[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 64 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E922-E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF KATHERINE DUNHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 22, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to my dear 
friend, Katherine Dunham, who passed away Monday, May 21, 2006. 
Katherine may have become famous for her extraordinary dancing 
capabilities, but it was her humanitarian activities that truly made 
her a legendary American.
  Born in Chicago, Illinois on June 22, 1909, Dunham was once described 
as ``the hottest thing to hit Chicago since Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked 
the bucket.'' From a very young age, her talent for dance was obvious. 
However, she decided to heed her parent's wishes and began studies in 
social anthropology at the University of Chicago during the 1930's. It 
was during these formative years that she was awarded a Rosenwald 
Travel Fellowship to study anthropology and native dance in West 
Indies. Forced by her advisors to choose between the two, she went with 
dance and the rest, as they say, is history.
  Dunham's extensive knowledge of anthropology became instrumental in 
the style of dance, now referred to as the Dunham technique, which she 
invented and popularized. She brought African and Caribbean dance and 
ritual influences to a dance world dominated by a European style, thus 
beginning the anthropological dance movement, which made use of ethnic 
and folk choreography. To Dunham, her methods were ``more than just 
dance or bodily executions.'' Instead, her style was ``about movement, 
forms, love, hate, death, life, all human emotions.'' She made her 
Broadway debut in the late 1930's sporting an unorthodox costume, which 
included a bird cage on her head and a cigar in her mouth. Her 
reasoning: such accessories were typical of the women whom she saw 
while in the Caribbean during her anthropological studies.
  From the 1930's to the 1960's, Dunham revolutionized the worlds of 
dance, theater, music and education, touring the world, visiting over 
60 countries on 6 continents with dance companies and touring 
productions. She introduced the art form of black dance to Europe and 
was the first person to expose elements of American modern dance to a 
foreign country. James Dean, Marlon Brando and Eartha Kitt all became 
disciples of her technique as they sought Katherine out as a teacher. 
With the permission of King Hassan II, she first introduced the dancers 
of Morocco to an American audience with her 1962 production of 
Bamboche. She formed the first all Black dance company, Ballet Negre, 
which became the famous Katherine Dunham Dance Company.

  Even during her years dancing, Katherine's interest in culture and 
anthropology never faltered. In 1965, she decided to disband the 
Katherine Dunham Dance Company to act as advisor to the cultural 
ministry of Senegal. She also wrote eight books, numerous articles and 
short stories and several essays touching on her cultural interests 
ranging from experiences from her world travels to the Myal dance, a 
secret rite native to Jamaicans.
  Following her retirement from dancing in 1967, Dunham continued to 
choreograph shows; however, humanitarian leanings became the focal 
point of her efforts. She moved to East St. Louis, Illinois, a 
predominantly black area, to work with inter-city youth. Her concept 
was to infuse a spirit of the arts with these children in an attempt to 
keep them out of trouble. To do so, she founded the Performing Arts 
Training Center and the Katherine Dunham Museum and Children's school, 
which brought in artists like Harry Belafonte, to teach subjects as 
diverse as African hair-braiding, conversational Creole, martial arts, 
and aesthetics. She would continue to carry out these programs for the 
rest of her life, despite cuts in government and private funding.
  This would not be her first or last activist effort. While touring 
the United States in the 1940's through the 1960's, Dunham refused to 
have her dance troupe perform in segregated theatres in an attempt to 
fight discrimination. In fact, she once refused to perform after 
finding out that African Americans had been prohibited from buying 
tickets to one of her shows. Her promotion of African and Caribbean 
values during the peak of the Civil Rights movement helped to infuse a 
positive image of black culture in the public consciousness.
  Later on, in 1992, she would once again make a political message, as 
she went on a 47 day hunger strike to protest the government policy 
that repatriated Haitian refugees. Her involvement with Haiti did not 
stop there. Dunham was a big supporter of democracy in the country and 
in particular of the exiled President Aristide. In 1991, when Aristide 
was ousted in a military coup, Dunham petitioned the United States 
government to aid in his restoration as president. She also made 
several civilian trips to Haiti, eventually purchasing a house there. 
On each trip, she did her best to help stimulate the country 
economically and to provide humanitarian aid to the poverty-stricken 
people of Haiti.
  Throughout her life, Katherine Dunham was many things to many people. 
To her surviving

[[Page E923]]

daughter, Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt, she was a mother. To her late 
husband, theatre designer John Thomas Pratt, she was a wife of 49 
years. Yet, to all, she was an exemplary American. Katherine earned her 
celebrity status in a time when discrimination was at its peak, 
revealing immense reservoirs of creativity and dedication. She then 
used her fame as a way to create positive change in the world. As every 
dancer knows, actions speak louder than words and it was clear that 
Katherine lived by this doctrine. Her life is an inspiration to me and 
her loss will be felt, not just by the dance community, but by all 
Americans.

                          ____________________