Here’s a list of the dance spaces I’ve found in NYC. If you have more that you know of and are willing to share, please contact me on WhatsApp if you already have my number or @husseindances on Instagram if you don’t.
Gibney
- Location: two locations in Manhattan, 280 Broadway (downtown, right opposite City Hall / Chambers St) and 890 Broadway (W 19th, north of Union Sq)
- Space & cost: Many studios available. Listings and photos here. Prices are not public, you have to contact them; some info in the table below.
| Studio | Size | Price /hr |
|---|---|---|
| Studio X @ 280 Broadway | 960sqft | $110 |
| Studio W @ 280 Broadway | 1200sqft | $115 |
| Studio U @ 280 Broadway | 1650sqft | $135 |
- Availability: I think pretty good. I asked with two weeks’ notice and they gave me three options.
- Hours: 10am - 10pm. Security will escort you out of the building at 10.20pm.
- Floor: Sprung marley.
- Tables, etc: Tables, chairs, coatracks free.
- Sound: Ceiling mounted speakers and a full A/V setup that accepts XLR, TRS, 3.5mm aux, etc. Unfortunately the speakers are terrible - all top end, no bass, aimed at the floor. They charged me $100 to rent sound deadening curtains; I negotiated them down to $70.
- Cancellation policy: 8 weeks notice, but they’ll let you put a hold on a studio for around a week before you have to pay or give up the slot.
On the day of my class, staff were late arriving to set up the sound deadening curtains and lethargic in doing so. My class started 15 minutes late as a result.
New York Live Arts
- Location: Chelsea
- Space & cost: Two spaces, called “White” and “Robbins”, both 1200sqft, that can be rented separately or with the partition wall between them taken down to make one large space. Details here
| Studio | Size | Price /hr |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1200sqft | $75 |
| Robbins | 1200sqft | $75 |
- Availability: Extremely booked out, especially weekday evenings. Calendar here
- Hours: 8am-10pm.
- Price: $75/hr for either room.
- Floor: Sprung marley.
- Tables, etc: Don’t know.
- Sound: Two speakers on stands in each room. Don’t know about connectors.
- Cancellation policy: 2 weeks, though if you cancel later than that and someone takes your reservation, they’ll refund you.
Tim Doody used to rent this space for his classes, he might be able to answer questions.
Joffrey Ballet School
- Location: Manhattan, W 10th x 6th Ave. (There’s also one in LIC.)
- Space & cost:
Many spaces, of varying quality. Some are awkward L shapes, some are big rooms with columns. Range from 1000 to 1800sqft.
Prices range from $70-120/hr for Manhattan, $30-40 for LIC. Listing here. Scroll down and once you choose a location it’ll update with prices. - Availability: They usually have something but it might not be the space you want. Calendar is not public.
- Hours: 8am-9pm. NYCity Waves on Tuesday nights has an extension to 10pm because they’ve been renting for literal decades; when I asked for the same, I was told it was above the rental coordinator’s pay grade and she’d have to go up the chain for permission.
- Floor: Very sprung marley. Boing!
- Tables, etc: Don’t know.
- Sound: There are small speakers on stands in each room but I don’t know anything about them. NYCity Waves (Tues night) and Sunday ReSet share speakers in storage on premises but you’d have to ask if you can borrow them; they seemed a bit reluctant when I asked.
- Cancellation policy: 1 week’s notice.
Paul Taylor
- Location: two spaces in Manhattan, one in the LES and one in Midtown W38th x 8th Ave
- Space & cost: Listings here
| Studio | Size | Price /hr |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Scripps @ LES | 2400sqft | $250 |
| Bo Bowman @ LES | 1000sqft | $150 |
| Wendy Scripps @ Midtown | 1700sqft | $300 |
| Bettie de Jong @ Midtown | 950sqft | $200 |
| Studio 3 @ Midtown | 810sqft | $150 |
| Studio 4 @ Midtown | 1100sqft | $225 |
- Availability: Unsure.
- Hours: Not listed.
- Floor: Marley, except for Studio 3, which is sprung wood.
- Tables, etc: Tables, chairs available, but paid.
- Sound: Sound system available in all rooms. QSC E110s or QSC Halo Pendants.
- Cancellation policy: 72 hours.
Mark Morris
- Location: Fort Greene, BK
- Space & cost: Many studios. Overview here, prices here. Prices vary from $65/hr for 800sqft to $160/hr for 3600sqft:
| Studio | Size | Price /hr |
|---|---|---|
| ICF | 720sqft | $65 |
| Studio B | 800sqft | $65 |
| Hodgkin | 875sqft | $65 |
| Studio F | 1120sqft | $80 |
| Maxine | 1400sqft | $95 |
| Studio E | 1500sqft | $95 |
| Cole | 1900sqft | $125 |
| Duffy | 3600sqft | $160 |
- Availability: Near impossible, except for space on Sunday daytimes. Calendar here
- Hours: 8-9 weekdays, 9-6 Saturday, 8-3 Sunday
- Floor: Sprung marley
- Tables, etc: Available but paid
- Sound: Mostly ceiling mounted speakers with aux cord
- Cancellation policy: 7 days
Triskelion Arts
- Location: Greenpoint
- Space & cost: Listing here. Note that they will let you double the capacity limit listed under “rehearsal max occupancy” but that will double the cost of the rental.
- I negotiated them down to $75/hr for the theater, with a max of 26 occupants.
- Availability: Fairly booked but slots available. Calendar here
- Hours: 9am-10pm. You get a key (one-off fee for this).
- Floor: Marley in theater, wood (unsure if sprung, probably) otherwise.
- Tables, etc: Yeah.
- Sound: Aux cord in each room but the speakers have no bass. Not permitted to use the big speakers in the theater.
- Cancellation policy: Don’t know.
Nico used to run classes here, in the theater. He described them as a rocket ship – the black room in the basement holds and stokes a lot of energy.
My Room
- Location:
- Space & cost: Listings here. He charges $50/hr for Birch (dance floor) & Desert (waiting area with couches) combined. Listing says capacity is 20 but there’s a Biodanza there that regularly gets 30+ and they’re happy.
- Availability: Weekday evenings are booked out for months; weekends more possible.
- Hours: Not listed.
- Floor: Cork. A bit of spring.
- Tables, etc: Yes.
- Sound: Ceiling mounted speakers with an aux cord. Not good.
- Cancellation policy: Don’t know.
This place is clearly one guy’s passion project and he’s really interested in building community; he hinted that you can get even cheaper rates if you develop a sustained relationship with them. He also has storage space in the building that he can bundle in for a little extra $.
Abhaya Yoga
- Location: Dumbo (website)
- Space & cost: 1100sqft, volume-based pricing but ~$200-500/hr
- Availability: Not sure
- Hours: 24-hour building security so might be flexible
- Floor: Heated hardwood
- Tables, etc: Not sure
- Sound: JBL bluetooth
- Cancellation policy: Not sure
TODO
- St. Mark’s - main space is $500/hr, parish hall $300/hr
- Abron Arts – but they never responded to me
- Chez Bushwick (schedule)
- Babe Skwod downtown BK, 850sqft, $90/hr, (peerspace listing)
- Flamenco Vivo Midtown, 960sqft, $40/hr
- American Mime Theater Midtown, 800sqft $75/hr
- Free Mind Bushwick, 1000sqft $100/hr, JBL PartyBoxes, (peerspace)
- Third Door, Dumbo
Contacted but no response yet
- Brooklyn Flow, downtown BK
- Y7 Yoga Many around town, good sound system. Contacted the Park Slope location.
Weird long shots
- Manhattan Space Rentals - flexible space in Midtown with few details litsed
- First Church BK, Elliott Room Probably huge and expensive.
- NYU 404 Fitness Center They have a dance studio.
- Church of the Village in West Village
- Cavalry St. George’s in East Village
Template for further entries
- Location:
- Space & cost:
| Studio | Size | Price /hr |
|---|---|---|
- Availability:
- Hours:
- Floor:
- Tables, etc:
- Sound:
- Cancellation policy: