Alumni

Over the past century, University of Chicago alumni have had worldwide impact in the arts, from dance to contemporary music to the creation of the art of improvisational comedy.

Katherine Dunham, PhB’36 (1909–2006)
Internationally renowned dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and activist, who researched dance in Haiti and used her studies there to create pioneering work in folk and ethnic choreography.

Marissa Flaxbart, AB’05
A documentary filmmaker, Marissa is shopping around her documentary film, aptly titled show/choir, which follows two high school troupes in her native Chesterton, IN.

Kimberly Peirce, AB’90
Film director, writer, and producer most noted for her award-winning debut feature, Boys Don’t Cry (1999), and Stop-Loss (2008), a film about the multiple redeployments of American soldiers to Iraq.

Susan Sontag, AB’51 (1933–2004)
Critic, literary theorist, political activist, and author, perhaps most noted for her critical essays, Against Interpretation (1966).

Kurt Vonnegut, AM’71 (1922–2007)
Author of Slaughterhouse Five, Cat’s Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions.

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