Features
Architecture for dancers in London, New York and Linz
In September 2002 the new building of Dance Theater Workshop in New York was finished, in February 2003 the new Laban Centre opened its doors for the first time. Michail Baryshnikov plans the opening of his interdisciplinary dance centre for 2004 and the Austrian dance community is looking forward to the inauguration of the Choreographic Centre Linz in May. The international dance scene has recently been suffering from severe cuttings of fundings, but the moaning about these losses is mingled with some joyful moments of hope. The reasons for this might be some quite impressing architecture devoted to dance which has been opened or announced in London, New York and Linz recently.
Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) hasn’t just rebuilt physically with a bigger theater, a gallery and a cafe, they’ve also increased their programs, artists, and presence in the community. Notable among the new programs is the Artist Resource and Media Lab for artists working with digital arts and the highly anticipated Outer Edge series, an interdisciplinary residency and presentation series specifically designed for the gay community . David White, executive director of DTW and „the Godfather, more or less, of New York's downtown dance scene“ (The Village Voice) calls it a „building for tomorrow“ designed to offer „what is needed 25 years from now“.
Some futuristic or visionary features seem to be true as well for the appearance of the new Laban Centres in London, one of Europe‘s leading institutions for contemporary dance training. „It shimmers, it pirouettes, it changes colour“ says Jonathan Glancey of „The Guardian“ which like other british papers mainly covered the openening as an architectural rather than a dance event. The more as it is located in the rundown docklands district of Deptford and supposed to create a powerful focus for the ongoing physical and social regeneration of the area. Public access being part of the key concept of Laban, the „rainbow building“ (as it was already nicknamed) also offers classes for non-professionals and was complemented with a restaurant, health centre and theater.
Less rundown but still industrial is the surrounding area of the recently pre-opened Choreographic Centre Linz . Unlike the Laban Centre, urban planning played only a minor role in choosing a place for the centre, more likely the budget might have led the initiators to this decision. Two studios will open its doors in May, a third one in 2004. The ambitious programme will then include trainings, residencies and production of national and international artists.
The Baryshnikov Center for Dance is being designed to be a place for exchange between different generations of artists and also between various genres. In a laboratory young choreographers will able to meet artists like the filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, choreographers William Forsythe and Merce Cunningham or writer Susan Sontag who talked to Baryshnikov about his plans recently. An extract of the interview can be read on http://www.goodnewsbroadcast.com/baryshnikov . Those interested in a more sophisticated discussion on the connections between archtecture and dance will find details on a symposion on this issue taking place May 8-10, 2003 in Hamburg on http://www.koinzi.de.
Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) hasn’t just rebuilt physically with a bigger theater, a gallery and a cafe, they’ve also increased their programs, artists, and presence in the community. Notable among the new programs is the Artist Resource and Media Lab for artists working with digital arts and the highly anticipated Outer Edge series, an interdisciplinary residency and presentation series specifically designed for the gay community . David White, executive director of DTW and „the Godfather, more or less, of New York's downtown dance scene“ (The Village Voice) calls it a „building for tomorrow“ designed to offer „what is needed 25 years from now“.
Some futuristic or visionary features seem to be true as well for the appearance of the new Laban Centres in London, one of Europe‘s leading institutions for contemporary dance training. „It shimmers, it pirouettes, it changes colour“ says Jonathan Glancey of „The Guardian“ which like other british papers mainly covered the openening as an architectural rather than a dance event. The more as it is located in the rundown docklands district of Deptford and supposed to create a powerful focus for the ongoing physical and social regeneration of the area. Public access being part of the key concept of Laban, the „rainbow building“ (as it was already nicknamed) also offers classes for non-professionals and was complemented with a restaurant, health centre and theater.
Less rundown but still industrial is the surrounding area of the recently pre-opened Choreographic Centre Linz . Unlike the Laban Centre, urban planning played only a minor role in choosing a place for the centre, more likely the budget might have led the initiators to this decision. Two studios will open its doors in May, a third one in 2004. The ambitious programme will then include trainings, residencies and production of national and international artists.
The Baryshnikov Center for Dance is being designed to be a place for exchange between different generations of artists and also between various genres. In a laboratory young choreographers will able to meet artists like the filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, choreographers William Forsythe and Merce Cunningham or writer Susan Sontag who talked to Baryshnikov about his plans recently. An extract of the interview can be read on http://www.goodnewsbroadcast.com/baryshnikov . Those interested in a more sophisticated discussion on the connections between archtecture and dance will find details on a symposion on this issue taking place May 8-10, 2003 in Hamburg on http://www.koinzi.de.