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Born
Katherine Dunham, a legendary dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist, was born on June 22, 1909 in Glen Ellyn, Il. She was the second child of Albert Millard (father) and Fanny June Dunham (mother). -
Mother Dies
Katherines mother, Fanny, died when she was three years old. After her death, Katherine and her brother were sent to live with their father's sister in the South Side of Chicago. It was in the household of her Aunt Lulu that Katherine was first exposed to music and dance. -
Early Start
In high school, Katherine joins the Terpsichorean Club and begins to learn about free-style modern dance. At the age of fourteen, she organizes a "cabaret party" in which she starred to help raise money for her church. -
Attends the University of Chicago
At the age of 18, Katherine joined her brother and began attending the University of Chicago. She studied anthropology while also begining to teach dance. She wrote her bachelor's dissertation on the use of dance in primitive ritual. -
Dunham Studies Ballet
Katherine begins to study ballet with Ludmilla Speranzeva in Chicago and is introduced to Spanish dancers. She also studies ballet with Mark Turbyfill and Ruth Page. -
Katherine forms Ballet Negre
Katherine forms a dance company, Ballet Negre, as one of the first Negro ballet companies in America. In 1931, they debut with a performance at the annual Beaux Arts Ball in Chicago. Their dance Negro Rhapsody is well received. -
Katherine Opens First Dance School
Katherine opened her first dance school, the Negro Dance Group, in Chicago in 1933 to teach young black dancers about their African heritiage. She had help from her teacher Speranzeva, who encouraged her to forgo ballet, to focus on modern dance and to develop her own style. -
Leading Role in La Guiablesse
In a Chicago production, Katherine gets the leading role in Ruth Pages ballet, La Guiablesse with an all black cast. She continues to appear as a guest artist with the Chicago Opera, where she acts as assistant to its ballet director, Ruth Page. -
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Studies in the Caribbean
With the help of the Rosenwald foundation, Katherine spent ten months investigating dance and the cultures of the Caribbean. In Haiti, she found a special personal and artistics resonance. She retured to the US in late spring to present the results of her research. In August, Katherine received her Ph.B. from the Univeristy of Chicago in social anthropology. -
Katherine Choreographs First Full-Length Ballet
Katherine choreographs and produces her first full-length ballet, L'Ag'Ya. It debuted in January at the Federal Theater in Chicago. -
Carnival of Rhythm
Katherine Dunham performs in her first film, Carnival of Rhythm. It was released in 1941. She also appeared in the first hour long American Spectacular on NBC. -
Touring 1940's-60's
Throughout the 1940's to 1960's, Katherines dance company toured the US, Latin America, Caribbean, Asia, and Austalia. -
Tropics and Le Jazz "Hot"
Katherine's performance at the Windsor Theater in NY in Tropics and Le Jazz "Hot" showed off her talent and became a stepping stone for many other performaces in her career. -
US Dance Tour: Cabin in the Sky
Katherine and her dance company embark on their first United States tour in the Broadway production of Cabin in the Sky. She choreographed much of the dance, and after its Broadway tour the company sent out on a national tour. -
Tropical Revue and Stormy Weather
Katherine Dunham and Company stared in Tropical Review at the Martin Beck Theater in New York. They took the show on a national tour. She and the company also appeared in the film Stormy Weather. -
Founds Performing Arts Training Center
In the 1960's, Katherine founded the Performing Arts Training Center (affiliated with Southern Illinios University) in East St. Louis and spent the next forty years dedicated to the youth of that city. -
Dance Division Heritage Award
Katherine received the Dance Division Heritage Award from the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. -
Death
Katherine Dunham died in her sleep on May 21, 2006 at the age of 96 in New York. Tributes were held in Detroti, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. in her honor.
