{"product_id":"katherine-dunham-dancing-a-life-9780252027598","title":"Katherine Dunham: DANCING A LIFE","description":"\u003cp\u003eThroughout the better part of the twentieth century  and in performance halls  classrooms  and communities throughout the world  the wellspring of Katherine Dunhams remarkable career can be traced to the intersection of dance  culture  and society. More than a recounting of Dunhams accomplishments as a dancer and choreographer  this biography is the first to thoroughly examine her pioneering contributions to dance anthropology and her commitment to humanizing society through the arts. Founder of the first self-supporting African American dance company  Dunham relied on her fieldwork as an anthropologist to fundamentally change modern dance. She shaped new dance techniques and introduced other cultures to U.S. and European audiences by fusing Caribbean and African-based movement with ballet and modern dance. Her revolutionary approaches to dance and its greater connection to the world have influenced a generation of dancers  theatrical performers  and scholars. She believes that dance involves the development of an entire person and the rituals and traditions of dance are integral to the study of culture. Throughout her career she has been a living model of the socially responsible artist working to whet cultural appetites and combat social injustice. Joyce Aschenbrenners multifaceted portrait blends personal observations based on her own interactions with Dunham  archival documents  and interviews with Dunhams colleagues  students  and members of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Integrating these sources  Aschenbrenner characterizes the social  familial  and cultural environment of Dunhams upbringing and the intellectual and artistic community she embraced at the University of Chicago that laid the groundwork for her development as a dancer  anthropologist  and humanitarian. The book vividly depicts Dunhams and her dancers touring experiences and includes detailed descriptions of her community cultural and educational programs in East St. Louis.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647614115893,"sku":"ByrdShop_0252027590","price":34.07,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780252027598.jpg?v=1781695816","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/katherine-dunham-dancing-a-life-9780252027598","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}