Every aspect of Katherine Dunhams life played a significant part in creating the Dunham Technique. The experiences that Katherine encountered while growing up gave her the platform to pursue a successful life as a dancer and pioneer of her own dance technique. This Technique went beyond the common definition of dance (Gross Samantha, Dancer Katherine Dunham Dies at Age 96 Associated Press Writers June 2006). It was an innovating venture of an individual who had a comprehensive understanding of the creative lengths that go beyond the confinements of culture or society.
Katherine Dunham began dancing long before she enrolled at the University of Chicago to pursue Anthropology and dance (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010). This is a clear indication of her love for dance that prompted her brother, Albert Millard Dunham Jr. whom she joined at the University of Chicago, to open a group, Cube Theatre, which would help Katherine improve her performance abilities (Aschenbrenner, Joyce Dancing a Life 2002 pg 22). She wanted to nurture her talent despite the restrictions that would have come up due to her lack of expertise training.
During her life at the University of Chicago, Katherine tried to fight the social boundaries that had been erected for a long time. The University did not inhibit the students creativity and allowed them to undertake whatever projects students felt would boost their outlook towards life and the society at large. It is in relation to this that Katherine did not allow the difference in culture or status in the society bog her down instead, she had a close relationship with her teachers and mentors who encouraged her to take her ability to the next level(Aschenbrenner, Joyce Dancing a Life 2002 pg 23-26).
The social limitations that had been placed on who could dance to what, must have pushed Katherine to look for her own Technique. The 1930s was a time when most communities in the world had not embraced the fact that it was possible for individuals with other culturally backgrounds to fit and even in certain circumstances do better than people of the said culture.
Her teachers in the University knew quite well that Katherine Dunham could face prejudices if she pursued the methods that were greatly engraved in the minds of the locals as being for the European and American dancers. They knew that she would be criticized if she wanted to come out on top as the best ballet dancer of that time. Instead her teachers gave her an opportunity to perfect as many styles as she could and come out as an all rounder (Aschenbrenner Joyce, Dancing a Life 2002).
With the understanding of this Katherine Dunham must have been looking for a dance technique that would help her creativity at the same time avoiding the racial prejudice.
It was hard for Katherine Dunham despite her profound dancing ability to be accepted as a competent dancer especially with the archaic beliefs that were still strongly held. It was widely established that the African Americans did not possess the dynamism and physique to make a ballet dance come out complete with the arching of the spine and toes. This reasoning might have pushed Katherine Dunham towards creating a style that she could dance to without people criticizing her moves when the spine did not bend as they thought it should or when her hands didnt sway to the set rules of movement all constituted within social boundaries. She must have known that with her own dance style it would be possible to join all these warring social groups. (Aschenbrenner Joyce, Dancing a Life 2002 pg 27).
Katherine did not immediately come up with her technique. She first formed a dancing group to help her gain more expertise. She also went ahead researching about popular dance techniques that were prevalent at the time. (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
This was just a tip of the iceberg. In 1935, Katherine Dunham got an opportunity to extend her Anthropological research through sponsorship by the Julius Rosenwald and Guggenheim Foundations (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010). She left to conduct the research in the Caribbean. The study was to involve understanding primitive dancing culture and also the rituals that the communities in the Caribbean countries were conducting (Dunham Katherine, Island Possessed)
It was a trying time for her to balance academic sense of anthropology which required her to conduct the research intelligently and her love for the emotive feelings that dance evoked in her (Performing Arts Encyclopedia-The Katherine Dunham Collection, The Library of Congress. Website 8 Feb. 2010). She was expected to come up with all the information as her assignment indicated and at the same time the intrigues that landing in a new land with interesting cultural practices.
Haiti is one of the countries in the Caribbean that made an impact in Katherines life as an anthropologist and a dancer. The cultural diversity fascinated her and she wanted to learn more about the Haiti people. Katherine spent her stay in Haiti discovering what influenced the emotive, vigorous dances that the Haitians demonstrated. She knew that there was more to the dancing than just movement. She wanted to learn more about what led to these intense styles and what they represented in the life of the community. The fact that the people were facing colonial supervision and they used dance as a way of expressing their feelings without letting the authority see as if they were down playing them attracted Katherine Dunhams attention. (Answers.com, Dunhams Katherine Biography)
The Haitian dancing styles were in essence influenced by the political upheavals the community had encountered. The dances were very vigorous characterized by a lot of body movements involving the hips, pelvic and shoulders. Katherine wanted to learn more and she even engaged in Vodou religion. The dance rituals the religion practiced are part of the present Dunham Technique. (Dunham Katherine Island Possessed University of Chicago Press, 1994, Norment Lynn, A dance Legend with a mission to service Ebony Magazine January 1985 pgs 48, 52, 54)
This is a religion that integrates most of the African ways of worship that were brought by the slaves from African countries with the Christian beliefs that the slaves found in the Caribbean country (Wikipedia Haitian Vodou 30 March 2010)
With such grounding in the intense dancing culture of the Haitian people Katherine was able to get enough information for her anthropological thesis and in the process craft a dancing technique that incorporated the styles she had learnt in Chicago like Ballet with the styles she discovered in Haiti (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
The Dunham Technique was a new thing to the dance world especially in America where other techniques were widely accepted. It intermingled dancing and the beating of African drums which synthesized with the dancers. But she did not do away with her Ballet training instead she brought particular elements of it into her technique (Norment Lynn, A dance Legend with a mission to service Ebony Magazine January 1985 pgs 48, 52, 54)The main characteristics of the Dunham Technique lie in the intense movements a dancer has to portray. In the practice sessions the students go through a series of exercises to help their bodies become flexible. It is followed by lessons of the routine her students are supposed to memorize. Her technique also involves breathing exercises to help the dancers bring out the real emotions that to bring out the right feeling exhibited by the Haitian community and the Europe-American Ballet steps, Katherine borrowed from.
This method represents the coming together of the concert like dancing popular with the Western dancing styles with the Vodou ritual and other dancing methods common in the Caribbean Nations (Ebony Magazine The Legendary Dunham Katherine February 2006 pg 102-106).
The Dunham Technique has many styles under it which all require a good understanding that energy is important in crucial to making the right moves. The shango is a perfect example of what emotive vigorous dancing is all about. It needs energy to arch the spine and ground the hips as recommended (Dunham Katherine Shango).
Katherine Dunhams LAg YA brings out Katherine Dunham technique. This is a dance she had choreographed for the Federal Theater Project in Chicago. It involves all the aspects of the technique from drummers to the costumes that represent a village kind of setting (Traiger Lisa A Tale of two Pioneers) She brought back the dance styles she had learnt in Haiti and taught it to her community. The stage setting, costumes and movement all borrowed a lot from her encounter in the Caribbean country.
She brought out the idea that it is possible to innovate what an individual has and wants to share with the world. She had the ability and vehemently went out to seek a way of achieving her dream without following the same old set of methods yet the world was full of un researched techniques.
Katherine tried to unite all social classes in the society by showing that it was possible to share a stage and even a dance style without making one party feel inferior or superior. It is because of this relentless effort that she left a dance legacy and was awarded prestigiously and also an author of several books (Dunham, Katherine, Veve A. Clark and Sarah East Johnson Kaiso Writings by and about Katherine Dunham Madison University of Wisconsin, 2005)
Katherine Dunhams creative style was good enough to fight the social segregation that people showed and at the same time was instrumental for her to state her view on all matters by choreographing dances that explained her political stand on issues. (Traiger Lisa A Tale of two Pioneers)
Her technique will always be embraced and practiced not only in America but also in other parts of the world that want a style that is all encompassing.
Katherine influenced American dance and maintained a dance company that taught her new way of dancing to the world. She wanted to change the world and she did so through dance. (Ebony Magazine, The Legendary Dunham Katherine. February 2006. pg 102-106).
Katherine Dunham was an Anthropologist, Choreographer, Activist and a pioneer of a dance technique that will be there forever (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
Katherine Dunham began dancing long before she enrolled at the University of Chicago to pursue Anthropology and dance (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010). This is a clear indication of her love for dance that prompted her brother, Albert Millard Dunham Jr. whom she joined at the University of Chicago, to open a group, Cube Theatre, which would help Katherine improve her performance abilities (Aschenbrenner, Joyce Dancing a Life 2002 pg 22). She wanted to nurture her talent despite the restrictions that would have come up due to her lack of expertise training.
During her life at the University of Chicago, Katherine tried to fight the social boundaries that had been erected for a long time. The University did not inhibit the students creativity and allowed them to undertake whatever projects students felt would boost their outlook towards life and the society at large. It is in relation to this that Katherine did not allow the difference in culture or status in the society bog her down instead, she had a close relationship with her teachers and mentors who encouraged her to take her ability to the next level(Aschenbrenner, Joyce Dancing a Life 2002 pg 23-26).
The social limitations that had been placed on who could dance to what, must have pushed Katherine to look for her own Technique. The 1930s was a time when most communities in the world had not embraced the fact that it was possible for individuals with other culturally backgrounds to fit and even in certain circumstances do better than people of the said culture.
Her teachers in the University knew quite well that Katherine Dunham could face prejudices if she pursued the methods that were greatly engraved in the minds of the locals as being for the European and American dancers. They knew that she would be criticized if she wanted to come out on top as the best ballet dancer of that time. Instead her teachers gave her an opportunity to perfect as many styles as she could and come out as an all rounder (Aschenbrenner Joyce, Dancing a Life 2002).
With the understanding of this Katherine Dunham must have been looking for a dance technique that would help her creativity at the same time avoiding the racial prejudice.
It was hard for Katherine Dunham despite her profound dancing ability to be accepted as a competent dancer especially with the archaic beliefs that were still strongly held. It was widely established that the African Americans did not possess the dynamism and physique to make a ballet dance come out complete with the arching of the spine and toes. This reasoning might have pushed Katherine Dunham towards creating a style that she could dance to without people criticizing her moves when the spine did not bend as they thought it should or when her hands didnt sway to the set rules of movement all constituted within social boundaries. She must have known that with her own dance style it would be possible to join all these warring social groups. (Aschenbrenner Joyce, Dancing a Life 2002 pg 27).
Katherine did not immediately come up with her technique. She first formed a dancing group to help her gain more expertise. She also went ahead researching about popular dance techniques that were prevalent at the time. (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
This was just a tip of the iceberg. In 1935, Katherine Dunham got an opportunity to extend her Anthropological research through sponsorship by the Julius Rosenwald and Guggenheim Foundations (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010). She left to conduct the research in the Caribbean. The study was to involve understanding primitive dancing culture and also the rituals that the communities in the Caribbean countries were conducting (Dunham Katherine, Island Possessed)
It was a trying time for her to balance academic sense of anthropology which required her to conduct the research intelligently and her love for the emotive feelings that dance evoked in her (Performing Arts Encyclopedia-The Katherine Dunham Collection, The Library of Congress. Website 8 Feb. 2010). She was expected to come up with all the information as her assignment indicated and at the same time the intrigues that landing in a new land with interesting cultural practices.
Haiti is one of the countries in the Caribbean that made an impact in Katherines life as an anthropologist and a dancer. The cultural diversity fascinated her and she wanted to learn more about the Haiti people. Katherine spent her stay in Haiti discovering what influenced the emotive, vigorous dances that the Haitians demonstrated. She knew that there was more to the dancing than just movement. She wanted to learn more about what led to these intense styles and what they represented in the life of the community. The fact that the people were facing colonial supervision and they used dance as a way of expressing their feelings without letting the authority see as if they were down playing them attracted Katherine Dunhams attention. (Answers.com, Dunhams Katherine Biography)
The Haitian dancing styles were in essence influenced by the political upheavals the community had encountered. The dances were very vigorous characterized by a lot of body movements involving the hips, pelvic and shoulders. Katherine wanted to learn more and she even engaged in Vodou religion. The dance rituals the religion practiced are part of the present Dunham Technique. (Dunham Katherine Island Possessed University of Chicago Press, 1994, Norment Lynn, A dance Legend with a mission to service Ebony Magazine January 1985 pgs 48, 52, 54)
This is a religion that integrates most of the African ways of worship that were brought by the slaves from African countries with the Christian beliefs that the slaves found in the Caribbean country (Wikipedia Haitian Vodou 30 March 2010)
With such grounding in the intense dancing culture of the Haitian people Katherine was able to get enough information for her anthropological thesis and in the process craft a dancing technique that incorporated the styles she had learnt in Chicago like Ballet with the styles she discovered in Haiti (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
The Dunham Technique was a new thing to the dance world especially in America where other techniques were widely accepted. It intermingled dancing and the beating of African drums which synthesized with the dancers. But she did not do away with her Ballet training instead she brought particular elements of it into her technique (Norment Lynn, A dance Legend with a mission to service Ebony Magazine January 1985 pgs 48, 52, 54)The main characteristics of the Dunham Technique lie in the intense movements a dancer has to portray. In the practice sessions the students go through a series of exercises to help their bodies become flexible. It is followed by lessons of the routine her students are supposed to memorize. Her technique also involves breathing exercises to help the dancers bring out the real emotions that to bring out the right feeling exhibited by the Haitian community and the Europe-American Ballet steps, Katherine borrowed from.
This method represents the coming together of the concert like dancing popular with the Western dancing styles with the Vodou ritual and other dancing methods common in the Caribbean Nations (Ebony Magazine The Legendary Dunham Katherine February 2006 pg 102-106).
The Dunham Technique has many styles under it which all require a good understanding that energy is important in crucial to making the right moves. The shango is a perfect example of what emotive vigorous dancing is all about. It needs energy to arch the spine and ground the hips as recommended (Dunham Katherine Shango).
Katherine Dunhams LAg YA brings out Katherine Dunham technique. This is a dance she had choreographed for the Federal Theater Project in Chicago. It involves all the aspects of the technique from drummers to the costumes that represent a village kind of setting (Traiger Lisa A Tale of two Pioneers) She brought back the dance styles she had learnt in Haiti and taught it to her community. The stage setting, costumes and movement all borrowed a lot from her encounter in the Caribbean country.
She brought out the idea that it is possible to innovate what an individual has and wants to share with the world. She had the ability and vehemently went out to seek a way of achieving her dream without following the same old set of methods yet the world was full of un researched techniques.
Katherine tried to unite all social classes in the society by showing that it was possible to share a stage and even a dance style without making one party feel inferior or superior. It is because of this relentless effort that she left a dance legacy and was awarded prestigiously and also an author of several books (Dunham, Katherine, Veve A. Clark and Sarah East Johnson Kaiso Writings by and about Katherine Dunham Madison University of Wisconsin, 2005)
Katherine Dunhams creative style was good enough to fight the social segregation that people showed and at the same time was instrumental for her to state her view on all matters by choreographing dances that explained her political stand on issues. (Traiger Lisa A Tale of two Pioneers)
Her technique will always be embraced and practiced not only in America but also in other parts of the world that want a style that is all encompassing.
Katherine influenced American dance and maintained a dance company that taught her new way of dancing to the world. She wanted to change the world and she did so through dance. (Ebony Magazine, The Legendary Dunham Katherine. February 2006. pg 102-106).
Katherine Dunham was an Anthropologist, Choreographer, Activist and a pioneer of a dance technique that will be there forever (Wikipedia, Katherine Dunham, 26 March 2010).
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