Katherine Dunham
Awards & Honors
Katherine Dunham shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan during the Kennedy Center Honors, 1983 | Image Source: Library of Congress
1968
Grand Officer of the Haitian Légion d’Honneur et Merite – Government of Haiti
Dance Magazine Award
1971
Dance Division Heritage Award – American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
1972
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters – MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois
1975
International Women’s Year Award – United Nations Assoc., St. Louis Chapter
1978
Dance Pioneer Award – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theate
1979
Albert Schweitzer Music Award for “her contributions to the performing arts and her dedication to humanitarian work.” Awarded at “A Katherine Dunham Gala” at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
1980
National Dance Week Award – Dance Concert Society
1983
Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts – U.S. Government. Agnes de Mille makes the presentation to Dunham from the stage of the Opera House in Washington, D.C.
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts – Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
1986
Distinguished Service Award – American Anthropological Association
The Southern Cross Award of Honor and Merit – Government of Brazil
The Samuel H. Scripps Award for her contributions to modern dance - American Dance Festival
The Medal of Artistic Merit in Dance – International Council of Dance, UNESCO
1987
Ebony Magazine American achievement Award in Fine Arts – Ebony Magazine
Candice “Trailblazer” Award – National Coalition of One Hundred Black Women
1988
President’s Award of the National Council of Culture and Art, New York
1989
Awarded a Star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame for the field of acting and entertainment.
Historic One-Month Katherine Dunham Residency at Stanford University, including Lecture-Demonstration of Dunham Technique, dance and anthropology classes taught by Miss Dunham, edit of books and costume, and community classes.
National Medal of the Arts – United States Government. Presented to nine people in various fields of arts and letters, and presented at the White House in Washington, D.C. Dunham is honored “for her pioneering explorations of Caribbean and African dance, which have enriched and transformed the arts of dance in America.”
1990
Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Spelman College in Atlanta
Caribbean Award – Government of Trinidad and Tobago
1993
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters – Chicago State University
Government of Haiti awards citizenship to Katherine Dunham.
1995
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts – University of Southern California, Los Angeles
1999
Smith Award – Smithsonian Institute. Presented at her 90th Birthday Party Gala in East St. Louis, IL
2000
Katherine Dunham is named one of “America’s Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by the Dance Heritage Coalition. The library of Congress receives $1 million from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to undertake the Katherine Dunham Legacy Project.
2002
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in western Massachusetts organizes a special tribute with American and African dancers and musicians for her 93rd birthday.
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts – Harvard University
2003
Three-day Tribute in New York City at Symphony Space
2006
Kaiso!: An Anthology of Writings by and about Katherine Dunham, edited by VèVè A. Clark and Sara E. Johnson is published by the University of Wisconsin Press with a tribute to Miss Dunham and the editors at the YWCA in Manhattan.