Want to Start a Dance Cooperative in Burlington?
Since 2010, Vermont dancers have sweated through rehearsals, cranked out choreography and performed new works in the Burlington Dances & Natural Bodies Pilates studio in the Chace Mill.
The place has hosted artists-in-residence, collaborated with dancers with special needs through VSA Vermont, and rented space for visiting choreographers and other movers and shakers.
But this June, owner Lucille Dyer is hitting the road to guest teach Bartenieff and Pilates in various places, so the studio is on the market — with or without its contents, which include yoga mats and bolsters, hand weights, a water cooler and fridge, bookshelves and a desk.
Here's the thing: Dyer doesn't want the place to become just another office; she wants it to remain a vital venue for area performing artists. So she's put out a call to creative people in hopes they might come forward to take over the lease.
Since putting the space on the market, Dyer writes in an email, "Several people have stepped forward with enthusiastic support for the formation of a collective, expressing the need for a sense of co-ownership with a vision for the future.
"What I love about the space is the daytime light, and [its] adaptability for classes and performances," adds Dyer. "The historic Chace Mill houses numerous health and healing businesses and is a perfect place for the dance community to gather, create and present. The tall windows and chandeliers create a calm and centered space."
If you're interested in the venue, or want to share your thoughts/ideas/suggestions about a performing-arts collective, email Dyer at [email protected], or call the studio, 863-3369.
Need some inspiration? Here are just a few of the events Burlington Dances has hosted over the last few years:
Big APE premiered its dance-video-spoken word performance, "Subverting Normal."
Burlington dancers joined a global "movement choir" advocating for access to clean water (pictured).
