Laban Dance Centre
Encyclopedia
Laban in Deptford
, south-east London
, is a conservatoire and centre for contemporary dance, and includes 13 dance studios, a 300-seat theatre, dance health suite, Pilates studio, library and café. It is part of Trinity Laban
.
Laban, originally the Art of Movement Studio based in Manchester, was founded by Rudolf Laban
an Austro-Hungarian dancer, choreographer and a dance/movement theoretician. In 1958 the school moved from Manchester to Addlestone in Surrey, and then to New Cross in London 1975 and was renamed Laban Centre for Movement and Dance and again in 1997 it was renamed Laban Centre London. In 2002 the new building opened Deptford, to critical acclaim. At the same time, the college was renamed "Laban".
Today Laban offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, diplomas and certificates in dance theatre, scenography and dance science.
In 2005, Laban merged with Trinity College of Music
to form the first conservatoire for music and dance in the UK. The merged organisation is known as Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
and Pierre de Meuron
, the building won the Stirling Prize
for Architecture in 2003. The building includes an eco-technological roof known as a "brown roof"
.
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, is a conservatoire and centre for contemporary dance, and includes 13 dance studios, a 300-seat theatre, dance health suite, Pilates studio, library and café. It is part of Trinity Laban
Trinity Laban
Trinity Laban is the UK's only conservatoire of Music and Dance. The Higher Education Institute was formed in 2005 when leading centres of music and dance Trinity College of Music and Laban came together...
.
History
Rudolf Laban
Rudolf von Laban aka Rudolf Laban was a dance artist and theorist whose work laid the foundations for Laban Movement Analysis and other more specific developments in dance notation...
an Austro-Hungarian dancer, choreographer and a dance/movement theoretician. In 1958 the school moved from Manchester to Addlestone in Surrey, and then to New Cross in London 1975 and was renamed Laban Centre for Movement and Dance and again in 1997 it was renamed Laban Centre London. In 2002 the new building opened Deptford, to critical acclaim. At the same time, the college was renamed "Laban".
Today Laban offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, diplomas and certificates in dance theatre, scenography and dance science.
In 2005, Laban merged with Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
to form the first conservatoire for music and dance in the UK. The merged organisation is known as Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
Architecture award
Designed by Swiss architects Jacques HerzogHerzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the Swiss Federal Institute of...
and Pierre de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron
Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, BSA/SIA/ETH is a Swiss architecture firm, founded and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland in 1978. The careers of founders and senior partners Jacques Herzog , and Pierre de Meuron , closely paralleled one another, with both attending the Swiss Federal Institute of...
, the building won the Stirling Prize
Stirling Prize
The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects...
for Architecture in 2003. The building includes an eco-technological roof known as a "brown roof"
Green roof
A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems...
.
Notable alumni
- Lea AndersonLea AndersonLea Anderson MBE is a British choreographer and artistic director. With Teresa Barker and Gaynor Coward, she co-founded The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs dance companies, with which she has choreographed over 100 works....
(choreographer, artistic director, MBEMBEMBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
) - Matthew BourneMatthew BourneMatthew Bourne OBE is a British classical and contemporary ballet and dance choreographer.-Biography:Matthew Bourne was born in Hackney, London in 1960. He went to William Fitt and Sir George Monoux School in Walthamstow, London...
(choreographer, OBE) - Bilinda ButcherBilinda ButcherBilinda Jayne Butcher is a vocalist/guitarist for the rock band My Bloody Valentine.-Biography:Butcher was raised in London and then Derbyshire. She went on to study dance at Laban College in London, but she dropped out after a year due to developing a case of cystitis...
(Vocalist/Guitarist of My Bloody Valentine) - Tom Dale (choreographer)
- Beverley Glean (founder and Artistic Director of Irie!)
- Anjali JayAnjali JayAnjali Jay is a British-Indian actress. She is best known for her role in the 2006 film Blind Dating and as Djaq on the first two seasons of the 2006 television series Robin Hood.-Biography:...
(actress and dancer) - Darren Johnston
- Rosemary Lee
- Simon Murphy
- Louise Richards (choreographer and co-founder of MotionhouseMotionhouseMotionhouse is a dance company based in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. It operates under the direction of Husband and Wife team Louise Richards and Kevin Finnan and it aims to utilise imagery, theatricality and immediate impact in modern dance with a focus on accessibility...
) - Luca Silvestrini and Bettina Strickler (choreographers and founders of Protein Dance)
- Jamie Watton (choreographer and co-founder of Physical Recall)