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The Life of Katherine Dunham
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Birthdate
In June of 1910, on the 22nd. Fanny June (Guillaume) and Albert Millard Dunham, gave birth to their second child Katherine Dunham this would be their last child born. The first child born to this family was Albert Dunham Jr. He would be adored by his sister for years to come. -
Mothers Death
At the age of 3 years old Dunham's mother passed away from an a illness she had for years. Katherine's mother was Fanny Dunham, she was 20 years older than her husband who was Dunham's father. When her mother died it produced a lot of family issues because Fanny had been married once before, the marriage end in divorced and with three other children. All of Fanny's children from the previous marriage lived under the same roof when she remarried. Leaving Mr. Dunham responsible for all children -
Home life uproar
When Kathrine was around the age of 5 her father had finally became financially stable again and regained custody of both of his children. Albert Dunham Sr. had remarried, which Mrs. Annette was loved by the children. Even though everything seemed like it finally could be good again it was too good to be true. Albert Sr. began to abusive his children and wife. Kathrine was not able to get away from her family situation sadly so, she focused all her abilities into athletics, She excelled in them. -
Changes in Family life
After Katherine Dunham's died there were major financial problems that occurred. Dunham's mothers death costed the family a lot of money and even the land that their mother had owned. Albert Dunham Sr. could not support the family as a tailor, living in a mostly- white suburb of Glen Ellyn. After years of fighting to keep the house he was force to sell it. This caused the family to split up. Dunham and her brother were force to live with the aunt LuLu Dunham in Chicago. -
The Life of Theater begins
Dance all started for Dunham in the basement of her aunt apartment in Chicago. One of Kathrine's babysitter and her daughter were trying to get into the show business, they would practice in the basement. Kathrine would spend her hours watching them and absorbing the talent that she would later embrace on her own. Sadly her babysitter and daughter were not successful but, this didn't stop young Katherine from learning. This all came to a sudden stop when Katherine was forced to live with her dad -
School Life
Dunham came from a smart family. Her oldest brother Albert Jr. graduated valedictorian of his senior class. Dunham at the age of 17 attended a junior college. To get away from the family life Katherine took her civil service test. She passed and became a librarian for the city. Dunham attended the University of Chicago following in her brother's footsteps. Katherine earned a masters degree and Ph.D. in anthropology. But even though she was focused on school she still took dance lessons. -
The Dance Life Begins
To help pay for school Katherine opened a dance studio in 1930. Katherine was still new to the dance life. Through the field of anthropology she gained a fellowship to research. Katherine went to the Caribbeans. Her love and inner joy for dance could not be stopped on this trip. Dunham would study African based dances on this trip. In 18 months Kathrine learned what influenced each Caribbean Islands dance. She learned that each dance had came from the African Slaves that had been before them. -
The dancing style that inspired her
Since the Caribbeans is where it all started that is what inspired her the most. Haiti is where she got most her inspiration from, it was the most purest relatable form of african dance. The Haitians style of dance can be be described as using their hips from the ground, moving their pelvic bones in ways that just made your mind drawl to watch it. The typical dance was called the Zepaules this dance used the shoulders to express the feelings. Dunman fell in with everything from the haitis. -
A New Style
Dunham decided to make a new style of dance. She combined the Haiti traditional dances she learned with classical ballet. This type of dance was called the Dunham technique it can also be known as Afro- Caribbean dance. A reformation of her dance company took place in order to incorporate her new style. She is known for her company's first show called "Tropic and le Jazz Hot". This show is said to be like something no one had ever seen before in the United States. -
Praise for her new style
After Katherine had developed her new style for the Haitis, and performed it she shocked the American soil. She received praises for her style. A article was written by Durbin in the Americas article, It stated "Everything moved, shoulders twitched, torsos arched, hips popped". Another article was written by Martha Graham she said " Dunham had high priestess of the pelvic gridle" This was a big deal because Martha Graham has said to be the founder and created of modern dance. -
Life isn't always easy
Even though America was shocked and loved by the new dance style that Dunham had created and brought back. There is always going to be an issue. In 1950's Dunham's company faced some issues on tour. The company consisted of a few different races, but mainly of the African American heritages. Segregation became a huge issue for Dunham's group. Many hotels refused to let them stay the night. A hotel in brazil refused to let Dunham stay with her husband because he was white. -
Starting a Family
Even though Katherine had a rough family life, it wasn't that she didn't want one of her own. She simply couldn't have kids. After the devastating news Katherine and her Husband John Pratt received about not being able to conceive they took this time to focus on dance. After a few short years though they couldn't bare the fact of not having anyone to continue their family name along, so they adopted. Her name was Marie Christine. -
The Next Step in Life
Katherine always loved helping people. She never wanted a child to feel like she had to during her childhood. While in Illinois she was traveling through a very poor area. She witnessed that the area did not have a school, Katherine open Dunham Centers for the Arts and Humanities. This school did not discriminate any kind race or class level. At this school Dunham has classical ballet, martial arts, the Dunham technique, and foreign languages taught. The Dunham school also included a museum. -
Saying Goodbye
Katherine was award many awards for her achievements and dedicated to dance. After name years of dancing her heart away and giving it her all Katherine died of natural causes in New York City, she was 96 years old. It was one month before her 97th birthday. Katherine left a legacy that would inspire dancer for years. -
Things to know about Katherine
Katherine was called "dancer Katherine the Great" by The Washington Post. She had over ninety choreographed individuals dances. Anna Kisselgolf, a dance critic for The New York Times, called Katherine "a major pioneer in Black theatrical dance and that she was ahead of her time". Joyce Aschenbrenner wrote "Today, it is safe to say, there is no American black dancer who has not been influenced by the Dunham technique, unless he or she works entirely within a classical genre".