Danspace Project
Encyclopedia
Danspace Project was founded in 1974 to provide a performance venue for contemporary dance
. Its performances are held in St. Mark's Church
in the East Village
area of the Manhattan
borough of New York City
.
Michael M. Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Danspace Project – also familiarly known as Danspace – is an international leader in the commissioning and presentation of contemporary dance. Danspace Project’s mission is to stimulate, promote, and present challenging new work in dance from a broad range of artistic voices within a distinguished and nurturing environment. Danspace Project encourages choreographers to take risks and is committed to assisting artists in realizing their creative visions within a professional setting. Danspace also welcomes a receptive public to engage in and be transformed by the work of artists.
Danspace Project was founded by artists to provide an accessible venue for independent experimental choreographers. It combines a rich history (rooted in work by dance pioneers including Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and Ruth St. Denis) with an unstinting commitment to that which is contemporary, creative, and cutting-edge. Three defining characteristics have secured its position as a leading advocate for contemporary dance: Commissioning and presenting new dance work from New York, the U.S., and abroad; nurturing independent experimental choreographers at all stages of their careers; and professionally producing dance in the uniquely flexible and communal setting of St. Mark’s Church in the East Village.
Upwards of twenty-five weeks of contemporary dance are fully presented by the Danspace Project each season, providing artists with technical, promotional, and front-of-house support. Programs include the City/Dans series (featuring the work of New York City choreographers), Global Exchange (international choreographers), Danspace@ (performance at alternative sites and a semi-annual showcase series at BRIC Studio in Brooklyn), DraftWork (free informal performances followed by moderated dialogue and a reception), and Rap-Ups (post-performance discussions with the artists).
Danspace has presented a number of artists at early stages of their careers including Douglas Dunn
, Bill T. Jones
, John Kelly, and David Rousseve. Danspace also serves established artists such as Seàn Curran
, David Gordon
, Iréne Hultman, Bebe Miller
, and Meredith Monk
who return to Danspace for its supportive environment, often to show work-in-progress or work specifically developed for the space.
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
. Its performances are held in St. Mark's Church
St. Mark's Church
St. Mark's Church is a Serb Orthodox place of worship in Belgrade, Serbia. The church is located in the Tašmajdan park in Belgrade, near the Parliament of Serbia. There is a small Russian church for Russian Orthodox faithful next to St. Mark's.-History:The Church of the Holy Apostle and...
in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
area of the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
borough of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
History and mission
"Danspace[Project] has played a significant role in the arts ecology of New York and the entire dance world."Michael M. Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
Danspace Project – also familiarly known as Danspace – is an international leader in the commissioning and presentation of contemporary dance. Danspace Project’s mission is to stimulate, promote, and present challenging new work in dance from a broad range of artistic voices within a distinguished and nurturing environment. Danspace Project encourages choreographers to take risks and is committed to assisting artists in realizing their creative visions within a professional setting. Danspace also welcomes a receptive public to engage in and be transformed by the work of artists.
Danspace Project was founded by artists to provide an accessible venue for independent experimental choreographers. It combines a rich history (rooted in work by dance pioneers including Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and Ruth St. Denis) with an unstinting commitment to that which is contemporary, creative, and cutting-edge. Three defining characteristics have secured its position as a leading advocate for contemporary dance: Commissioning and presenting new dance work from New York, the U.S., and abroad; nurturing independent experimental choreographers at all stages of their careers; and professionally producing dance in the uniquely flexible and communal setting of St. Mark’s Church in the East Village.
Upwards of twenty-five weeks of contemporary dance are fully presented by the Danspace Project each season, providing artists with technical, promotional, and front-of-house support. Programs include the City/Dans series (featuring the work of New York City choreographers), Global Exchange (international choreographers), Danspace@ (performance at alternative sites and a semi-annual showcase series at BRIC Studio in Brooklyn), DraftWork (free informal performances followed by moderated dialogue and a reception), and Rap-Ups (post-performance discussions with the artists).
Danspace has presented a number of artists at early stages of their careers including Douglas Dunn
Douglas Dunn (Choreographer)
Douglas Dunn is an American postmodern dancer and choreographer. He is considered a highly eclectic and minimalist postmodern choreographer, who uses humor, props, and text in his dances.-Training and education:...
, Bill T. Jones
Bill T. Jones
Bill T. Jones is an American artistic director, choreographer and dancer.-Early life:Jones was born in Bunnell, Florida and his family moved North as part of the Great Migration in the first half of the twentieth century. They settled in Wayland, New York, where Jones attended Wayland High School...
, John Kelly, and David Rousseve. Danspace also serves established artists such as Seàn Curran
Seán Curran
Seán Curran is an American dancer and choreographer. Curran's dance company, the Seán Curran Company is based in New York City.As a boy in the Boston suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, Curran began dancing by learning traditional Irish step dancing...
, David Gordon
David Gordon
David Gordon is an American author and trainer and early contributor to the development of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.Gordon has helped create and shape the field of NLP since some decades yet. Gordon's main areas of contribution have been the use of therapeutic metaphors, inspired by his work...
, Iréne Hultman, Bebe Miller
Bebe Miller
Bebe Miller is an American choreographer, dancer and director.-Biography:Daughter of an elementary school teacher and a ship steward, Bebe Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1950. She was raised in a public housing project in the Red Hook Nieghborhood...
, and Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
who return to Danspace for its supportive environment, often to show work-in-progress or work specifically developed for the space.