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“There’s something
powerful about one who can make you know them without ever speaking to
you; there’s something divine about one who’s willing to share their
body and spirit with the world.”
Who would have known the power and passion that lie in the mind of a
young, black, woman from Joliet, Illinois? At 5’6”, 125 pounds, and 21
years old, Katherine Dunham had overcome so much, yet remained full of
potential. Born into poverty on June 22, 1909, to a black American
father, Albert Dunham, and a French Canadian and American Indian mother,
Fanny June Guillaume Taylor, Katherine’s upbringing was rough. Her
mother was 20 years her father’s senior and passed away when Katherine
was only 5 years old. People in the neighborhood were appalled that
Fanny would marry a black man, and once the two started having children,
the community did everything from false accusations to throwing bombs at
the house to force them to move. However, when Albert began standing
guard all night long with his rifle, the neighbors learned that the
Dunham family was there to stay.
After Fanny’s death, Albert had a hard time financially maintaining the
household. He sent Katherine and her older brother Albert Jr. to stay
with his sister Lulu Dunham. While living with her, the children were
constantly relocating due to financial crises. Even though this was a
time of lack, it was also a time when Katherine began getting exposure
to the entertainment world. One cousin they lived with was an actress
and used her home for rehearsals; while another cousin took Katherine to
shows and introduced her to singers like Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters.
She was also introduced to the works of the Cole and Johnson Dance Team.
Finally, Albert Dunham got himself on his feet when he started his own
dry-cleaning business and re-married to a woman named Annette. The
children returned home and were nurtured by her loyalty, love, and
patience. Annette’s presence cushioned the often over-bearing and
coldhearted ways of Katherine’s father, who had harbored bitterness ever
since his wife had passed away. During high school, Katherine developed
a love for performing and sports. However, the disintegration of her
family prevented her from partaking in as many activities as she would
have liked. Her stepmother left when she couldn’t handle Albert’s
harshness any longer, and her older brother (and best friend) Albert Jr.
received a scholarship to the University of Chicago. Facing the idea of
being left alone with her father, Katherine sought her brother for
solace. He promised to save up money to bring her to the University of
Chicago. Until then, Katherine tried living with her stepmother, but she
was struggling to make ends meet so Katherine began working with her
father. This led to his obsessive control over her life. He made her
work until she had time for nothing else besides school and work. Even
when pursued by men, she was unable to date because her father
intimidated them and kept her on such a rigid work schedule.
Once accepted into the University of Chicago, Dunham’s career began
because she was liberated from her father’s strict control. Even though
she had to deal with the racism of her co-workers while maintaining her
grades, she managed to whole-heartedly pursue her passion of dance. At
age 21, she started her own dance company with the help of two close
friends, Ruth Page and Mark Turbyfill. She called the company Ballet
Nègre. However, the company fell apart after the first performance at
the Beaux Arts Ball, when no financial support offers came through. Her
friends couldn’t afford to keep offering free services needed to keep
the company going, and many of the dancers lost interest. After the
collapse of the dance company, Dunham discovered another passion:
cultural anthropology. Upon hearing a lecture, she became interested in
discovering how dance evolved from African and Caribbean cultures. She
wanted to explore the necessity and purpose of dance, and how it
influenced contemporary dance. While studying with her mentor, Ludmila
Speranzeva, Dunham shared her curiosity and desire to link and combine
Afro-centric dances to that of ballet and modern. Speranzeva encouraged
Dunham to reopen another school based on her fresh ideas and radical
theory. This time she named the school the Negro Dance Group. The
problem was that during this time, middle-class black Americans didn’t
want anything to do with “Negro” culture. While performing a lead role
in "La Guiablesse," Dunham caught the attention of Mrs. Alfred Rosenwald
Stern from the Rosenwald Fund (a charity established by philanthropist
Julius Rosenwald in 1917 to improve black education in the U.S.).
Dunham went to the interview for the fund, and presented her ideas in
the form of a colorful, eclectic, and spiritual dance that drew from
classical ballet, modern, and African movements. Mesmerized by her
performance and breathtaking views on the connection between dance and
anthropology, she was granted the money in 1935. This grant enabled her
to become a pioneer of American, artistic, dance culture. At 25 years
old, she was on her way. She traveled to the West Indies, with a special
focus in Haiti, and studied the importance of dance in each culture.
These studies gave her insight on contemporary American dance culture
and deposited jewels of choreography that kept audiences mystified. In
1940, she formed a highly acclaimed all-black dance troupe that toured
her works in the United States and in Europe. Her dance pieces include
L'ag'ya (1938), Shango (1945), and the revues Tropical Revue (1943) and
Bal Nègre (Black Dance, 1946). She also choreographed for 6 motion
pictures and several Broadway shows. Her marriage to blue-eyed,
Canadian, John Pratt in 1939 didn’t stop Dunham from living and
transfusing her dream into the history of American dance and individuals
that studied with her and under her direction. She opened the Dunham
School of Dance in New York City in 1945 and became the first black
choreographer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. There she
choreographed Aïda (1963-64). In 1952, Dunham and Pratt adopted Marie
Christine Columbier from Martinique. The 5-year-old became a beautiful
addition to their family and to Dunham’s life.
Dunham’s legacy continues worldwide in the world and history of dance.
Her form of dance, known as Dunham technique combines traditional
ballet, African rituals, black rhythms, Caribbean and South American
native dance, and modern dance. Her technique not only focuses on the
incorporation of all these dance forms, but also the articulate movement
of certain parts of the body independently from the rest. She has been
technical cultural advisor to the president and the minister of cultural
affairs of Senegal and started the Performing Arts Training Center in
East St. Louis in 1962, where blacks could learn more about African
cultural history and participate in living arts. In the 1970s, Dunham
became an artist in residence and professor at Southern Illinois
University. She started a cultural arts program for disadvantaged youth.
She has traveled 57 countries and 6 continents. She has left an
indelible impression on the consciousness of all who are exposed to her
work, and not only have an appreciation for dance, but an appreciation
for culture and life. |
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