New Haven Dance History Project

New Haven Dance History Project

Summer, 2021 - Spring, 2023

The Yale Dance Lab is pleased to announce the New Haven Dance History Project, launched this summer through initial interviews with contributors to the history and development of dance in New Haven. With lead researchers Jeffrey Steele '24 and Gabrielle Niederhoffer '23, working under the guidance of Emily Coates as principal investigator, our goal is to begin to sketch out a picture of dance in the city that extends back to the 1980s and hopefully earlier. Dance has lived in New Haven in a myriad of forms, from the important presence in the New Haven Public Schools, to the key studios and dance artists who have been major forces within their communities, to the visiting artists who pass through. Dance happens in resourceful locations, from church basements to the New Haven Green. The project will highlight the role and value of dance in New Havener's lives across generations and communities, and in the process, tell an untold story of the city's cultural history, through dance.

The oral histories will ultimately be stored and made available to researchers in Yale Manuscripts and Archives. In the future, the project may result in additional outcomes, undertaken in dialogue and partnership with key community organizations and artists.

Stay tuned for updates!

Dancers: 
TBA