Katherine Dunham

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TopicsMain PointHumanities

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Passage

One of the more striking developments in modern North American dance was African American choreographer Katherine Dunham’s introduction of a technique known as dance-isolation, in which one part of the body moves in one rhythm while other parts are kept stationary or are moved in different rhythms. The incorporation of this technique dance is due in no small part to her training in both anthropological research and choreography.

As an anthropologist in the 1930s, Dunham was one of the pioneers in the field of dance ethnology. Previously, dance had been neglected as an area of social research, primarily because most social scientists gravitated toward areas likely to be recognized by their peers as befitting scientifically rigorous, and therefore legitimate, modes while experts in dance were not trained in the methods of social research.

Starting in 1935, Dunham conducted a series of research projects into traditional Caribbean dance forms, with special interest in their origins in African culture. Especially critical to her success was her approach to research, which diverged radically from the methodology that prevailed at the time. Colleagues in anthropology advised her not to techniques well enough to teach them to others and incorporate them into new forms of ballet.

Between 1937 and 1945, Dunham developed a research-to-performance method that she used to adapt Caribbean dance forms for use in theatrical performance, combining them with modern dance styles she learned in Chicago. The ballets she created in this fashion were among the first North American dances to rectify the exclusion of African own right, making possible future companies such as Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theater of Harlem.

What this question is testing

Main Point

Your task

Capture the passage's overall primary point — the claim everything else supports.

Common trap

Answers that are true but too narrow (a single paragraph) or too broad (beyond the passage's scope).

Winning move

Summarize the whole passage in one sentence first, then match it to a choice.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of

Answer choices

Too Strong11% picked this
Katherine Dunham transformed the field of anthropology by developing innovative research methodologies for studying Caribbean and other traditional dance styles and connecting
Too Strong: transformed anthropology Out of Scope: innovative methodologies This starts off way too strong. We never heard that she transformed the field of anthropology, just that she studied things others weren't and operated in ways that others didn't. She didn't develop multiple innovative research methodologies for studying Caribbean / other traditional dance styles. She studied Caribbean / other traditional dance styles, and her methodology was atypical in that she got directly involved in learning those dance styles.
11%
Wrong Emphasis: ballets1% picked this
Katherine Dunham's ballets were distinct from others produced in North America in that they incorporated authentic dance
Was the central topic of this passage, Dunham's ballets? Her ballets get mentioned in the final paragraph, but the author never said they were unique because they incorporated authentic dance techniques from traditional cultures. They did do that, but the author never said that other ballets in North America didn't do that. Instead, the big ideas were Dunham / dance isolation / one of the first and most qualified to study dance ethnology / got unusually involved in what she was studying / established African American dance as its own art form. None of those central themes are captured in this answer.
1%
Out of Scope: political2% picked this
Katherine Dunham's expertise as an anthropologist allowed her to use Caribbean and African dance traditions to express the aesthetic and political concerns
Nothing in the passage ever says that she used dance traditions to express the political concerns of African American dancers and choreographers.
2%
Out of Scope: her discovery2% picked this
The innovative research methods of Katherine Dunham made possible her discovery that the dance traditions of the Caribbean were derived
The passage never said that Dunham discovered that dance traditions of the Caribbean were derived from earlier African ones. The first paragraph says, "various forms of the [dance-isolation] technique have long been essential to traditional dances of certain African, Caribbean, and Pacific-island cultures". She was notable for being able to pull this (and other traditional techniques) into the mainstream, but the passage never gives her credit for discovering the origin story of Caribbean dance traditions.
2%
Correct84% picked this
Katherine Dunham's anthropological and choreographic expertise enabled her to make contributions that altered the landscape of modern
Why this is right
Of the available options, this best captures why she is Noteworthy: - her introduction of dance-isolation was "one of the more striking developments in modern North American dance" This supports the language that she "altered the landscape of modern dance in North America". The final paragraph also gives us ammunition for that: - the ballets she created were "among the first North American dances to rectify the exclusion of African American themes from the medium of modern dance". The end of the 1st paragraph spotlights the causal difference-maker that allowed Dunham to play this pivotal role: her training in both anthropological research and choreography. We learn in the 2nd paragraph that almost no one had the dual-expertise of knowing both anthropology and dance. We learn in the 3rd paragraph, that "because of her interest and her skill as a performer" she was able to eschew the usual detachment of anthropologists and instead get directly involved with her subject of inquiry.
Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
84%

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