Dances of Haiti

Katherine Dunham · UCLA Center for Afro-American Studies · 1983 · Originally in English · scholarly

Dunham's insider account of Haitian ritual and social dance from 1930s fieldwork, founding text of movement-first dance

About the author

Katherine Dunham (1909–2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist whose career bridged concert dance and ethnographic study. Trained in ballet, modern dance, and Caribbean forms, she earned a degree in anthropology and conducted fieldwork in the Caribbean in the 1930s. She later became a major figure in concert dance, known for incorporating Caribbean and African movement vocabularies into theatrical work. She taught for decades, most notably at Southern Illinois University, and remained active in cultural advocacy until her death. Her Dunham Technique became widely taught and remains influential in dance training.

Documents these traditions

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