Scope and Content Note
Choreographer and artistic director Randy James founded the 10 Hairy Legs Dance Company in 2012 as an all-male company to promote the often-underused technical and emotional range of men's artistry in modern dance. 10 Hairy Legs actively toured nationally and internationally. The company dissolved on December 31, 2020, as a result of financial constraints caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The 10 Hairy Legs Dance Company Archive consists of three series of digital files: Company Records, Moving Images, and Oral Histories and Remembrances. The Company Records series contains documents generated by the company's board of directors and staff members, including meeting minutes, financial papers, business papers, and company policies. This series also contains materials related to 10 Hairy Legs performances, such as images and publicity, booking information, programs, and press releases. Applications, anonymized participant surveys, and contracts from the company's educational outreach to students at public schools in New Jersey and New York are also included. Performance Videos are video recordings of the company's repertory, including its 17 choreographic commissions. Recordings of performances were made primarily in and around New York and New Jersey, but there are also videos of tour performances from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Performance excerpts featured on the company's website are also in this series. When the company announced its dissolution in 2020, Executive Director Betsy Sobo gathered remembrances from fans, and 10 Hairy Legs archivist Rosemary Carroll also conducted interviews with dancers, administrators, and collaborators about their time with the company. These interviews, images, and recordings comprise the Oral Histories and Remembrances series.