Katherine Dunham

By Melissa C.

  • Katherine Dunham is born

    Chicago, Illinois

  • 1917

    At 8 years old, people at her church were amazed by the way Katherine engaged in a performance while at a cabaret party for raising money. The songs were decidedly non-religious.

  • 1929

    Attended the University of Chicago, with specializations in anthropology and dance.

  • 1930

    Formed Dance Company: Ballet Négre

  • 1933

    Opened her first dance school in Chicago, the Negro Dance Group.

  • 1934

    Early career in dance began when she was an assistant to Ballet Director, Ruth Page, of the Chicago Opera

  • 1934

    Choreographed Spanish Dance - Fantasie Negre

  • 1935

    Traveled to the Caribbean Islands to research the ideologies of dance.

  • 1938

    Named Director; Colored Unit; Chicago branch of the Federal Theater Project

  • 1938

    Choreographed/Produced L'Ag'Ya at Chicago's federal theater; First solo was A las Montanas.

  • 1939

    Dance director of Pins and Needles; Published manual "Sketchbook of a Young Dancer in La Martinique; Appeard in the first hour long American Spectacular on NBC

  • 1941

    First U.S. tour in the Broadway production of Cabin in the Sky.

  • 1945

    Opened Dunham School in New York; Choreographed/Directed/Stared in the musical play Carib Song

  • 1946

    First book is published: Journey to Accompong

  • 1949

    Got married to John Pratt; Adopted their daughter, Marie-Christine

  • 1952

    Dunham school is renamed Dunham School of Cultural Arts

  • 1952

    Choreographed and performed Acaraje for Homage a Dorival Cayimmi in Arachon, France.

  • 1960

    Dunham Dance Company disbanded; Only came together for special events

  • 1966

    Invited by President Leopold Sedar Senghor to cometo Dakar for a celebration called Festival des Arts Négres; serve as director of the Ballet National and consultant for the year.

  • 1963

    Choreographed a performance known as Aida at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

  • 1965

    Invited to be an artist at SIU's Residence Life; Directed a production of Faust; Established a Dance Anthropology program at SIU

  • 1967

    Created a performing arts training center and the Dunham Dynamic Museum in East St. Louis, Illinois.

  • 1972

    Choreographed and directed Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha.

  • 1981

    Received an honorary doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis University.

  • 1982

    Retired from Souther Illinois University.

  • 1993

    Made national and international headlines when she stages a hunger strike for 47 days to bring awareness of the issues occurring in Haiti at the time.