Dancespace Project

Dancespace Project
Name	Dancespace Project
Formation	1974
Headquarters	Manhattan, New York City
Type	Nonprofit dance presenter and incubator
Founder	Faculty of Sarah Lawrence College (orig.)

Dancespace Project is a nonprofit dance-presenting organization and artist residency program based in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in the mid-1970s, it evolved from an academic initiative into an independent presenter that supports contemporary choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, and experimental performers. The organization has played a role in New York's performing arts ecosystem, connecting emerging and established artists with venues, commissioning opportunities, and audiences.

History

Dancespace Project traces origins to the creative programs of Sarah Lawrence College and the downtown New York dance scene of the 1970s, intersecting with institutions such as New York University, The Juilliard School, Pratt Institute, and companies like Martha Graham Dance Company and Paul Taylor Dance Company. Early development occurred alongside the rise of Merce Cunningham-aligned experimentation, the postmodern networks of Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, and Steve Paxton, and the downtown loft movement with links to Judson Dance Theater and venues like The Kitchen and Dance Theater Workshop. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dancespace Project navigated municipal cultural policy shaped by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs initiatives and benefited from foundations such as the Guggenheim Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Its programming evolved in dialogue with presenters including Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery (organizational contemporaries), New York Live Arts, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and Lincoln Center-associated festivals. Leadership changes reflected broader sectoral shifts involving arts administrators from The New School, Columbia University, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music Conservatory. In the 2000s and 2010s, the organization responded to neighborhood development pressures in Manhattan and engaged with citywide initiatives like Percent for Art dialogues and collaborations with cultural partners including The Public Theater, MoMA PS1, The Kitchen, and American Dance Festival.

Mission and Programs

The mission emphasizes support for choreographic risk-taking, artist development, and public presentation, aligning with funders and partners such as the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Open Society Foundations, and private philanthropists connected to Carnegie Corporation of New York and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Programmatic offerings include residency fellowships similar in intent to programs at Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Yaddo, and MacDowell (artists' residency and workshop), alongside commissioning series reminiscent of grants from the Jerome Foundation and curated seasons echoing models from La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and PS122 (Performance Space New York). Dancespace Project has curated choreographer-in-residence tracks, shared studio access akin to New Dance Alliance services, and co-productions with festivals such as Next Wave Festival and SummerStage. The organization often collaborates with presenters including Judson Memorial Church, St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, and performance networks tied to Dance/USA.

Notable Artists and Alumni

Alumni and collaborators encompass a wide array of choreographers, performers, and interdisciplinary artists who have also been associated with institutions like Twyla Tharp, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Elizabeth Streb, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Katherine Dunham, Meredith Monk, Ralph Lemon, Ohad Naharin, Akram Khan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Eiko & Koma, Jerome Bel, Sharon Eyal, Wayne McGregor, Pina Bausch, Sasha Waltz, Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Crystal Pite, Mikel Rouse, Bebe Miller, Susan Marshall, Pauline Koner, Molissa Fenley, Douglas Dunn, Joan Myers Brown, Ira Aldridge (historic performers in asymmetric networks), and younger makers connected to NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University School of the Arts, and Miller Theatre. Visiting choreographers and collaborators have included artists linked to Judith Jamison, Garth Fagan, Meredith Monk, and improvisers from the lineage of Steve Paxton and Simone Forti. The organization’s alumni often proceed to commissions, awards, and fellowships from bodies like the Obie Awards, Bessie Awards, MacArthur Fellows Program, and Guggenheim Fellowship.

Facilities and Venues

Programming has taken place in Manhattan studios and black box spaces comparable to those at Chelsea Studios, BAM Fisher, St. Ann's Warehouse, and the performance rooms of New York Live Arts, with administrative and rehearsal facilities historically located in neighborhoods adjacent to Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, and Chelsea. Partnerships have enabled presentations at venues such as St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, The Kitchen, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Judson Memorial Church, and occasional site-specific projects in collaboration with High Line (New York City), Brooklyn Bridge Park, and municipal cultural spaces programmed by NYC Parks. The organization has maintained access to studio networks similar to those coordinated by Dance/NYC and has navigated venue funding and access issues paralleling those of New York City Center and City Winery when staging public-facing work.

Educational and Community Outreach

Educational initiatives mirror partnerships common in the dance sector, involving collaborations with academic programs at Sarah Lawrence College, New York University Gallatin School, The New School for Drama, and public engagement efforts akin to those run by Dance/NYC, New Victory Theater, and The Joyce Theater. Outreach includes workshops, masterclasses, lecture-demonstrations, and mentorship that connect choreographers with students from Juilliard Pre-College, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and community groups organized through Community Center for the Performing Arts-style partners. The organization has partnered with cultural service organizations such as Brooklyn Arts Council, Queens Theatre, and workforce development initiatives tied to AmeriCorps-style arts placements, aiming to broaden access to contemporary choreography and performance.

Funding and Governance

Support has historically combined public grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with private philanthropy from foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and individual benefactors associated with family foundations. Governance is typically overseen by a board comprising professionals drawn from presenting institutions such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Juilliard School, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and philanthropic advisors connected to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Financial management and development practices reflect sector norms including grant cycles coordinated with funders like the Jerome Foundation and fiscal sponsorship relationships similar to those provided by Fractured Atlas.

Category:Dance organizations in New York City