By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A few events today (Thursday) will mark the life of famed dancer Katherine Dunham. She died last month, just short of what would have been her 97th birthday today.
Dunham spent much of her last forty years in East St. Louis, where she worked to bring dance and art classes to the community. There will be a memorial celebration at East St. Louis's Lincoln Middle School at noon.
The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park will also have a free event tonight at 7 remembering Dunham as a dancer, choreographer, civil rights activist, and educator.