Capture Your Legacy
Oral Histories & Interviews
Chicago Dance History Project’s core program offering - and the heart of our mission to investigate, document, preserve, and promote Chicago dance - is the recording and public accessibility of Oral Histories from those who have contributed to the growth, diversity, and longevity of our amazing community. To date, CDHP has recorded more than 150 such interviews from dancers, choreographers, funders, administrators, and patrons, which collectively capture more than 100 years of Chicago dance history. But we’ve barely started.
Telling a more accurate and expansive history of this ever-changing community, though, demands that CDHP discover and record those whose voices have not been heard, that is, those who exist within an “archival silence.” If you are someone not yet represented within CDHP’s archives, we hope to connect soon to fill that void.
1
Determine who is to be interviewed.
It might be just you, you and a colleague, or even a small group of people. You decide what’s best for you.
2
Decide who will be the interviewer.
CDHP has found that selection of someone you know and trust to conduct the interview often opens up areas of conversation that provide greater depth to the discussion.
3
Find a location.
Other than good natural light and lack of noise, we have recorded interviews on stages or in a theater’s seats, dance studios, living rooms, lobbies, libraries, and even Airbnb. Selection of a space where you are most comfortable is key to a successful recording. CDHP staff will help secure the agreed-upon location.
4
Select a day and time.
Most interviews last 90 minutes to two hours, although some have been shorter or much, much longer. To accommodate equipment set up and take down, we recommend selecting a four hour window during normal business hours, evenings, or weekends.
5
Create interview questions.
Preliminarily, CDHP suggests to you and your interviewer a list of possible questions to guide the interview. These suggestions are only a first step and are not meant to be prescriptive! Remember, this is your story to tell, not CDHP’s.
6
What should I bring?
Please feel free to bring any photographs, costumes, props, etc. that you have from your career. We do not accept donations of physical items, but we're happy to include anything you want to show us on the record.
7
Review and sign required waivers.
These documents give CDHP permission to record and migrate your interview to the Newberry Library’s Midwest Dance Collection where it will be fully accessible publicly, worldwide.
8
Do I get to see my interview after it's recorded, and what will be done with the interview after?
Yes! The editing process will take some time, but once it's in a finished state, we'll make sure to send you a link to view the full interview.
We have a partnership with the Newberry Library to make all of our interviews publicly accessible on their collections website. You can view all of the currently available interviews by clicking here.
Additional Information
The recording of an Oral History is a long, multi-faceted, and labor-intensive process. On average, the first phase can take 28 to 32 hours of staff time from the moment the camera is rolling, through initial editing, transcription clean up, creation of associated metadata, and into the final edit of your interview. The second phase encompasses the migration of that final edited interview to the Newberry Library, where it may take a number of weeks and even months before the interview is accessible through that insitution’s portal and CDHP’s website.
Do be aware, though, that at the end of the first phase, CDHP provides you a link of your edited interview for you to use freely, for whatever reasons you wish. In addition, we can create a brief clip of your interview to be utilized for promotional purposes, if desired.