Dancers' Studio West
2007 10 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB, T3C 0K4
403-244-0950 Fax: 403-398-7429 | Website
Dancing in your living room sure is fun for the amateur, but it's a little restrictive when it comes to making serious creative works.
Category:
Performing Arts Location
What:
| Performing Arts Venue | | School |
Where:
| Neighbourhood | | Downtown |
| Cross Street | | 19 Street SW |
Profile Last Updated: September 03, 2008
Dance Away
Dancers Studio West was founded in 1980 in response to the need for a community of working dance artists in Calgary. At the time, there was no working space for dance artists, no daily classes and no outlet for dance artists' work outside of an optional modern dance program at the University of Calgary. Pretty slim pickings for any performance artist intent on making work out of dance genres that didn't necessarily fit into the prescribed boundaries of ballet or jazz.
The Saviour
Enter Elaine Bowman, who left her teaching position at the University to become a founding member and Artistic Director of Dancers Studio West. In addition to finding a physical space for creative dance work, the group has also played host to a variety of visiting shows and artists from around the block and around the world.
The Legacies
One of the group's greatest local legacies is the annual Alberta Dance Explosions festival, which has been showcasing prolific independent dance artists since 1982. Year in and year out, this festival brings together a variety of fresh work by up-and-coming Alberta artists, generating aftershocks in the local dance/performance scene. While the company has weathered many ups and downs in its 20-year history, it continues to occupy an important space of experimental creative expression in the heart of small-c conservative Calgary.
Dancers Studio West was founded in 1980 in response to the need for a community of working dance artists in Calgary. At the time, there was no working space for dance artists, no daily classes and no outlet for dance artists' work outside of an optional modern dance program at the University of Calgary. Pretty slim pickings for any performance artist intent on making work out of dance genres that didn't necessarily fit into the prescribed boundaries of ballet or jazz.
The Saviour
Enter Elaine Bowman, who left her teaching position at the University to become a founding member and Artistic Director of Dancers Studio West. In addition to finding a physical space for creative dance work, the group has also played host to a variety of visiting shows and artists from around the block and around the world.
The Legacies
One of the group's greatest local legacies is the annual Alberta Dance Explosions festival, which has been showcasing prolific independent dance artists since 1982. Year in and year out, this festival brings together a variety of fresh work by up-and-coming Alberta artists, generating aftershocks in the local dance/performance scene. While the company has weathered many ups and downs in its 20-year history, it continues to occupy an important space of experimental creative expression in the heart of small-c conservative Calgary.
Details
Facilities for Rent: Dancers' Studio West houses Studio Theatre II.
