Mentorship from the Great Katherine Dunham

My father met a woman who would forever shape him as and artist and a man. She became a signature mentor, and provided him with character building guidance that he still draws from to this day. That woman, was the great African-American dancer, choreographer, creator of the Dunham Technique, author, educator, anthropologist, and social activist Katherine Dunham. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in African-American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. In 1964, Dunham settled in East St. Louis, and took up the post of artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University in nearby Edwardsville. Because of her community mindedness and activist heart, she located her school in the Black community of East St. Louis, Illinois.  In this episode he describes their meeting and collaboration and the important place her mentorship holds in his life. In 2016 I took a gamble on me. After being signed to M.C. Hammer‘s record label, and releasing an album that DID NOT catapult me to fame and fortune, I went back to college and became a teacher. My first job was as a high school English teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, and talk about trial by fire! That was 1998 and since then I have worked steadily at high schools, colleges, universities and even prisons! But it wasn’t until 2016 that I realized that all THE OTHER gifts I share; the POETRY PERFORMANCE and READINGS, the LECTURES, TALKS, and PRESENTATIONS, the CURRICULUM WRITING, the ARTICLE WRITING, and now the RETREAT HOSTING and AIRBNB EXPERIENCE LEADING, should have a home. Feminine Pronoun Consultants, LLC is that home. Welcome. This PODCAST is just one of the ways you can plug in, collaborate, and benefit. Go here for others: www.FemininePronoun.com