Founded in
Chicago, it grew out of
Ballet Nègre, a student troupe founded in 1930 by
Katherine Dunham (1909–2006), which later became the
Negro Dance Group. The company had successful runs on
Broadway and in other major American cities. In a
New York Times review on February 19, 1940, dance critic
John Martin wrote of Dunham: "Her performance with her group last Sunday at the
Windsor Theatre may very well become a historic occasion, for certainly never before in all efforts of recent years to establish Negro dance as a serious medium has there been so convincing and authoritative an approach." Beginning in the 1940s, Dunham took her troupe on a series of highly acclaimed world tours. The Dunham Company helped launch the career of many
African-American performers of the day. Dunham alumni include
Alvin Ailey,
Rosalie King,
Frances Davis,
Eartha Kitt and
Walter Nicks. Classes in
Katherine Dunham Technique are still taught in
New York City at both the
92nd Street YMHA and at the
Fashion Institute of Technology, by former company member Dana McBroom-Manno. McBroom-Manno was a featured dancer in the
Metropolitan Opera's production of
Aida, choreographed by Katherine Dunham, the first African-American choreographer at the Met since
Hemsley Winfield set the dances for
The Emperor Jones in 1933. Successful revues featuring the company included the universally acclaimed 1946 production
Bal Nègre. ==See also==