Dunham, Katherine

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1909-06-22
Death 2006-05-21
Americans,
English,

Biographical notes:

Dancer, choreographer.

From the description of Reminiscences of Katherine Dunham : oral history, 1981. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 309732189

Katherine Dunham, an anthropologist-dancer-choreographer was famous for her work with cultural dance. From 1935-1936 she conducted her master's thesis research in Jamaica and Haiti analyzing native dances. Dunham spent much of the 1940's working with her dance company, The Dunham Company (which for a time included Eartha Kitt) in Hollywood choreographing and dancing in: Pardon My Sarong (Universal, 1942), Carnival of Rhythm (Warner Brothers, 1941), Stormy Weather (20th Century Fox, 1943), Star Spangled Rhythm (Paramount, 1942), Casbah (Universal, 1948), and Green Mansions (Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1959). Her publications include articles "La Boule Blanche" and "L'Ag'Ya of Martinique", Journey to Accompong (1946), Las Danzas de Haiti (1947), A Touch of Innocence (see Correspondence; 1955, Dec. 9; Dunham to Margo Johnson), The Dances of Haiti (in Spanish and French), and Journey to Accompong (1972). She came to Southern Illinois University in 1964 spending eleven weeks as artist-in-residence. She was instrumental in Southern Illinois University's proposal to establish a dance institute in Senegal and returned as the visiting artist in the Fine Arts Division at the Edwardsville campus.

From the description of Katherine Dunham papers, 1919-1968. (Southern Illinois University). WorldCat record id: 191673963

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Subjects:

  • African American dance
  • Choreographers
  • Choreography
  • Dance
  • Dancers
  • Dancers
  • Folk music
  • Irish literature
  • Modern dance
  • Voodooism

Occupations:

  • Choreographer

Places:

  • Caribbean Area (as recorded)
  • Haiti (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)

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