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Article: Katherine Dunham: 1909-2006`She broke ground and set examples'Glen Ellyn native merged anthropology, activism with breakthroughs in dance.
- Article from:
- Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
- Article date:
- May 23, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Chicago Tribune. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Sid Smith
May 23--She would deserve acclaim if she mastered only one of her many areas of endeavor.
But Katherine Dunham, a Chicago-area native, conquered and innovatively synthesized them all--serious dance, movies, Broadway shows, field anthropology and social activism.
Miss Dunham, 96, died Sunday at an assisted-living facility in New York City. Decades before the civil-rights movement, she helped pave the path for African-Americans in the serious arts.
"It's impossible to reduce her importance and contribution to one or two things," said Bonnie Brooks, chairwoman of the dance department at Columbia College Chicago. "She ...