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| Gensler-designed Center for Dance creates gateway to Houston 's theater district Today marks the first day of rehearsals in Houston Ballet's new Center for Dance, now the largest professional dance facility in the United States and a visual statement of the city's longstanding commitment to philanthropy and the performing arts. Creating a new gateway to a downtown Theater District that is already home to the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony and Alley Theatre, the prominent, six-story, 115,000-square-foot facility boasts nine dance studios, a dance lab, and artistic, administrative and support facilities for Houston Ballet and its academy. The public is invited to attend the Center for Dance's grand opening on Saturday, April 9, at noon, with a ribbon cutting ceremony presided over by Houston Mayor Annise Parker and free performances by Houston Ballet II. With its striking black granite façade featuring views to dancers within, the new Center for Dance will enable Houston Ballet's education programs to reach an estimated 30, 000 students by 2015. Currently, the River Oaks-based academy provides instruction for 375 dancers and an education and outreach program that annually brings dance alive for approximately 19, 000 Houston-area students. Working with general contractor W.S. Bellows, Gensler and Houston Ballet carefully orchestrated a tight construction budget and completed the project for $46.6 million — $6.4 million under its original projected budget of $53 million — and opened the facility ahead of schedule. An open-air pedestrian sky bridge, featuring a graphic wave of leaping dancers, connects the new facility to its adjacent performance venue, providing a compelling architectural presence, and a strategic backstage entrance for the dancers. Passersby may even see a glimpse of dancers moving from practice space to performance. Inspired by a proscenium stage, the granite façade frames daytime and illuminated nighttime views of dancers rehearsing within, so that the building becomes an animated billboard for dance. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |