Katherine Dunham founded the Dunham School of Dance at 220 West 43rd Street in 1945, and the school stayed here until 1957. Dunham was a pioneer in folk and ethnic choreography and a founder of the anthropological dance movement. She is known for bringing Black dance and rituals into the Eurocentric American dance world, revolutionizing the art and field. Eminent artists including Marlon Brando and James Dean took classes here.