On Thursday (October 30), Gibney Dance will celebrate the grand opening of Gibney Dance 280 Broadway (Broadway, at the corner of Chambers Street), the organization’s newly renovated performing arts center, training facility, affordable rehearsal and resource space, and social action hub.
The event, which is free and open to the public (no RSVP is required), will include a free movement class with acclaimed dance teacher Julia Burrer (at 4:00 pm), cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the new gallery space (6:00 pm), the unveiling of the new center and performance lab (6:15 pm), and a dance party (7:00 pm). Throughout the event, there will be tours of the new facility, opportunities to observe classes, and the chance to get acquainted with members of the New York City dance community.
Gibney Dance 280 Broadway’s performance lab is a ground floor performance space that is equipped with advanced audio/visual equipment, allowing artists to experiment with technology. The gallery will feature curated exhibitions dedicated to the intersection of visual arts and performance.
“It has been an inspiration to see how important a resource 280 Broadway is to our communities,” says Gina Gibney, CEO and Artistic Director of Gibney Dance. “We are honored to be shepherding this important facility into its next phase by adding even more publicly available space within the existing footprint.”
The following Wednesday (November 5), Gibney Dance 280 Broadway will launch its inaugural season, with DoublePlus, a six-week series of performances that will run through December 20.
Gibney Dance, a cultural non-profit that has operated a highly regarded studio at 19th Street and Broadway for 20 years, took over the space at 280 Broadway (near Chambers Street) that was abandoned by the Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) company when it folded last September. The Gibney signed a 20-year lease with landlord Fram Realty, which evicted DNA in August, 2013, after years of mounting financial troubles prevented the group from making rent payments.
The DoublePlus series, which was conceived by the organization’s founder and artistic director, Gina Gibney, in collaboration with the group’s newly-appointed director of programs, Craig T. Peterson, will bring together six long-established dance artists, each of whom will collaborate with a pair of emerging artists.
“I am so excited about this series,” Ms. Gibney, the organization’s founder, chief executive officer, and artistic director, said. “The format explores intergenerational artist exchange in a meaningful way, and introduces and nurtures some exciting new artistic voices.”
The arrangement that brought Gibney Dance to Lower Manhattan was brokered by two City agencies. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services is the owner of 280 Broadway, which is managed and operated by Fram Realty under a long-term lease. And the Department of Cultural Affairs oversees an agreement that requires the space to be used for the performing arts. The facility that Gibney Dance has taken over is approximately 51,000 square feet, and includes a 130-seat theater.
Tickets for Gibney Dance’s DoublePlus series are priced at $15 to $20, and can be purchased by clicking HERE. For more information, call 646-837-6809.