by Lauren Warnecke

When I write, my environment is really important.  There are two spots in my house that I like to sit and write: the dining room table and the desk in my office.  When those aren’t working, there’s always the neighborhood coffee shop and my desk at work.  I’m not sure what it is about those spaces in particular, but something about the “energy” of those spots let’s me write.

If you want to make dances, you need space….

… and you don’t always have a choice of what that space will look like or if the “energy” there will be conducive to creating.  As a dancemaker, there are restrictions to the types of workspace you can use.  There are considerations such as having a safe floor, a convenient location, and finding something that’s affordable and matches up with your dancers’ schedules.  These are things that just don’t factor in to other creative endeavors like music or writing.

As a result, we sometimes find ourselves in strangely shaped rooms with polls, late at night, where we’re forced to crank out as much material as we can in one or two hours.

In other words, there are obvious challenges to finding physical space to make dances.  However, more and more programs are becoming available to offer rehearsal space to choreographers for little or no money.  In Chicago alone, there are several programs such as LinkUp and DanceBridge that you can apply for to receive free rehearsal space in exchange for volunteer hours.  Additionally, there is a long list of alternative affordable spaces that are really suitable for dance.

You might also consider joining an artists’ cooperative.  By paying a monthly “share” of a workspace, you give yourself consistent access to a space you’re comfortable in, and often end up paying less than the hourly rate you might pay somewhere else. [Read more…]