'Sing my song': The legacy of Kathleen Stanford Grant

This thesis looks at the three main roles that define the professional life of Kathleen Stanford Grant: the dancer, the arts administrator and the teacher. Using oral history this thesis (1) explores Grant's dance career (1945--1960): from chorus girl at the Zanzibar nightclub, dancing on Broadway (in depth analysis of "Finian's Rainbow") to performing in Europe, and becoming a protege of Joseph Pilates, (2) provides a survey of Grant's work in arts administration in New York City (1967--1972): as director of YWCA's Clark Center for the Performing Arts, administrative director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, and presiding on the National Endowment for the Arts dance panel and (3) offers testimonials from her students giving insight into Grant's impact and legacy as a first-generation Pilates teacher. The aim of this thesis is to honor Grant within the rich lineages of American concert dance, the history of Pilates and arts advocacy.