Katherine Dunham Quotes

Powerful Katherine Dunham for Daily Growth

About Katherine Dunham

Katherine Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an influential American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and activist who significantly contributed to the development of modern dance and the popularization of African-inspired dance in the United States. Born in Alabama and raised in Chicago, Dunham's passion for dance began at an early age when she watched a performance by the Denishawn Dancers. She started her formal training in 1927, studying modern dance with Martha Graham and ballet with Agnes de Mille. However, it was her travels to the Caribbean and Africa that truly shaped her work, as she immersed herself in local cultures, learning traditional dances that would become integral to her choreography. In 1935, Dunham founded the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, which toured extensively, performing in venues across Europe and America. The company's repertoire, often featuring Dunham herself, showcased the richness of African and Afro-Caribbean dance forms while addressing social issues through powerful narrative pieces. Dunham's major works include "Rites de Passage" (1938), a seminal piece exploring themes of gender, race, and rite of passage; "Tropical Review" (1940), a revue that celebrated the vibrancy of Caribbean culture; and "The River" (1944), a ballet based on a Haitian folk tale. Beyond her artistic contributions, Dunham was deeply involved in civil rights activism. She served as an advisor to UNESCO's Commission for the Study of the African Diaspora and advocated for racial equality through her art and activism. Katherine Dunham's legacy continues to influence dance, theater, and cultural studies today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I've learned that unless you intentionally inject diversity into your life, you become hollow."

This quote emphasizes the importance of seeking out diverse experiences and perspectives in order to enrich one's own life and prevent it from becoming stagnant or superficial. By actively embracing diversity, one can gain a richer understanding of the world, develop empathy for others, and broaden their own horizons, ultimately making them a more complete and fulfilled individual. In essence, incorporating diversity into your life helps to fill it with depth, meaning, and vibrancy.


"Art is a constant, relentless, never ending process of discovery."

Katherine Dunham's quote emphasizes that art is an ongoing journey of exploration and self-discovery. It suggests that artists must persistently seek new ideas, techniques, and perspectives in their craft, constantly pushing the boundaries of what they know or have achieved. This process is never-ending because there is always more to learn, discover, and express through art.


"The most exciting rhythms to me are the ones produced by the human body - walking, dancing and the rhythm of speech."

Katherine Dunham's quote emphasizes the profound appeal of the natural rhythms generated by human movements such as walking, dancing, and speaking. She sees these rhythms as exciting not only because they are fundamental to our everyday life but also due to their artistic and expressive potential. They serve as a means of connection between individuals, cultures, and generations through the universal language of movement and sound.


"Movement never lies, it expresses what words cannot."

This quote highlights the profound expressive power of movement, suggesting that physical actions can reveal emotions, intentions, or states of mind that may be hidden or inexpressible through spoken language alone. Katherine Dunham, a renowned dancer and choreographer, understood dance as more than mere entertainment; it was a means to communicate deeply human experiences, stories, and sentiments. In essence, her words remind us that movement can bridge gaps where words fall short.


"It is only when we understand that we are all one people, that we can build a new world-dance."

This quote by Katherine Dunham emphasizes unity in diversity as a foundation for building a harmonious society. Through dance, she suggests that we can transcend cultural, racial, and geographical boundaries, recognizing our shared humanity. Essentially, she posits that embracing our commonalities will enable us to construct a more peaceful world. In essence, she's advocating that the universal language of movement can foster understanding and cooperation among people.


I used to want the words 'She tried' on my tombstone. Now I want 'She did it.'

- Katherine Dunham

She, Want, Tried, Tombstone

Black people should have recognition for themselves and their backgrounds and their relationships with other people in the world and thus lose some of their alienation. This museum has certainly stood for that in this town.

- Katherine Dunham

Some, Other, Certainly, Alienation

We don't intend to always keep this necessarily African oriented. Originally I had hoped to have African American Indian of this area, and the Appalachian of this area, but at the same time, just as we have the Haitian room, we will always have room for another exhibit.

- Katherine Dunham

Another, Had, Hoped, Appalachian

I really think that aside from admiring my talent you really admire me as a person and as a woman.

- Katherine Dunham

Woman, Think, Admire, Admiring

We have a group of friends of the museum who try to raise, if they can, periodically something to help us. Of course, the main thing about a building like this is its upkeep. It needs central heating and it needs central air conditioning.

- Katherine Dunham

Main Thing, About, Main, Conditioning

Don't think you are going to go on forever because you are not and begin to plan something that will compensate as you reduce your capacities to leap or turn on this or that or the other, begin thinking of something else.

- Katherine Dunham

Think, Other, Reduce, Capacities

Haiti itself was also photographed, some of the streets, some of the mountains, rivers, streams, etc. were photographed before talking with me about how I felt about Haiti. Then the camera went to our voodoo temple and saw a serious ceremony, a real ceremony.

- Katherine Dunham

Mountains, Some, Voodoo, Streams

Sometimes I have given my husband a manuscript to read that has turned out to have fantastic rave reviews and he'll tell me it is no good. Well, if I didn't know him as well as I know him I would be terribly depressed.

- Katherine Dunham

Given, Read, Turned, Rave

I have actually five honorary degrees.

- Katherine Dunham

Graduation, Five, Actually, Honorary

I had certain physical limitations that made me change the choreography for myself or made me more interested in choreography only rather than dancing. I have never been a person who wanted to just dance. I have always been interested in developing for other people.

- Katherine Dunham

Dancing, Other, Been, Choreography

Without my husband's costumes I wouldn't have known how to accomplish what I saw in my own mind's eyes for choreography. And then seeing our choreography and knowing the background of it I am sure helped my husband a great deal with what he designed for us.

- Katherine Dunham

Husband, Own, Deal, Choreography

For the kind of thing that we were showing, the budget was sufficient. As we were speaking of in Haiti, we had not done that before in exactly this form and we had to have costumes for it.

- Katherine Dunham

Kind, Haiti, Before, Costumes

I could never live a nonproductive life and I feel that I have lived a productive life as far as I want to in terms of this company that I have for so many years.

- Katherine Dunham

Want, Could, So Many Years, As Far As

A creative person has to create. It doesn't really matter what you create. If such a dancer wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that, but something that is creative has to go on.

- Katherine Dunham

Go, Could, Gardens, Creative Person

Frequently producers have partners that they never let the public know about.

- Katherine Dunham

Never, Public, Partners, Producers

I am happy to know that my husband regards me as a woman and a person.

- Katherine Dunham

I Am, Woman, I Am Happy, Regards

I certainly feel my career was a great career because it inspired so many many people, literally hundreds of people to follow a new kind of life and to realize that they could make out and advance their own professional and private and social lives.

- Katherine Dunham

Career, Own, Private, Realize

Aside from a few master teachers that we have had over the years, this has been a completely local talent development. But people have started to come now from Chicago, we have a number of students from Chicago and different places of the country and even in the world.

- Katherine Dunham

Country, Students, Been, Chicago

The older I grow the more I see the influence of my family on my life. I didn't always see it. It was up to our parents to see that we had our education in a town that hadn't yet realized what racial prejudice was but actually knew and practiced it on occasion.

- Katherine Dunham

Education, My Life, Occasion, Parents

We had maybe the greatest success of any company that I know of in Paris, and after two or three years I wanted to do this same number that we did for PBS, so we did it and Paris had always considered us their darlings.

- Katherine Dunham

Maybe, Had, Considered, PBS

I don't think Ed Sullivan had anything to do with Carib Song.

- Katherine Dunham

Song, Think, Sullivan, None

My work has been much more Caribbean and eclectic. I am interested in people, and where they come from happens to have fallen within an area of Africa.

- Katherine Dunham

Africa, Been, Area, Fallen

So many dancers paint. I used to paint. I started again recently. While I was dancing, I was very busy with my career. Start something else that makes use of your creative ability because if you don't you will die inside as a person.

- Katherine Dunham

Dancing, Die, Very, Recently

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