1005 Pennsylvania Ave, East St Louis, IL 62201

Katherine Dunham (1910–2006) was a world-renowned performer, choreographer, and teacher who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of modern dance. She attended the University of Chicago, where she studied anthropology, and later conducted groundbreaking research in the Caribbean and Brazil with the help of a Rosenwald Fellowship. In 1931, she founded her first school for the study of Black Caribbean dance in Chicago, an important milestone in the recognition of African and Afro-Caribbean dance traditions in the United States.

Dunham began her professional dance career in 1933, gaining international fame for her innovative choreography and performances. In 1967, she moved to St. Louis, where she became a faculty member at Southern Illinois University (SIU). There, she founded a performing arts training center and created a unique curriculum that combined dance with anthropology, further advancing the study of dance as an art form and cultural expression.

Throughout her career, Dunham received numerous awards and honorary degrees. Among her many honors, she was named a Chevalier of the Haitian Legion of Honor and Merit in the 1950s, recognizing her contributions to the cultural exchange between Haiti and the United States.

Dunham’s legacy continues to inspire dancers, choreographers, and scholars around the world, and the Katherine Dunham Museum in East St. Louis serves as a tribute to her remarkable contributions to both the performing arts and the understanding of African diasporic culture.

The Katherine Dunham Museum houses Miss Dunham’s outstanding collection of more than 250 African and Caribbean art objects from more than 50 countries. Tapestries, paintings, sculptures, musical instruments, and ceremonial costumes from around the world celebrate the human spirit of the Museum. Additionally, the museum holds an extensive video archive. It displays costumes, photographs, programs, letters, awards, and mementos from Miss Dunham’s career as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, writer, and dance company owner.