Katherine Dunham Research Paper

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Halle Pinkney International Expressions of Dance Research Paper 10 December 2014 Katherine Dunham When you hear about famous dancers, you hear of all the accomplishments they have made, all the famous dancers they have danced with, and all of the wonderful things they have done with choreography, and in some cases how their life was cut so short at the peek of their career. This is not the case however with Katherine Dunham. When you hear of her, you do not hear so much of things such as her being this great dancer or choreographer, but more about things such as her technique, skill, barriers she has broken, and how her vision of dance got her as far as she went. Her dedication to her skill was very apparent and you saw just how much further…show more content…
Through all of her success, Dunham could not however, fight old age. Her success continued but she soon stopped dancing. She has been presented with many honors and awards such as the Albert Schweitzer award in 1979 at Carnegie Hall (Frick 486). Along with this she was also given a Southern Cross and was acknowledged for honors in Haiti and France (Frick 486). As we know, Dunham has always been someone who fights for what is right, in all types of ways. In the early ‘90s, even though she was 82 years old she went on a 47-day hunger strike protesting treatment of Haitian refugees attempting to flee the country (Frick 486). Dunham was a very bold and strong woman and you saw this throughout the choices and actions she took in her life. In the last years of her life, Dunham spent them in St. Louis where she had started her school before she was moved to New York. Katherine Dunham died on May 21, 2006 at the age of 96. Her legacy lives on today and she is survived by her daughter. Through all of her accomplishments she has paved the way for many dancers and especially did more than scratch the surface with her protesting and actions involving the African American community. She was a great choreographer, dancer, teacher, and
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