Katherine Dunham | Biography, Dance, Technique, Dance Company, Famous Works, Books, & Facts

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class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dunham">Katherine Dunham</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dunham/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Katherine-Dunham">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dunham/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/56/8256-004-8E96B8A3/Katherine-Dunham-Tropical-Revue-1943.jpg" data-href="/media/1/173747/10199" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dunham/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Pseudonym: </dt> <dd>Kaye Dunn</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>June 22, 1909, <a href="/place/Glen-Ellyn">Glen Ellyn</a>, <a href="/place/Illinois-state">Illinois</a>, U.S.</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd>May 21, 2006, <a href="/place/New-York-City">New York</a>, <a href="/place/New-York-state">New York</a> (aged 96)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Awards And Honors: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Kennedy-Center-Honors">Kennedy Center Honors (1983)</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Subjects Of Study: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/ethnic-dance">ethnic dance</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Katherine-Dunham"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref5623"></span>Katherine Dunham</strong> (born June 22, 1909, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Glen-Ellyn" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Glen Ellyn</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Illinois-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Illinois</a>, U.S.—died May 21, 2006, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York</a>, New York) was an American dancer and choreographer who was a pioneer in the field of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/dance" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">dance</a> anthropology. Her fieldwork inspired her innovative interpretations of dance in the Caribbean, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-America" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">South America</a>, and Africa.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="275406" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/214841-050-F7161B9B/American-dancer-choreographer-anthropologist-Katherine-Dunham-circa-1945.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/173747/275406"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/214841-050-F7161B9B/American-dancer-choreographer-anthropologist-Katherine-Dunham-circa-1945.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/214841-050-F7161B9B/American-dancer-choreographer-anthropologist-Katherine-Dunham-circa-1945.jpg?w=300" alt="Katherine Dunham" data-width="1266" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/214841-050-F7161B9B/American-dancer-choreographer-anthropologist-Katherine-Dunham-circa-1945.jpg" data-href="/media/1/173747/275406">Katherine Dunham</a><span>Katherine Dunham dancing in her ballet “L'Ag'Ya,” which premiered in 1938.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Dunham early became interested in dance. While a student at the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/University-of-Chicago" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">University of Chicago</a>, she formed a dance group that performed in concert at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1934 and with the Chicago Civic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Opera" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Opera" data-type="EB">Opera</a> company in 1935–36. On graduating with a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bachelors-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">bachelor’s degree</a> in anthropology she undertook field studies in the Caribbean and in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Brazil</a>. By the time she received an M.A. from the University of Chicago, she had acquired a vast knowledge of the dances and rituals of the Black peoples of tropical America. (She later took a Ph.D. in anthropology.) In 1938 she joined the Federal Theatre Project in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Chicago" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Chicago</a> and composed a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/ballet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ballet</a>, “L’Ag’Ya,” based on Caribbean dance. Two years later she formed an all-Black company, which began touring extensively by 1943. “Tropics” (choreographed 1937) and “Le Jazz Hot” (1938) were among the earliest of many works based on her research.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Dunham was both a popular entertainer and a serious artist intent on tracing the roots of Black <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a>. Many of her students, trained in her studios in Chicago and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-York-City" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New York City</a>, became prominent in the field of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/modern-dance" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">modern dance</a>. She choreographed for Broadway stage productions and opera—including “Aida” (1963) for the New York Metropolitan Opera. She also choreographed and starred in dance sequences in such films as “Carnival of Rhythm” (1942), “Stormy Weather” (1943), and “Casbah” (1947). In addition, Dunham conducted special projects for African American <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/high-school" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">high school</a> students in Chicago; was artistic and technical director (1966–67) to the president of Senegal; and served as artist-in-residence, and later professor, at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Southern-Illinois-University" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Southern Illinois University</a>, Edwardsville, and director of Southern Illinois’s Performing Arts Training Centre and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="Dynamic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Dynamic" data-type="MW">Dynamic</a> Museum in East St. Louis, Illinois. Dunham was active in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-rights" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">human rights</a> causes, and in 1992 she staged a 47-day hunger strike to highlight the plight of Haitian refugees.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Dunham’s writings, sometimes published under the pseudonym Kaye Dunn, include <em>Katherine Dunham’s Journey to Accompong</em> (1946), an account of her anthropological studies in Jamaica; <em>A Touch of Innocence</em> (1959), an autobiography; <em>Island Possessed</em> (1969); and several articles for popular and scholarly journals. The recipient of numerous awards, Dunham received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1983 and the National Medal of Arts in 1989.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature font-12"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature font-12">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/contributor/encyclopaedia-britannica/12989892">Encyclopaedia Britannica</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":173747,"pageLength":397,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Katherine Dunham | Biography, Dance, Technique, Dance Company, Famous Works, Books, & Facts | Britannica