Katherine Dunham, 1909-2006

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Katherine Dunham in "Rara Tonga," which premiered in 1937. Photo credit - Library of Congress

A famous and influential dancer and choreographer, known as “the mother of black dance.”



Katherine Mary Dunham was born in Chicago in 1909. Her father was a descendant of slaves from West Africa, and her mother was a mix of French-Canadian and Native-American heritage.
From a young age, she was interested in writing and dance. She went to study anthropology at the University of Chicago. She continued studying classical ballet and forming her first dance group, which was one of the first companies of all-black dancers.

At 23, she opened her first dance school, the Negro Dance Group. Three years later, she chose to focus on dance after receiving a grant and visiting in the Caribbean islands and Haiti as an anthropology student. Her field of mastery was in the dance rituals of the African diaspora in the Caribbean. Her studies inspired her unique technique, which revolutionized the world of dance by combining the Caribbean and African ritual rhythm and movement, with European modern and ballet dancing.

Dunham and the Negro Dance Group performed together and separately in Chicago and New York City with choreography created by Dunham. They were well-received by critics and crowds. After the immense success which led them to Broadway, she opened the “Katherine Dunham School of Dance and Theatre” near Times Square in NYC. The school taught dance, drama, performing arts, applied skills, humanities, cultural studies, and Caribbean research, and was an inspiration for art schools worldwide.
Dunham and her dance company toured all over the world for many years, introducing her novel technique of dance. Due to financial difficulties, they returned to the US, and Dunham did choreographic commissions across the US and Europe.

Among the many firsts she acclaimed are one of the first African-American women to earn a degree from the University of Chicago, the first American dancer to present indigenous forms on a concert stage, the first to sustain a black dance company, the first African-American to choreograph for the New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
In 1967 she officially retired but continued to choreograph. She died in 2006, a month before her 97th birthday.

Katherine Dunham Performing Ballet Creole (1952) | British Pathé

Check out the famous American dancer, Katherine Dunham, performing West Indian Creole music in a ballet at the Cambridge Theatre in London.

For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: https://goo.gl/W4hZBv
Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews & Classic Movies: https://goo.gl/7dVe8r

#BritishPathé #History #London #Theatre #Play #Dancing #Ballet

Subscribe to the British Pathé YT Channel: https://goo.gl/hV1nkf

(FILM ID:1291.19)

Katherine Dunham and company performs West Indian Creole music in form of ballet, at the Cambridge Theatre, London.

C/U Hammers tapping on drums. M/S Drummer. L/S Conga. C/U Girl dancer wearing striped hat. M/S Girls dancing, drummer in foreground. C/U Drums stopping. C/U Katherine Dunham taking off coat. M/S Katherine Dunham dancing. C/U Drums. (2 shots) C/U Dancer. M/S Drummers (2 shots), C/U Drums. C/U Drummer. C/U Katherine Dunham taking hat off and dancing. C/U Male dancer shaking.

C/U Katherine Dunham dancing into villain's arms. C/U Another dancing. M/S Drums beating. M/S Katherine Dunham in villain's arms another dancer pulls them apart. M/S Pulling dancer apart. C/U Katherine Dunham on floor. M/S Two dancers preparing to fight. C/U Drums beating. M/S Two dancers fighting (2 cut-in shots Katherine Dunham). villain is killed.

BRITISH PATHÉ'S STORY
Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. If it happened, British Pathé filmed it.

Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Pathé is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.

British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. https://www.britishpathe.com/

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“I used to want the words 'She tried' on my tombstone. Now I want 'She did it.'”

“I used to want the words 'She tried' on my tombstone. Now I want 'She did it.'”

Fun Facts

  • While in Haiti, she hasn't only studied Vodun rituals, but also participated and became a mambo, female high priest in the Vodun religion.
  • She was an activist, and having encountered many racial problems and discrimination while touring America with her group, she always took a stand. In Brazil, after the company had been refused rooms in a hotel, Dunham made sure the incident became public, which led to legislation against racial discrimination in public places in Brazil in 1951.
  • In 1992, at the age of 83, she opened a 47-day hunger strike to protest discrimination by US foreign policy against the Haitian boat-people. She stopped only when the exiled Haitian president came to ask to do so.
  • She published two autobiographies, one fiction novel, and numerous articles. During her career, she participated in 13 movies and countless plays, musicals, and dance performances.
  • She was married twice and adopted a girl with her first husband.
  • Her home in East St. Louis is a museum, displaying her art collection and memorabilia from her life as a dancer and anthropologist.

Awards

  • The Heritage Award from the National Dance Association (1971)
  • The Albert Schweitzer Music Award "for a life's work dedicated to music and devoted to humanity." (1979)
  • The Kennedy Center Honors (1983)
  • Distinguished Service Award from The American Anthropological Association (1986)
  • The Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award (1987)
  • National Medal of Arts (1989)
  • "Outstanding Leadership in Dance Research" by the Congress (2005)
  • More than a dozen honorary doctorates from various American universities

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Katherine Dunham Performing Ballet Creole (1952) | British Pathé

Check out the famous American dancer, Katherine Dunham, performing West Indian Creole music in a ballet at the Cambridge Theatre in London.

For Archive Licensing Enquiries Visit: https://goo.gl/W4hZBv
Explore Our Online Channel For FULL Documentaries, Fascinating Interviews & Classic Movies: https://goo.gl/7dVe8r

#BritishPathé #History #London #Theatre #Play #Dancing #Ballet

Subscribe to the British Pathé YT Channel: https://goo.gl/hV1nkf

(FILM ID:1291.19)

Katherine Dunham and company performs West Indian Creole music in form of ballet, at the Cambridge Theatre, London.

C/U Hammers tapping on drums. M/S Drummer. L/S Conga. C/U Girl dancer wearing striped hat. M/S Girls dancing, drummer in foreground. C/U Drums stopping. C/U Katherine Dunham taking off coat. M/S Katherine Dunham dancing. C/U Drums. (2 shots) C/U Dancer. M/S Drummers (2 shots), C/U Drums. C/U Drummer. C/U Katherine Dunham taking hat off and dancing. C/U Male dancer shaking.

C/U Katherine Dunham dancing into villain's arms. C/U Another dancing. M/S Drums beating. M/S Katherine Dunham in villain's arms another dancer pulls them apart. M/S Pulling dancer apart. C/U Katherine Dunham on floor. M/S Two dancers preparing to fight. C/U Drums beating. M/S Two dancers fighting (2 cut-in shots Katherine Dunham). villain is killed.

BRITISH PATHÉ'S STORY
Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. If it happened, British Pathé filmed it.

Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Pathé is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.

British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. https://www.britishpathe.com/
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Category: Academy & Education, Activism & Feminism, Arts, and Theater & Cinema
Tags: Abolitionist, African-American Women, Dancer, and NYC Women

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Arts

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1874-1948

A socialite and philanthropist. The co-founder of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and its biggest donor.

Abigail Aldrich Rockefeller was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Her father was a Republican senator, and she grew up traveling back and forth between Rhode Island and Washington, DC. She was educated by a Quaker governess till she was 17 years old, and then attended Miss Abbott’s School for Young Ladies in Providence. During her upbringing, she was introduced to socialite and political circles, and at 19 years old, she made her official social debut. The following year, she embarked on an extensive European tour, where she visited many museums and art galleries and began to sharpen her skills as an art collector. At 20 years old, she met John Davison Rockefeller Jr., the son of the businessman and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Sr. After five years of courtship, the couple married at a big society wedding. The young Rockefellers settled in NYC, first in 13 W. 54th Street in Manhattan and later in 10 W. 54th Street. Rockefeller was a philanthropist in the heart, and she devoted herself to various charities. She donated money to the girl scouts, chaired the Auxiliary 336 of the American Red Cross, was a member of the Young Women’s Christian Association National Board, and served as chairman of different committees of the organization. In 1918, Rockefeller was chosen to chair the Housing Committee of the War Work Council, in which she worked for the improvement of living conditions for working women. She later applied the concept to the employees of Standard Oil – her husband’s family firm, purchasing land and building homes for the workers as well as a Community Center that included a clinic, nursery school, gym, and even a bowling alley. In 1925, Rockefeller revived her love for art and began collecting paintings and drawings mainly of contemporary American artists as well as European modernists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Within a few years, she converted part of the room in her 7th floor Manhattan apartment into a gallery, where visitors could view the art on display. In 1929, alongside Lillie P. Bliss, Mary Quinn Sullivan, she co-founded the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC – the first museum in the US devoted entirely to the modern movement. Rockefeller held several positions in the museum management team, from treasurer to Vice-President and Vice-Chairman, as well as served in its committees. She pushed for establishing the museum’s film library and for the War Veterans’ Art Center – a rehabilitation program for WW2 veterans through art. Rockefeller’s dedication to art expanded outside of MoMA; she donated art pieces to other institutes, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Met Cloisters, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Ludwell-Paradise House at Colonial Williamsburg. She passed away after suffering a heart attack at the age of 73. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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Activism & Feminism

Abigail Adams, 1744-1818

A Founding Mother of the United States, a Women’s Rights Advocate, and the Second First Lady.

Abigail Smith was born and raised in Massachusetts. Her father was a liberal minister, her mother was a member of the famous Quincy family mother, and she had two sisters. At a time when women were not allowed to receive a formal education, she was homeschooled and satisfied her appetite for knowledge at the family’s library, forming progressive views. After a two-year courtship, she married John Adams, a country lawyer, and became his closest advisor and partner. They settled in the house John had inherited from his father in Braintree, MA. When his practice expanded, John had to frequently travel while Abigail managed their finances, investments, household, and growing family. For a while, they even moved to Boston next to his practice. Between 1784 and 1788, Abigail joined John in his diplomatic missions in Paris and London. On March 4th, 1797, John became the second president of the United States, and she was the first lady. They lived in the Presidential Mansion in Philadelphia and later in the White House in Washington, DC. She was a politically active first lady, made frequent public appearances, and was involved in the decision-making process, paving the way for future first ladies to be proactive figures. When John lost presidential re-election, the family retired to Peacefield in Quincy in 1800. During his frequent travels before and during the presidency, the couple corresponded in more than 1100 letters, where Abigail demonstrated her talent for writing and opinionated spirit. In one of those letters, she urges her husband to consider women’s rights in the new legislation after independence, warning that if not given equal representation: “women will rebel.” He dismissed her suggestion by writing back that it makes him laugh, but her words “remember the ladies” became an iconic feminist slogan. Before her death, she wrote a will favoring her female relatives. It was an act of protest against the laws prohibiting married women from owning assets. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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Arts

Ada Louise Huxtable, 1921-2013

An architecture critic and a writer. Received the first-ever Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Born Ada Louise Landman in NYC, an only child in a middle-class Jewish family. Growing up in Manhattan, Huxtable loved strolling along the streets, fascinated by its building, such as the Grand Central Terminal, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. She studied art at Hunter College, graduating magna cum laude, and then architectural history at NYU Institute of Fine Arts. At the time, she worked in Bloomingdale’s furnishings department, where she met her soon-to-be husband, Garth Huxtable. In 1946, at 25, Huxtable landed a job as an assistant curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art. After five years, she left her job to study Italian architecture in Italy for a year. Upon her return, she began writing as a contributing editor for various art and architectural journals. At the age of 37, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship, in which she examined the structural and design advances of American architecture. In 1963, 42 years old Huxtable was hired as the first architecture critic at The New York Times, a position she held for almost 20 years. In her column, she wrote about new and old buildings, threatened buildings, and bad-designed buildings. She also mentioned emerging architects, architectural trends, movements, and exhibitions. Huxtable encouraged the everyday readers to look at buildings from a new perspective, not as an assembly of bricks and pilasters but as a public statement with history and meaning. Raising awareness of the city’s heritage, the urban environment, and civic engagement, she set the tone for modern architecture criticism, for which, at the age of 49, she was the first-ever to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. In 1981, at the age of 60, Huxtable received a MacArthur grant that allowed her in-depth research on subjects she was interested in, such as the development of the skyscraper, the negative impact of postmodernism building, and preservation vs. modernity. At 76, she returned to writing for the public as an architecture critic for The Wall Street Journal, publishing columns for the next 15 years. Throughout her career, Huxtable was involved in various committees, serving as a fellow at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Architectural Selection and Building Design Committees for the Getty Center, Getty Villa, and as a Jury member for The Pritzker Architecture Prize. She published more than 10 books on architecture, including “Kicked a Building Lately?,” “Goodbye History,” “Hello Hamburger,” and a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright. Huxtable died in NYC at 91. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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Economics & Finance

Adena Friedman, 1969

A businesswoman, the president and CEO of Nasdaq, the first woman in this position and to lead a global exchange.

Born Adena Robinson Testa in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her BA in political science from Williams College in Massachusetts and an MBA from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. In 1993, at the age of 24, she married Michael Cameron Friedman. In that same year, she joined Nasdaq as an intern and soon began moving up. In her first 18 years at Nasdaq, Friedman served in various positions, such as marketing manager, head of data products, head of corporate strategy, and Chief Financial Officer. In 2011, at 42, Friedman left Nasdaq to join Carlyle Group, a private investment firm in Washington DC. There, she served as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director. After three years, she returned to Nasdaq as president and Chief Operating Officer. In 2017, in addition to her role as president, 48 years old Freidman was appointed CEO of the Nasdaq. The first woman in this position and the first woman to lead a global exchange. She oversees the company’s business segments, focusing on efficiency, product development, expansion, and growth. Under her leadership, Nasdaq transformed into a leading global exchange and technology solutions company, operating across six continents. In addition to her work in Nasdaq, Freidman is also a member of several boards. Among them are – the board of directors at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the board of FCLTGlobal – a non-profit organization that works on ways to encourage long-term investing, and the board of Greater Washington, DC. A Chapter of Junior Achievement – a non-profit organization that supports teens in their way to financial independence. Freidman often speaks about women in leadership positions, advocating for mentoring and creating career opportunities for women in the financial industry. Share:This post is also available in: Español Read more...
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