Just as with the Arch, Dred Scott and other historical figures and landmarks associated with the St. Louis Metropolitan area, Katherine Dunham and her contributions could easily be taken for granted by those who have access to them on a regular basis.
But the Missouri History Museum’s exhibit Katherine Dunham: Beyond the Dance gives a comprehensive sense of just how far and wide her influence stretched n not only as a dance pioneer, but as an ambassador of culture, activism and a symbol of realized potential with respect to personal greatness.
This exhibition features objects donated by Dunham to the MHM collection in 1991 and will honor what would have been her 100th birthday.
Dunham traveled the world as a premier dancer, choreographer and human rights activist. She created the Dunham Technique and founded America’s first self-supporting, black modern dance troupe, which toured internationally from the 1940s to the 1960s. She was known for merging modern dance with Afro-Caribbean cultures and fighting for the rights and hopes of people less fortunate than she, rather than democracy advocates in Haiti or the youth of East St. Louis.
Dunham established East St. Louis headquarters in 1969 after seeing the needs of the community as a visiting professor at Southern Illinois University. Even before entering the threshold into the exhibit, the pulsing and hypnotizing drums serve as a guide and provide a clue that the exhibit is unique among the more traditional displays the museum offers.
Upon entry, guests are immediately encouraged to jump right into the exhibit as screens on the right and left of the entryway feature rare footage of Dunham teaching members of her dance company the latest fruit of her creative genius. While it doesn’t give a date, the Afros and fashions suggest early to mid-‘70s.
The silver in Dunham’s hair can be seen in the black and white footage, suggesting she is seasoned in years. But she moves with agility and purpose as she attempts to get each member of the company to capture every essence of the movements and combinations.
The scenes are captivating. Seeing the elder Dunham and her exhausted dancers work until their bodies give way is a profound introduction to Katherine Dunham: Beyond the Dance.
Just past the initial video is the 1943 portrait of Dunham by Werner Philipp that serves as the anchor piece of the exhibition.
The multimedia exhibit features photos, films, news clippings, costumes and other artifacts that Dunham collected as she created a new genre in American dance and reconnected a community to its ancestral culture.
It would take all of the halls in the History Museum to truly do justice to her career and legacy, but the calculated efforts of the organization to capture elements from the entire spectrum of Dunham’s career were quite impressive.
The video pieces ranged from footage shot by Dunham herself that capture the Vodun inspirations of the Dunham Dance Troupe to a wheelchair-bound Dunham hosting a masterclass with former students in 2001.
The small features strategically placed throughout the exhibit feature commentaries from Dunham herself, troupe dancers Theodore Jamieson and Keith Williams, and actor Warrington Hudlin, who pay homage to her nearly 40 years of dedication to East St. Louis, to dance, to black genius and potential.
Other highlights of the exhibition include personal items belonging to Dunham, masks used in ceremonies and sacred rituals from around the globe, scrapbooks chronicling Dunham’s career, sequined Haitian Vodun flags, a Haitian “Tree of Life” sculpture fashioned from a flattened steel oil container, artwork from Dunham’s personal collection, and more.
The final piece in the video series concludes with Dunham receiving the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983 for a lifetime of achievement. It wasn’t known as all eyes were on Dunham for this special honor that she had ahead of her another quarter-century of contributions to dance, activism and shaping the future of the forgotten children.
Dunham show this Saturday
This weekend, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble’s production of Katherine Dunham…She Lives! will showcase the extraordinary life and work of Katherine Dunham, the legendary dancer, choreographer, anthropologist and human rights activist.
Katherine Dunham…She Lives! will feature dances originally choreographed by Dunham: “Choros,” “Barrel House Blues” and “Ragtime”. Other pieces are inspired by Dunham’s legendary dance technique, including “Escapades,” which was originally created by Alvin Ailey.
The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble is an international, cross-cultural, dance-arts and educational institution rooted in African American traditions, and dedicated to excellence in providing instruction, performances and community programs, for intergenerational students, artists and audiences.
Katherine Dunham…She Lives! will take place Sat., Nov. 8 n Nov. 9 at the Missouri History Museum. The Katherine Dunham: Beyond the Dance exhibition will be open at the Missouri History Museum through November 8th 2009. For more information, call (314) 745-4699 or visit www.mohistory.org.
