Žižkov the dance quarter? The Czech Dance House project is underway!
Tanec Praha z.ú., which oversees PONEC – the dance venue, the Czech Dance Platform and the TANEC PRAHA Festival, won the tender for the long-term lease of a dilapidated building in Prague 3, the former spa in Husitská Street.
If all goes well, we will soon be running the Dance House here – a creative and educational centre primarily focused on dance and its overlaps with other artistic disciplines. It would include rehearsal rooms, co-working space, residential studios for international artists, administrative facilities, wellness and exercise lessons for the public and a café and dining room connected to the Žižkov bike path. In addition, the reconstruction of the building would in many ways contribute to the revitalization of lower Žižkov and its connection to Vítkov by a staircase leading to the bridge over Husitská Street.
We are inspired by "dance houses" operating throughout Europe, mainly within the European Dancehouse Network, of which we are the only member in the Czech Republic. Dance, in contrast to music, theatre, literature or fine arts, has no institutional facility at all, and we are striving to make this dream of the dance community a reality in the coming years.
A press conference for this project was held on 7 October. The guests were Mayor of Prague 3 Jiří Ptáček, Councillor for Culture of Prague 3 Pavel Křeček, member of the Selection Commission for the Long-term Lease of the Spa Michal Vronský, representative of Studio Reaktor Ing. Arch. Jakub Heidler and member of the board of directors of SUDOP Real Ing. Jan Hromádka.
"Prague has always lacked such a facility. The creation of a truly fully functional Dance House will support the production of dance throughout the European scene."
John Ashford, Director – Aerowaves – dance across Europe
The Dance House project was supported by 10 prestigious foreign organizations:
IETM – Informal European Theatre Meeting
Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, Canada
Dublin Dance Festival, Ireland
Comune di Bassano del Grappa - International Dance Projects, Italy
Dansmakers Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Place, UK
Dansens Hus Oslo, Norway
More than 20 Czech cultural organizations and artists, representing dozens of performing artists, production, PR and technical professions, joined in supporting the Dance House in Žižkov:
Kreativní Praha / IPR
Vize tance
Nová síť / Adriana Světlíková and coll.
Cirqueon
420PEOPLE / Václav Kuneš
Studio ALTA / Lucia Kašiarová and coll.
Lenka Kniha Bartůňková / FARO moving space
Sabina Bočková, Johana Pocková / POCKetArt
CreWcollective / Jan Bárta, Jana Novorytová and coll.
Viktor Černický
Mirka Eliášová
Farma v jeskyni / Viliam Dočolomanský
Tereza Hradilková (Lenerová)
Tomáš Janypka
Věrka Ondrašíková
Ostružina / Barbora Látalová and coll.
Tereza Ondrová and Petra Tejnorová
Pulsar / Honza Malík, Michal Záhora, Tereza Krčálová
SE.S.TA / Marie Kinsky and coll.
Spitfire Company / Petr Boháč and coll.
SPOLK / Ester Trčková, Žaneta Musilová, Kateřina Jabůrková, David Králík, Adam Kmenta
tYhle / Florent Golfier, Marie Gourdain, Lukáš Karásek, Zuzana Režná
"The Dance House plan suitably combines the creation of a space for the support and development of top-level art and at the same time a community function contributing to the strengthening of community life in the locality. It responds to the current absence of spacious premises for contemporary dance and contributes to improving the accessibility of cultural and community facilities in Prague."
Team of Kreativní Praha, Strategies and Policies Section, IPR Prague
"The Dance House project addresses problematic, insufficient and non-functional segments in the field: access to professional rehearsal rooms, a place for professional growth, rehabilitation, long-term body care, a place for presentation, administration, advocacy."
Lucia Kašiarová / Director ALT@RT/Studio ALTA
Creators of the architectural study: Studio Reaktor