Katherine Dunham
By: Deborah D’Silva
“Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930 's by going to the roots of black dance and rituals transforming them into significant artistic choreography”-KDCAH
Background/Personal Information About Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was born on June 22nd, 1990, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She was born to her father Albert Millard Dunham and her mother Fanny June Taylor, and was the younger sister to Albert Dunham Jr. (Library of Congress). From a very young age Dunham was fascinated by the art of dance, but she was only allowed to participate in it at her church. At the age of 8 she preformed her first dance to non religious music in a cabaret party. This gave her a bad name with the …show more content…
Katherine Dunham’s work/research in anthropology was ground breaking and monumental. This is because, at the time of her return, the dance world was influenced majorly by the “white race” and the styles only consisted of Jazz, Ballet and Modern (The Katherine Dunham Center for the Arts and Humanities). She brought the ethnic and cultural dances she learned from the West Indies and the Caribbean culture to the United States where she created her own technique. Due to the dance world being largely influenced by “white culture”, she wanted to show the world that there are other styles that are just as beautiful and technical as Jazz, Ballet and Modern. Thus the Dunham technique was born. Her technique infused Modern dance with the technique of Ballet, as well as the cultural dances she learned while on her expeditions. Her unique and intricate technique became world famous. The Dunham technique is still taught in dance and master classes around the world …show more content…
“A fundamental principle for cultural anthropologists is to live among the people that they choose to study—eat their food, speak their language, and experience their habits and customs” (Katherine Dunham; Anthropology). This is exactly what Katherine Dunham did during her 2 year expedition in the West Indies and the Caribbean. She lived among the people of the Accompong village, where she learned and participated in their sacred and religious ways. She then went to Martinique, Trinidad and Haiti, where she participated in their culture and gained knowledge about the dance styles sacred to that culture (The Katherine Dunham Center for the Arts and
By: Deborah D’Silva
“Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance in the 1930 's by going to the roots of black dance and rituals transforming them into significant artistic choreography”-KDCAH
Background/Personal Information About Katherine Dunham
Katherine Mary Dunham was born on June 22nd, 1990, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She was born to her father Albert Millard Dunham and her mother Fanny June Taylor, and was the younger sister to Albert Dunham Jr. (Library of Congress). From a very young age Dunham was fascinated by the art of dance, but she was only allowed to participate in it at her church. At the age of 8 she preformed her first dance to non religious music in a cabaret party. This gave her a bad name with the …show more content…
Katherine Dunham’s work/research in anthropology was ground breaking and monumental. This is because, at the time of her return, the dance world was influenced majorly by the “white race” and the styles only consisted of Jazz, Ballet and Modern (The Katherine Dunham Center for the Arts and Humanities). She brought the ethnic and cultural dances she learned from the West Indies and the Caribbean culture to the United States where she created her own technique. Due to the dance world being largely influenced by “white culture”, she wanted to show the world that there are other styles that are just as beautiful and technical as Jazz, Ballet and Modern. Thus the Dunham technique was born. Her technique infused Modern dance with the technique of Ballet, as well as the cultural dances she learned while on her expeditions. Her unique and intricate technique became world famous. The Dunham technique is still taught in dance and master classes around the world …show more content…
“A fundamental principle for cultural anthropologists is to live among the people that they choose to study—eat their food, speak their language, and experience their habits and customs” (Katherine Dunham; Anthropology). This is exactly what Katherine Dunham did during her 2 year expedition in the West Indies and the Caribbean. She lived among the people of the Accompong village, where she learned and participated in their sacred and religious ways. She then went to Martinique, Trinidad and Haiti, where she participated in their culture and gained knowledge about the dance styles sacred to that culture (The Katherine Dunham Center for the Arts and