Danspace Project

Danspace Project
Name	Danspace Project
Established	1974
Location	131 E 10th St, New York, NY
Type	Nonprofit performing arts organization

Danspace Project is a performance organization based in New York City dedicated to contemporary dance, experimental choreography, and performance art. Founded in 1974, it has presented and supported generations of artists linked to Judson Dance Theater, Merce Cunningham, Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown, Steve Paxton, Anna Halprin, Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan and Paul Taylor. Its programs have intersected with institutions such as New York University, The New School, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center, and Museum of Modern Art.

History

Danspace Project was formed in the context of 1970s New York performance scenes shaped by figures like Alwin Nikolais, Garth Fagan, Twila Tharp, Katherine Dunham, and the experimental venues of Judson Church and The Kitchen. Early leadership connected to producers and curators from Nederlands Dans Theater and Brooklyn Academy of Music helped secure space in the East Village near Tompkins Square Park and the East Village arts community that included collectives such as Fluxus and artists associated with Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Philip Glass. Over decades Danspace Project navigated cultural shifts marked by events like the AIDS epidemic in the United States, the rise of postmodernism in art, and municipal arts policy changes driven by administrations including Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani.

Mission and Programming

The organization's stated aims align with the priorities of contemporary presenters such as Dance Theater Workshop, New York Live Arts, P.S.122, Danspace Project-adjacent producers, and funders like National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council on the Arts. Programming typically foregrounds experimental choreographers in dialogue with curators from Jacob's Pillow, American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and festivals like Performa and BAM Next Wave Festival. Seasonal series have echoed models established by Merce Cunningham Trust, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, and collaborations with venues like MoMA PS1, Whitney Museum of American Art, Avery Fisher Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Guest curators and artists have included names tied to Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Columbia University, Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and CUNY.

Venue and Facilities

Situated in Manhattan's East Village, the performance space occupies a theater site comparable to rooms at Judson Memorial Church and The Kitchen. Technical capacities have been developed to host lighting and sound designers associated with companies such as Titus Whitney, Robert Rauschenberg and collaborators working with Merce Cunningham Trust and Paul Taylor Dance Company. The venue supports residencies modeled after programs at Baryshnikov Arts Center, New Victory Theater, and Sheen Center with backstage, rehearsal, and administrative facilities interacting with nearby rehearsal hubs like Battery Dance, Steps on Broadway, and Peridance Center.

Notable Artists and Performances

Performers and choreographers presented have included figures connected to Judson Dance Theater like Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown, and Steve Paxton as well as later generations such as Bill T. Jones, Eiko & Koma, Rosas (dance company), Ivy Baldwin, Tere O'Connor, Yuko Kaseki, Miguel Gutierrez, Ralph Lemon, Trajal Harrell, Chrybaby Cozie, Sarah Michelson, Tina Landau, Micaela Taylor, Erick Hawkins, Alvin Ailey, Garth Fagan, Bebe Miller, Noémie Lafrance, Diane Madden, Ephrat Asherie and Nora Chipaumire. Site-specific works and premieres often engaged collaborators from Philip Glass Ensemble, John Cage, Laurie Anderson, Robert Ashley, and designers associated with Isamu Noguchi and Robert Rauschenberg.

Education and Community Engagement

Educational initiatives have paralleled offerings at institutions such as New York University, Columbia University School of the Arts, The New School for Drama, Hunter College, and community partners like Civic Hall, Community Arts Stabilization Trust, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Outreach models have included workshops, artist talks, and youth programs similar to practices at Dance Educators of America, Dance/NYC, and Dance Education Laboratory. Collaborations with social-justice and public-health organizations during crises followed precedents set by AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power partnerships and municipal cultural recovery efforts.

Funding and Governance

Funding and governance mirror nonprofit performing arts structures using support from entities such as National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, private foundations like Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and philanthropic individuals linked to trusts such as Helmsley Charitable Trust and Guggenheim Foundation. Boards and advisory councils have historically included arts administrators with ties to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Brooklyn Academy of Music, American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, and universities including Columbia University and New York University.

Category:Dance in New York City