People may not live forever, but legends never die – at least not for the Sacramento/Black Art of Dance Company.

The Sacramento/Black Art of Dance Company opened “A Tribute to Katherine Dunham: A Legacy Continues” to a full house Friday at Solano Hall’s Dance Space Theatre.

The production is the final performance installment in an academic year dedicated solely to honoring the legendary dancer’s memory, said Linda Goodrich, company artistic director and theater and dance department chairwoman.

“We wanted to dedicate the whole year to her since the Company is based in the Dunham technique,” Goodrich said. “We have to pass the legacy along.”

Dunham, whose travels allowed her to study various indigenous dance forms, gained legendary status when she revolutionized modern dance by incorporating ballet movement with those found in traditional African and Caribbean dance styles, melding leaps and toe balancing with capoeira-like footwork and writhing torso twists.

Associate artistic director and dance performer Nathan Jones characterized the Dunham’s technique as holistic dance expression.

“She was the first person to fuse poly-rhythmic senses with dance aesthetic,” Jones said. “This technique showed me how dance can express mind, body and spirit together.”

It was Dunham’s legend and the technique she founded that attracted a full house Friday.

Junior theater major Shenandoah Butterworth called Dunham “inspirational” for her extensive travels and commitment to dance.

“She wanted dancers to learn all fundamental basics so they could be well-rounded,” Butterworth said.

Sacramento State alumna Erica Wellington-Kugler was awe-struck by Dunham’s pioneering work as an African American dancer.

“I think (Dunham) paved the way for so many dancers and it’s important not only for generations that followed but those in the future,” Wellington-Kugler said.

Goodrich said Sac State and San Francisco State University are the only two Northern California schools where the Dunham method is taught. Since the dance director at San Francisco State retired last year, Goodrich felt more compelled to keep Dunham’s memory alive.

As a result, the company has extended its reach beyond Sac State with performance tours and dance workshops for youth.

“We like to pass the tradition along to the babies because that’s how we keep Katherine Dunham’s legacy alive,” Goodrich said to the full house with her arm around high school dancer Montrell Williams’ shoulders.

“It’s important? to get out to the community her movement, her technique. We want to show Northern California that we are carrying on her legacy,” Woods said.

Marilen Bugarin can be reached at [email protected]