[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 62 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 62


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 15, 2004

        Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Expressing the sense of Congress that Katherine Dunham should be 
   recognized for her groundbreaking achievements in dance, theater, 
 music, and education, as well as for her work as an activist striving 
               for racial equality throughout the world.

Whereas Katherine Dunham was born on June 22, 1909, and began formal dance 
        training in her late teens;
Whereas, in the 1930s, Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance by 
        incorporating the roots of black dance and ritual, and by transforming 
        these elements into choreography accessible to all through the Katherine 
        Dunham Technique;
Whereas Katherine Dunham completed her bachelor's degree in social anthropology 
        at the University of Chicago, was a pioneer in the use of folk and 
        ethnic choreography, and was one of the founders of the anthropological 
        dance movement;
Whereas Katherine Dunham utilized her dance career and public status to draw 
        attention to issues of segregation and the civil rights movement;
Whereas Katherine Dunham founded Les Ballet Negre in 1931, the first black 
        ballet company in the United States;
Whereas Les Ballet Negre became known as the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, 
        touring in more than 60 countries during the 1940s;
Whereas Katherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer, and director on Broadway, 
        and was the first black choreographer at the Metropolitan Opera;
Whereas, in 1945, Katherine Dunham founded the Dunham School of Dance and 
        Theatre in Manhattan, thereby providing a centralized location for 
        students to immerse themselves in dance technique while also studying 
        topics in the humanities, languages, ethics, philosophy, and drama;
Whereas, in 1967, Katherine Dunham established the Performing Arts Training 
        Center in East St. Louis, Missouri, which enrolled high-risk youth into 
        its programs in fine, performing, and cultural arts;
Whereas Katherine Dunham founded the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and 
        Humanities in 1969, and the Katherine Dunham Museum and Children's 
        Workshop in 1977;
Whereas Katherine Dunham went on a 47-day hunger strike in 1993 to call 
        attention to the welfare of Haitians, thereby shifting public opinion 
        concerning the United States' relations with Haiti, and helping to 
        precipitate the return of Haiti's first democratically elected 
        president;
Whereas Katherine Dunham has received 10 honorary doctorates and numerous 
        awards, including the Presidential Medal of Arts, the French Legion of 
        Honor, the NAACP's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center 
        Honor's Award; and
Whereas Katherine Dunham continues to be an activist, teacher, and mentor to 
        young people throughout the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that Katherine Dunham should be 
recognized for her work as a teacher, dancer, choreographer, and 
actress, for her dedication to improving the opportunities in the arts 
that are available to the Nation's youth, and for her lifelong 
commitment to humanitarian causes around the world.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 14, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.