How old was Katherine Dunham when she started dancing?
In 1931, at the age of 21, Dunham formed a group called Ballets Nègres, one of the first black ballet companies in the United States.
How did Katherine Dunham get into dance?
Dunham early became interested in dance. While a student at the University of Chicago, she formed a dance group that performed in concert at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1934 and with the Chicago Civic Opera company in 1935–36.
When did Katherine Dunham became a dancer?
What inspired Katherine Dunham to start dancing?
During her studies, Dunham attended a lecture on anthropology, where she was introduced to the concept of dance as a cultural symbol. Intrigued by this theory, Dunham began to study African roots of dance and, in 1935, she traveled to the Caribbean for field research.
Where did Katherine Dunham learn her dance technique?
Haiti
During her time in Haiti, Dunham came to understand–both intellectually and kinesthetically–the African roots of black dance in the West Indies. From this physical understanding of what she considered her cultural roots, Dunham began to develop the first African American concert dance technique.
How did Katherine Dunham die?
Natural causes
Katherine Dunham/Cause of death
Why is Katherine Dunham unique?
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 that speaks to all. She was a pioneer in the use of folk and ethnic choreography and one of the founders of the anthropological dance movement.
What degrees did Katherine Dunham have?
Instead, she consented to her family’s wish that she become a teacher and followed her brother, Albert Dunham Jr. to the University of Chicago, where she became one of the first African American women to attend this University and earned bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees in anthropology.