Top Katherine Dunham Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Katherine Dunham Biography

Katherine Dunham

Katherine Mary Dunham (also known as Kaye Dunn, June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. She has been called the "matriarch and queen mother of black dance."

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Katherine Dunham Quotes

You dance because you have to. Dance is an essential part of life that has always been with me.

Dance, Essential, Essentials, Life, Parts Of Life

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.

Ability, Busy, Careers, Dancer, Dancing, Paint

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.

Dance, Dancing, People, Person

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.

Fantastic, Husband, Know, Sometimes, Tell, Would Be

If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.

Dance, Dancer, Hurt, Hurts, Know, Knows

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.

Budget, Costumes, Done, Haiti

I have actually five honorary degrees.

Actually, Degrees, Five, Funny, Graduation, Inspirational

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

Song, Thinking, Ed Sullivan, Sullivan, Think

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.

Museums, Air, Trying, Course, Group, Raise

I wasn't concerned about the hardships because I always felt I was doing what I had to do, what I wanted to do and what I was destined to do.

Concerned, Destined, Hardship, Hardships, Wanted

When you have faith in something, it’s your reason to be alive and to fight for it.

Alive, Faith, Fighting, Have Faith, Reason

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.

Company, Live, Productive Life, Terms, Want, Years

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

Funny, Happy, Husband, Know, Persons, Regards

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

Thinking, Talent, Admire, Person, Woman

There is an energy within. . . pure strength. . . the energy of the person which is put in different forms, in different shapes. . . once we discover that energy I think that such a thing as dance becomes such a delight because you're moving on a stream that is you but it is even over and beyond you.

Energy, Forms, Moving, Person, Thinking

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

Happiness, Inspirational, Strength, Tombstone, Tried, Used

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.

Real, Talking, Rivers, Streams, Camera

I always believed that if you set out to be successful, then you already were.

Already, Always Believe, Belief, Believed, Successful

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.

African American, American Indian, Area, Hoped, Originally, Rooms

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.

Lose, Museums, People, Recognition, Should Have, Town

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