Library for the Performing Arts: Room to Move: Dance Theater Workshop Exhibition Gallery Tour

*This tour requires no registration, and is first come, first served.

Take a tour of the Dance Theatre Workshop exhibition with Libary staff to learn how Dance Theater Workshop grew from a need for space into a lasting model of support for artists.

Dance Theater Workshop provided not only space to create, but also offered classes and professional development for artists, subsidized video recordings of performances, and gave artists administrative support. For many individual artists, it was the first time that they did not have to manage every aspect of a production by themselves, and this freed up time for creativity and experimentation.

Over time, Dance Theater Workshop became a crucial venue for artists in the downtown scene. A number of choreographers now well known all over the world, including Mark Morris, Donald Byrd, Bebe Miller, and Bill T. Jones, all got their start at the Dance Theater Workshop. Dance Theater Workshop also provided funds and initiatives that helped these artists travel and exhibit their work outside of New York, and brought regional artists to the city. We also have them to thank for the Bessie Awards, which recognize outstanding and groundbreaking creative work by independent dance artists in New York City.

Read more about the exhibition. 

Photo Credit: Bebe Miller performing in her work Tune, 1978. Photo by Nathaniel Tileston. Jerome Robbins Dance Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.