[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 859 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 859

Honoring the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham and extending 
                condolences to her family on her death.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 9, 2006

 Mr. Rangel (for himself, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Towns, Ms. 
Norton, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Lee, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. 
  Owens, Mr. Payne, and Mr. Davis of Alabama) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
                               Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Honoring the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham and extending 
                condolences to her family on her death.

Whereas Katherine Dunham, a pioneering dancer and choreographer, author, and 
        civil rights activist was born on June 22, 1909, and passed away on May 
        21, 2006, at the age of 96;
Whereas, at the age of 12, Katherine Dunham wrote her first published short 
        story in a magazine edited by W.E.B. DuBois;
Whereas, as class poet in high school, Katherine Dunham wrote a memoir entitled 
        ``A Touch of Innocence'';
Whereas, in the 1930s, Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance by 
        incorporating the roots of Black dance and ritual to develop a uniquely 
        different dance form;
Whereas Katherine Dunham received a bachelor of arts degree in social 
        anthropology from 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 used her dance and choreography career and public 
        status to draw attention to the civil rights movement and the issue of 
        segregation;
Whereas, in 1931, Katherine Dunham brought African and Caribbean influences to 
        the European-dominated dance world by founding Les Ballet Negre, 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 on 6 continents from the 1940s to the 
        1960s;
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, providing a centralized location for students to 
        immerse themselves in dance technique and study topics in the 
        humanities, languages, ethics, philosophy, and drama;
Whereas, in 1967, Katherine Dunham left Broadway and established the Performing 
        Arts Training Center in East St. Louis, Illinois, to teach culture to 
        underprivileged youths;
Whereas Katherine Dunham taught dance, African hair braiding and woodcarving, 
        conversational Creole, Spanish, French, and Swahili, and more 
        traditional subjects, such as aesthetics and social science, to the 
        youths of East St. Louis, Illinois;
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, in 1993, Katherine Dunham went on a 47-day hunger strike to call 
        attention to the plight of the Haitians, thereby helping to shift public 
        opinion on United States relations with the Republic of Haiti and 
        precipitating the return of the first democratically elected president 
        of the Republic of Haiti;
Whereas Katherine Dunham has received 10 honorary doctorates and numerous other 
        awards, including the National Medal of Arts, Albert Schweitzer Music 
        Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the French Legion of Honor, and the 
        NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award;
Whereas Katherine Dunham was an activist, teacher, dancer, and mentor to young 
        people throughout the world; and
Whereas, with the death of Katherine Dunham on May 21, 2006, in New York City, 
        the United States lost a prolific and premier artist and humanitarian: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors the life and accomplishments of Katherine 
        Dunham;
            (2) recognizes Katherine Dunham's immeasurable 
        contributions to the arts and all of humanity; and
            (3) extends its condolences to Katherine Dunham's family.
                                 <all>