The New York City dance community has been watching our cover story unfold since late 2013, when the beloved Dance New Amsterdam studio lost its space in Lower Manhattan. What could easily have ended in a familiar news headline—“High Rent Drives Dance Out of the City”—became a very different scenario when a small contemporary company of six stepped up to take over the 36,000-square-foot space. It’s quite a risk, we thought. But it turns out Gina Gibney has a history of thinking big. On the occasion of the grand reopening as Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, writer Sondra Forsyth explains Gibney’s expansive approach.
The good news continues with a remarkable story that we first heard from Cindy Clough of Just For Kix at our Dance Teacher Summit. All too often we hear negative things about dance studios that compete in the same marketplace, and this is the exact opposite. Writer Caitlin Sims shares the inspiring details of two competing studio owners who came to each other’s aid during times of crisis.
In the DT Higher Ed department, every month we focus on ways you as a studio director can help your dancers make an informed college choice—whether or not they’re headed for the professional stage or screen. This month writer (and college dance department administrator) Lea Marshall looks at the reasons a K–12 teaching certification makes good sense and how the curriculum differs from a BFA degree.
Gina Gibney shows off some of the architectural detail she was able to preserve during studio renovation.
Nominate a colleague or mentor for a Dance Teacher Award. Every year in the July issue and at the Dance Teacher Summit, we honor four educators in the following categories: studios and conservatories, K–12 schools and colleges and universities. Do you know of someone deserving of this honor? Send us your nomination, including a short statement of who the nominee is, which category fits best, where they teach and a brief statement about their most notable achievements:
[email protected]. Deadline is March 1.
From top: photo by Matthew Murphy; photo by Christopher Duggan
