CHICAGO DANCE HISTORY PROJECT

The Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP) investigates, preserves, and presents the oral and corporeal histories of theatrical dance in Chicago and its vicinity. It is building a digital archive that honors the vast number of national and international dance artists with roots in the city; surfaces lesser-known individuals, organizations, and venues that have anchored Chicago’s strong local dance community; and links various collections of historical knowledge and traditions with present and future generations. CDHP pursues three primary modes of research: conducting in-depth interviews with area dancers, choreographers, educators, advocates, and others associated with the form; hosting panel discussions and other events that facilitate collaborative explorations of specific historical topics; and discovering and digitizing ephemera held by individuals within the community. CDHP also establishes partnerships with area institutions and individuals housing dance archives in order to link the various strains of knowledge maintained throughout the city. These recorded interviews and events, along with the digitized supplemental materials, will serve as a public online library and a platform for establishing a body of original and collected research that examines how Chicago has shaped dance — and how, in turn, dance has shaped Chicago — throughout the 20th century and into the present.