Blondell Cummings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Blondell Cummings
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Cummings in her "for J.B." at the Kitchen in New York City
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| Born | October 27, 1944 |
| Died | August 30, 2015 (aged 70) New York City, USA
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | New York University Lehman College |
| Known for | Dance and choreography |
| Movement | Modern dance |
Blondell Cummings (born October 27, 1944 – died August 30, 2015) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. She was known for creating unique and experimental dances. Blondell was a very important person in the dance world of New York City and Harlem for many years.
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Her Early Life
Blondell Cummings was born in Florence, South Carolina. This was on October 27, 1944. When she was a baby, her parents, Roscoe and Oralee Cummings, moved to Harlem, New York. In South Carolina, her parents were sharecroppers. This means they grew crops like cotton and tobacco on land owned by someone else.
When they moved to New York, her father became a taxi driver. Her mother worked as a helper in homes and later as a nurse. When Blondell was a teenager, her family moved again to Queens, another part of New York City.
Her Dance Career
Blondell Cummings studied dance and education at New York University. She earned a special degree called a bachelor's degree. Later, she got a master's degree in fine arts from Lehman College. She also learned dance at the famous Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.
Blondell was one of the first members of a dance group called "The House." This group was started by Meredith Monk. Blondell performed in Monk's 1973 show Education of the Girlchild. She also appeared in a 1976 film called Kristina Talking Pictures.
In 1978, Blondell started her own group. It was called Cycle Arts Foundation. This group helped different artists work together. For two years, she helped other dancers and created her own dances. She performed her work at many places. These included The Kitchen and New York Live Arts. She also traveled to perform in Africa and Asia. She visited places like the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the U.S. Blondell worked with other artists too. These included Jamaica Kincaid and Jessica Hagedorn.
Blondell also taught dance at universities. Some of these were Wesleyan University, Cornell University, and New York University.
Blondell Cummings passed away on August 30, 2015. She was 70 years old. She died from pancreatic cancer at her home in New York City.
Famous Dance Works
Chicken Soup (1981)
One of Blondell's most famous dances was Chicken Soup. She created this solo dance in 1981. It was based on her childhood memories. She remembered her grandmother cooking in the kitchen. The dance used music by Meredith Monk and others.
In 1982, this dance was a big hit. People loved it. A newspaper called The New York Times wrote about it in 1983. They said Blondell just stood by a bag, sat in a chair, and danced with a frying pan. But she made the audience feel like they were in a special memory. It was a time when women talked about their lives around a kitchen table.
Later, another writer described the dance. She said Blondell would scrub the floor. Then she would suddenly shake in quick, jerky movements. After that, she would go back to scrubbing. This made the dance very interesting. It made people wonder if the woman was happy or if she was going crazy.
In 2006, Chicken Soup was named an American Masterpiece. This is a very special honor. The dance was performed again in 2007. This was done by a dance company called Urban Bush Women.
Women in the Dunes (1995)
This dance was asked for by the Japan Society. It looked at how African-American women and Japanese women are alike and different. Blondell worked with Junko Kikuchi on this piece. It was based on a book from 1962. The book was called The Woman in the Dunes by Kōbō Abe.
Awards She Won
Blondell Cummings received many awards. She got awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. She also received honors from The New York Foundation for the Arts. The U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission also gave her an award. She won special fellowships from Guggenheim and Robert Rauschenberg.
Her Legacy
Blondell Cummings was featured in two documentaries. These were Retracting Steps: American Dance Since Postmodernism (1988) and Free to Dance: The African American Presence in Modern Dance (2001).
She was also on the committee for the Bessie Awards for many years. These awards celebrate excellent dance performances. This shows how respected she was in the dance world.
We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85
Blondell Cummings's work was part of a big art show. It was called We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85. This show featured important women artists. It was first shown at the Brooklyn Museum in 2017. Then it traveled to the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston in 2018.
