ESL, History Museum events planned for June 22
By Alvin A. Reid of the American
The late Katherine Dunham will be honored June 22 on both sides of the Mississippi River, a body of water she once called “inspiring.”
East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene B. Redmond said Wednesday that East St. Louis is “one of a triad of cities the late Katherine Dunham called her spiritual homes.”
The city will host “Katherine Dunham (1909-2006): A Familial Memorial Celebration” from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday June 22 in the 500 block of Katherine Dunham Place (North 10th Street).
Redmond said her other spiritual homes were Dakar, Senegal and Port au Prince, Haiti.
Later that day, the Missouri Historical Society will host a post-memorial celebration event at 7 p.m. at the Missouri History Museum at Lindell and DeBaliviere in Forest Park.
Dunham, a famed choreographer, dance instructor and social activist, was cremated last week following her death May 22 in New York.
The remains of a woman remembered by many as “The Empress” are in the possession of her daughter, Marie-Christine Dunham-Pratt, Redmond said.
Dunham-Pratt and Katherine Dunham’s former designer and longtime friend Madeline Preston will attend the June 22 program in East St. Louis.
The Board of Directors of the Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities
is overseeing the memorial.
Lena Weathers, president of the KDCAH board, said she is “excited about the way things are falling into place for this national memorial.”
Weathers attended a “Celebration of the Life of Katherine Dunham” program in Atlanta on Sunday, May 29 and was given a Fulton County proclamation and other acknowledgements that will be shared with the June 22 audience.
And Redmond oversaw a spiritual tribute in Ibadan, Nigeria, soon after her passing, when a card was signed to Miss Dunham which also will be presented in East St. Louis.
“East St. Louis was her home and the place that she was closest to,” Weathers said.
“We want to have a grand, glorious send off for her, and this national celebration will be just that.”
The program will include an invocation by an intergenerational ensemble of scores of drummers, brief recollections and praise statements by national, state and local celebrities and officials, including East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer and Illinois state Rep. Wyvetter Younge.
Redmond, who is chairing the celebration committee, said the service will also include poetic recitations of Miss Dunham’s life, dance presentations by Dunham devotees and certified teachers of the internationally acclaimed Dunham Technique and the sharing of proclamations, telegrams and letters from dignitaries.
The program is free to the public. However, persons desiring to support the
June 22 memorial can send donations in the form of check or money order to Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts and Humanities (KDCAH), P.O. Box 632, East St. Louis, Ill., 62201.
Those wanting to make repetitive long-term contributions in support of the Katherine Dunham Legacy (Museum, Children’s Workshop, and upkeep of properties) should send tax-deductible donations online to www. dunhamfund.com.
The Missouri History Museum had planned to celebrate Dunham’s 97th birthday on June 22 and will celebrate her life with a performance honoring her intellectual, artistic and humanitarian achievements.
Performers will include Antonio Douthit of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Rodney Hamilton of Ballet Hispanico, Diadié Bathily of Afriky Lolo and a host of others who will “look back at the life and forward at the legacy” of one of the most successful American dancers and a jewel of the St. Louis region.
The celebration is at 7 p.m. in the Lee Auditorium. It is free, but please call for reservations at (314) 361-9017.