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While listening to Nina Simone's version of "Strange Fruit" and watching Watson perform, there's a better element of interpretation concerning the viewer.

Primus' choreography is done in a big loop, representing the vicious circle of racism that affects Black lives. Watson is constantly being brought to her knees, falling, getting back up, falling again.

She also keeps her gaze and head up throughout the dance, keeping a hopeful vision of equality and peace throughout the performance.

This dance, as well as the poem, depict the struggles of Black Americans as they are beaten and/or killed and discarded, like an odd piece of fruit.

Primus' Choreography to "Strange Fruit", performed by Dawn Marie Watson.

"I didn't create 'Strange Fruit' for a dancer," Primus explains. "I created it to make a statement within our society, within our world. And therefore, it was made with my body. When I danced it, I wasn't male or female. I wasn't the wind, I wasn't a tree. I was a concept."

This interpretation shows a man working, Dennis' bare back representing hard labor and sweat.

During the verses, Dennis moves a bit slower, his movements a bit more pronounced and sluggish. The verses tell of the tribulations of sharecropper who cannot grow crops, therefore he cannot sell them, which in turns means he does not make money and loses his home.

Primus' choreography during the chorus is more lively; even though the sharecropper is dealing with difficulties of life, he still has to go to work and the jovial type dance moves Dennis does can reflect the sharecropper's small happiness to work. It's a place to go get away from problems and hopefully to alleviate them.

"Hard Time Blues" by Josh White, performed by Paul Dennis.

Primus also interpreted civil rights activist Josh White's "Hard Time Blues." Some of the lyrics include:

Now the sun was a-shinin' fourteen days and no rain.

Hoein' and plantin' was all in vain.

They had hard, hard times, Lord, all around,

Meal barrel's empty, crops burned to the ground.

Then I went to the boss at the commissary store.

Folks all sobbin', "Please don't close your door.

We want more food and a little more time to pay."

Boss man laughed and walked away.

Now your landlord comes around when your rent is due,

And if you ain't got his money, take your home from you.

He'll take your mule and horse, even take your cow.

Says, "Get off of my land. You're no good nohow."

During an interview, Primus was asked how she was able to make political statements through dance at such a young age.

She answered "It was like a mandate. It was something I had to do. . . . I was given a body strong enough, I was given the schooling, I was given the people (to help me) and the dreams. And this is the work I was meant to do: to show the dignity, beauty and strength in the heritage of peoples of African ancestry."

Pearl Primus

Works Cited:

*

Pearl Primus was born in 1919 in Trindad and moved to New York with her family at the age of two. With ambitions to become a doctor, Primus received an excellent education, excelling both academically and artistically, writing eloquent prose and poetry and dancing, but her dreams were deferred due to racism. Instead, she turned to dance, receiving a scholarship to the New Dance Group, a performing art center in New York.

*http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-03427.html

*http://articles.latimes.com/1994-04-24/entertainment/ca-49822_1_modern-dance/3

*http://www.danceheritage.org/primus.html

*http://www.mamboso.net/primus/summary_2.html

*http://kdcah.org/katherine-dunham-biography/

* http://www.pbs.org/wnet/freetodance/biographies/primus.html

*http://kdcah.org/katherine-dunham-biography/

*All videos courtsey of Youtube.

Katherine Dunham

In the video below, Dunham and her dance company perform a ballet set in a West Indian Creole music.

Dunham was born in Chicago, IL in 1909. She did her first dance performance at age eight but it was only to raise money. Dunham had planned on becoming a teacher and was the first African-American woman to attend the University of Chicago, receiving a bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees in anthropology.

During this time, Dunham became a student of the Russian dancer, Ludmilla Speranzeva and they did many performances together. One was attended by Mrs. Alfred Rosenwald Stern, whom was so impressed, that she offered Dunham money from the Rosenwald to further her studies in dance. Dunham took it and studied for two years in The Caribbean.

Notice the heavily influenced tribal dress as well as the headpieces, drums and chants as the group performs. Dunham was adement about getting to the root of Black dance so that she would not be making a mockery of it.

Primus was a considered a political artist, known for energy, both physically and mentally. When she was young, she met leftists at a summer camp, including Paul Robeson, who encouraged her artist talents. Primus proved to not only be a talented dancer, but driven in social awareness as she incorporate African history and movement in her dance.

Throughout the 40s, she interpreted work by Black artists, incorporating it into her dance. She interpreted Langston Hughes "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as well as "Strange Fruit" a poem by Lewis Allen.

Dunham changed American choerography forever. With her anthropology background, she incorporated the roots of Black dance and folk music by channeling the spirituality and rituals of the Caribbean and Brazilian dance. Through this, Dunham showed how beautiful, necessary and important Black dance was.

Katherine Dunham and Her Dance Company in Casbah.

"Her mastery of body movement was considered "phenomenal." She was hailed for her smooth and fluent choreography and dominated a stage with what has been described as "an unmitigated radiant force providing beauty with a feminine touch full of variety and nuance." The impact of the Dunham show on the European post war generation was fantastic. They had never been exposed to anything so culturally different, and with such a power of total involvement. It was much more than the enthusiastic reaction to a brilliant theatrical experience. It was an exposure to a different culture, and to a sense of magic and of beauty they knew nothing about."

Katherine Dunham "Stormy Weather,."

"What Do you Dance?"

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