Oral History epistemology for dance
Oral History is a methodology well suited to record the experience of active and passive agents in dance. Even though it is a relatively new tool from the historical sciences (Charlton, Myers, and Sharpless 2007), there is a sizable body of general literature available both on the web and in print.
Specific literature for oral history in dance is very sparse.
Beyond the biographical interview format, which is covered within the general methodology, oral history interviews have the potential to articulate aspects of dance that might require to expand from some of the best practice principles: a deeper immersion in the cultural circle of the project and possible intervention by the interviewer for example.
In this talk I will give a brief overview of the available literature, briefly talk about knowledge and meaning in dance, and subsequently deepen in a pragmatic analysis of the agents involved in dance praxis within the context of my professional practice as an oral historian in a single choreographer’s archive.