Post 49- Katherine Dunham

Today is the amazing Katherine Dunham's birthday. She is one of the best African American 20th century dancers EVER!She was born on June 22,1909 in Chicago, Illinois. Her Mom died when she was four and her Dad remarried and they moved to Joliet,Illinois.Katherine was interested in both writing and dance throughout her childhood and displayed talent in both subjects. According to Wikipedia-"In high school she joined the Terpsichorean Club and began to learn a kind of modern dance based on ideas of Jaques-Dalcroze and Rudolf von Laban." She also started a school for young black children to learn how to dance while still in high school.She went to Joliet Junior College and the University of Chicago after graduating from high school.She studied African culture and a bunch of subjects about dancing.She traveled a lot of different places such as the Caribbeans,Trinidad,and Haiti and while traveling, studied that places dance culture and/or type of dance with Professor Melville Herskovits of Northwestern University.During her college years she performed several places such as ballet company of the Chicago Opera.  After college she went on to do a world tour and a bunch of dancing. Through her life she wrote several books and founded the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. She has done so much in her life I cant even start telling more or else this blog will be like three pages long.So today would be her 102nd birthday but sadly she died in 2006. She was 96 years old which I think is old enough! She will always be remembered for amazing artistry and her for dance! I love her and think she is awesome. She went through so much school and she inspires me to study and learn as much as possible beause it will pay off. Today it is her birthday and because its her birthday my quotes will be from her.

I certainly feel my career was a great career because it inspired so many many people, literally hundreds of people to follow a new kind of life and to realize that they could make out and advance their own professional and private and social lives.-Katherine Dunham

And inspire people she did!