behind a huge impact on the world and revolutionized dance with African American