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She was born in Chicago and raised in Joliet, Illinois.
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In 1928, she began to study ballet with Ludmilla Speranzeva, Mark Turbyfill and Ruth Page. Through her ballet teachers, she was also exposed to Spanish, East Indian, Javanese and Balinese dance forms.
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In 1931, she formed a group called Ballets Nègres, which was one of the first black ballet companies in the United States.
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In 1933, she opened her first real dance school, the Negro Dance Group
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In 1935, she was awarded travel fellowships from foundations to conduct ethnographic study of the dance forms of the Caribbean. Her field work began in Jamaica, and she then traveled to Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago, and eventually Haiti, where she spent most of her time.
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From around 1934-1936, she performed as a guest artist with the Chicago Opera Company.
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in 1936, she returned to Chicago and was awarded a Ph.B (Bachelor of Philosophy) with her principal area of study being anthropology. She was on of the 1st African American women to attend this college and to also earn these degrees.
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In 1945, she opened and directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance and Theatre near Times Square in NYC. Her school included courses in dance, drama, performing arts, applied skills, humanities, cultural studies, and Caribbean research.
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In 1947, her school was expanded and granted a charter as the Katherine Dunham School of Cultural Arts
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In 1949, she finally married John Pratt, and adopted her daughter, Marie-Christine
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In 1963, she received an invitation from New York's Metropolitan Opera to stage dances for a new production of Aida, starring Leontyne Price. She became the first African-american to choreograph for the Met since Hemsley Winfield.
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She died of natural causes on May 21, 2006.
