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This interview was about life being a dancer and putting on show and working in professional dance companies.

I interviewed Sarah, who’s my best friend, we are both 15. We talked about dance and her experience with it.

Aaryn is a fantastic dancer she started when she was three and she has dedicated part of her life to it!

This is about Kaniyahs life

Donovan Shaw (16) interviews his grandma Paulette Shaw (70). They discussed the struggles of being African American (5:35). Paulette talked about growing up in Alabama and moving to Michigan. The change was different for her. She discussed meeting the love...

Musician and historian Stephen Wade talks with his friend Matt Brown about Stephen's musical beginnings, studying banjo with his mentor Fleming Brown in the 1970s, and his reflections on the Old Town School then and now. Since learning to play...

In this interview, conducted in November 2017 in fortuna California. Ryan Gonzalez(15) interviews his grandmother Debbi Kalish(69) about her childhood and moving from the East Coast to the West Coast. Debbi tell stories about trips to Mexico and moving from...

In this conversation between Old Town School Latin percussion instructor Carlos Cornier and his coworker Mareva Lindo, Carlos talks about the musical origins that shaped his interest in percussion and Latin music; getting into and out of Scientology to ultimately...

Hannah and Mr. Truong have a conversation at the end of Hannah's junior year of high school.

Saladeen Alamin has been teaching Latin Dance at the Old Town School for over two decades. In this conversation with his wife, Rosita Ragin-Alamin, they talk about his early years as an acrobatic mambo dancer, his reflections on teaching at...

Vic talks about life on a ranch in Bynum, Montana near Choteau and shares an interesting story of serving in the army and participating in the Ole Miss riot of 1962 reflecting on the event, "it changed me...how can you...

A conversation between Andrew Sa and Mareva Lindo. Andrew talks about his experiences taking the class Songwriting and the Creative Process with Sue Demel and describes the experience as group therapy and recommends the experience to everyone because it teaches...

Mrs. J tells us about how she decided to become a teacher and her early years of teaching. She tells us about her accomplishments at El Molino and the impact its had on her life.

Talking about her life so far.

Julian Ross has taken classes at the Old Town School for over 10 years. In this conversation with his son Christopher, Julian reflects on why this place has remained such a constant in his life, and Christopher shares some of...

Discussion about what makes a leader and how to become a good leader :)

I interviewed my sister my Melody Norman we talked about her teenage years and how she got through high school. We talked about spirituality, kids , her future, and her career 

In this interview, conducted in November 2018 in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, Layla McIntosh (16) asks her mom, Jennifer McIntosh (43), about her life as a child and her struggles and what she gained. Layla learns that her mother was,...

Betty Nudelman speaks with documentarian Mareva Lindo about her memories of the Old Town School community in its early years, when it was housed within the Immigrant State Bank Building at 333 W North Ave--in the Old Town neighborhood from...

Not being a ballerina

When a young Reggio "The Hoofer" McLaughlin first started tap dancing in Chicago, venues turned him away at the door, saying "we haven't booked a tap dancer since 1945!" In this conversation with his coworker Mareva Lindo, he talks about...

A conversation between friends, longtime musical collaborators, and fellow Old Town School teachers Jonas Friddle and Anna Jacobson. Jonas is a singer, songwriter and old-time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, First Place in the...

In this interview, conducted in November 2017 in Flint, Michigan, Senia Langston (15) interviews her mom Leigh Langston (42) about her life growing up. Leigh talks about her passion about writing. She also talks about being raised by a single...

Carlton Highsmith (70) and his mentee, James Brockington (31), talk about entrepreneurship and the Edward A. Bouchet Scholarship. James talks about the Tia Russell Dance Studio and the work he and his wife are doing in Connecticut to teach young...

A short interview of two roommates on a late Monday night talking about life. Two girls talking about social norms, influential figures, and Kendall’s passions in life.