Size Matters?

Very interesting 2 days! Paul Russ, whom I had the occasion to meet at Neighbourhood DanceWork's festival in St. John's this past July, head's up a very inspired team at Dance4 in Nottingham. While they do present an annual festival (the previously mentioned NottDance, dedicated to emerging voices and practices in dance) he identifies developing the choreographic skills of dance artists as their primary goal. All year long, artists are provided with access to their space, production resources, and various forms of artistic mentoring. The result? An emerging generation of artists who are questioning their artistic practice and rigourously engaging others in the process.

Now, while Dance4 does have a big capital project on the go, it is interesting to note that they have existed in the same space (and built a high level of international respect!) for the past 15 years. That space measures approximately 22' (7m) by 35' (11m). He certainly recognises that it has shortcomings (small & cold), but it is filled with beautiful light, high vaulted ceilings with a small lighting system, and (perhaps most importantly?) years of sweat and creative energy.

One of my goals on this trip has been to witness spaces, to m e a s u r e their dimensions, but I am increasingly coming to realise that size is not nearly as important as what happens within.

This was reinforced by this afternoon's visit to Theatre de L'L in Brussels. L'L has recently refocused its mandate and they now see themselves as being exclusively dedicated to offering residencies and providing development services: production managers, administrative services, and artistic counseling. Their theatre (now mostly converted into a workshop studio) is far from being the biggest in the world, but the activities they facilitate within it have BIG impact on the lives of individual artists. Their goal is creating a world in which there is better work, as opposed to one in which there is simply more work.

What would we do in Halifax with a couple of brand new studios that were the envy of all the world? I'm looking forward to spending a few more days in the land of beer and chocolate to explore this question!