January 29th, 2014 - The recent announcement by Gina Gibney that Gibney Dance would be expanding their activities to 280 Broadway, known for years as Dance New Amsterdam, is cause for celebration: the Gibney Dance Center at 890 Broadway now has a sister site further downtown where classes, rehearsals, performances and community events will bring this space back to vibrant life.
Tonight at a gathering at 280 Broadway, a standing-room-only crowd assembled in the venue's theater as Ms. Gibney outlined plans for the re-opening of this space which has stood forlornly empty for the past several weeks. I frankly never thought I'd see the inside of 280 Broadway again - a place where I have spent many happy hours watching classes, rehearsals, performances and other dance-related activities over the past few seasons - so I was particularly pleased to be back in the columned hall this evening as Gina set forth her extraordinary vision of a Renaissance in these studios, so redolent with the essence of dance.
Gina Gibney's plans for 280 Broadway include creating a digital media center, a high-tech performance lab, and a black box theater. And the latest good news - a $3-million gift from the Agnes Varis Trust - will help bring these plans to fruition sooner rather than later.
Among the many exciting aspects of the revival of 280 Broadway is the news that The Playground, the vibrant series of affordable dance labs founded by Loni Landon and Gregory Dolbashian, will be partnered by Gibney Dance in their mission to bring choreographers and dancers together in an open, dynamically creative setting.
This evening's announcement/kick-off event, liberally laced with applause as each new facet of Gina Gibney's grand design for 280 Broadway was revealed, seemed to herald a bright new day for dance in New York City.