DUNHAM
Dunham in Mr. Ailey’s Repertory
Dunham technique along with many other techniques is an integral part of the Mr. Ailey’s Repertory, especially the earlier works. The following is a list of examples in the repertory that best exemplify the technique:
Blues Suite
Cry
Masekela Langage
Revelations
Survivors
The Magic of Katherine Dunham
Classes in Dunham are offered through The Ailey Extension and The Ailey School's Open Classes. Click here to register!
The Technique
The Dunham technique was developed by internationally renowned dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham as a result of her anthropological studies in Africa and the Caribbean. The technique draws from Classical Ballet as well as traditional African/Caribbean movement, forging a cultural link between Africa and North America. Dunham Technique is remarkably difficult -- an eclectic fusion of movement researched in Jamaica, Martinique, and Haiti with ballet and modern dance, blended into a system of body isolation and syncopation that gives the body an impressive range of movement. This codified movement vocabulary focuses on the isolation of individual body parts, in preparation for execution of a polyrhythmic movement structure that is reminiscent of African dance and music. Mr. Ailey was so inspired by a performance of “Tropical Revue” at the Biltmore in Los Angeles by Katherine Dunham’s company, that Dunham Technique has always been taught at The Ailey Studios as part of the school’s curriculum.
Classes in Dunham are offered through The Ailey Extension and The Ailey School's Open Classes. Click here to register!
Katherine Dunham
Legendary dancer, choreographer, anthropologist and activist Katherine Dunham was born June 22, 1909, to an African-American father and French-Canadian mother. At an early age, Ms. Dunham became interested in dance. During her studies at the University of Chicago, Ms. Dunham attended a lecture on anthropology, where she was introduced to the concept of dance as a cultural symbol. Intrigued by this theory, Ms. Dunham began to study African roots of dance and, in 1935, she was exposed to sacred ritual dances performed by people on the islands of Haiti and Jamaica. She returned to the United States in 1936 informed by new methods of movement and expression, which she incorporated into techniques that transformed the world of dance.
In 1940, she formed the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Ms. Dunham is credited with introducing international audiences to African aesthetics and establishing African dance as a true art form. Her groundbreaking repertoire combined innovative interpretations of Caribbean dances, traditional ballet, African rituals and African American rhythms to create the Dunham Technique, which she performed with her dance troupe in venues around the world. She also choreographed and appeared in Broadway musicals, operas and alone, or with her company, she appeared in nine Hollywood movies including the film Cabin in the Sky.
The Dunham troupe toured for two decades, stirring audiences around the globe with their dynamic and highly theatrical performances. These experiences provided ample material for the numerous books, articles and short stories Ms. Dunham authored. Ms. Dunham, the activist, was always a formidable advocate for racial equality, boycotting segregated venues in the United States and using her performances to highlight discrimination. She made national headlines by staging a hunger strike to protest the U.S. government's repatriation policy for Haitian immigrants.
Throughout her distinguished career, Ms. Dunham has earned numerous honorary doctorates, awards and honors. More recently, she was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honors Award, the plaque d'Honneur Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce Award, and a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
