Katherine Dunham was an American dancer, author, educator and social activist. On this day June 22, 1909 Katherine was born in Glen Ellyn, Il. She died on May 21, 2006 in New York, NY. Her dances incorporated elements from traditional Caribbean and African dance styles into ballet, modern dance, jazz, and theater. Both ballet and modern dance was greatly influenced even though she was not considered a jazz dancer. Katherine Dunham performed venues around the world and many of her original works are: Batucada, L’ag’ya, Shango, Veracruzana, Nanigo, Choros, Rite de Passage, Los Indios and many others. Dunham directed her own dance company in the American and European theater in the late 20th century. Katherine Dunham combined classical ballet