Although long recognized as a major force in American dance, Katherine Dunham is less a household name than some of her contemporaries such as Martha Graham or George Balanchine. Nonetheless, her creative influence is just as profound. In addition to her theatrical career, Dunham did pioneering work in the field of dance anthropology and founded a school that embodied multi-cultural principles decades before the term was used in the field of education.
Caption for image on right: Katherine Dunham and student at Southern Illinois University, c.1960s. Courtesy of Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
