Congratulations to all at Laban on this outstanding award. It's great for Laban, dance education and dance in general.

Laban news release
Monday 13 October 2003

Laban wins Stirling Architecture Prize

Laban, a world leader in contemporary dance artist training, has won the prestigious Stirling Architecture Prize. The Prize was announced at a glittering awards ceremony held at Explore@Bristol, the science centre, on 11 October, with the results broadcast yesterday at 8pm on Channel 4.

Laban, the bookies’ and critics’ favourite from the outset, was judged to be the building which had made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year. Novelist Julian Barnes summed up the feelings of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize jury: “It hits you straight between the eyes as soon as you get there. It has the same movement, youth, agility, pizzazz, front to it that its students have – it’s very seductive. The immediate impact on everyone as we arrived was to go wow.” The architects Herzog & de Meuron were presented with a cheque for £20,000 from George Ferguson, President of the RIBA and Chair of the RIBA Stirling Prize jury.

The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who opened the building in February 2003, said: “What wonderful news. Laban is a worthy winner. Seeing that fabulous building for the first time quite took my breath away. Laban is a magnificent piece of architecture. It is a resource for dancers, teachers and the whole community, I have no doubt that Laban will become for Deptford what the Angel of the North was for the North East, a source of pride and love for everyone who lives there.”

The building stands on Deptford Creekside in South East London. It has been upheld not only as a major new cultural landmark for London but also as a key focus for the cultural, physical and social regeneration of South East London. Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said “I am delighted that Laban has won this prestigious award. This stunning building houses a world class institute for contemporary dance training as well as valuable community facilities. It provides a vital economic boost to aid the regeneration of this area of London.”

The Laban building received support from, amongst others, Arts Council England through National Lottery Funds, the London Development Agency, and the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich.

Joan Ruddock MP for Lewisham and Deptford said: "Laban is a unique building and an outstanding example of architectural excellence. Home to one of the world's leading dance institutions, this state of the art building has had an enormous impact on the local environment and community. I am absolutely thrilled that it is receiving the national recognition it deserves."

Anthony Bowne, Laban’s Director who also attended the awards commented: “This is a fantastic accolade for a fantastic building. Herzog & de Meuron have designed for us a building which has opened up a wealth of new possibilities we could never have anticipated when we embarked on the process to build a new home in the mid-1990’s. We can deliver unrivalled dance training experiences for students alongside offering the local community a unique arts experience.”

Notes

Standing on the side of Deptford Creek the building glows with colour – the exterior is wrapped in shades of lime, turquoise and magenta polycarbonate cladding, the colours, chosen in collaboration with visual artist Michael Craig-Martin, are also used to create a vibrant effect in the corridors, or streets, of the buildings interior. A wall-drawing by Craig-Martin, adorns the exterior walls of the 300-seat theatre, which is the literal and metaphorical heart of the building. The building design is complimented by the recently completed ‘folded’ landscape designed by Vogt Architects, which includes an amphi-theatre.

The RIBA Stirling Prize in association with The Architects’ Journal is the
UK’s most prestigious architectural prize and is awarded annually to the architects of the building which has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year. Winners must be RIBA Members and the building may be anywhere in the European Union. The prize is named after the architect Sir James Stirling 1926 – 1992. The winner will receive £20,000. Further information from www.ajplus.co.uk

Herzog & de Meuron won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2001. They were the architects behind the redevelopment of the Bankside power station into Tate Modern. In 2003 Prada opened a new store in Japan designed by Herzog & de Meuron.

Laban is one of Europe’s leading institutions for contemporary dance artist training offering a range of undergraduate and graduate programmes; Laban’s student population represents more than 35 countries. It developed and established Britain’s first BA (Hons) Dance Theatre and MA Dance Studies degrees, and most recently Europe’s first MSc Dance Science. It continues to remain at the forefront of dance research and training, leading in new courses for the development of all dance professionals.

Since opening the new building Laban has expanded its theatre programme with more than 50% of bookers coming from the immediate local areas of Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark. In addition, a new project with Arts & Kids will provide free tickets to two dance performances for up to 600 young people in Lewisham and Greenwich. Laban has added an additional youth dance class and parents/carers and toddlers class, both of which are already full; plus two Pilates matwork courses to its open classes programme. Laban has also introduced Danceability – two weekly inclusive classes for young people with and without disabilities with funding recently secured from Children in Need.

<small>[ 13 October 2003, 04:19 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Article from The guardian.

MORE

Press Release

TRINITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND LABAN JOIN FORCES
TO CREATE UNIQUE MUSIC AND DANCE CONSERVATOIRE




Trinity College of Music and LABAN are delighted to announce their merger to create a dedicated conservatoire for music and dance, which will be the first of its kind in the UK. LABAN is one of Europe’s leading institutions for contemporary dance training, research and professional development, while Trinity College of Music is recognised as one of Europe’s most dynamic conservatoires. The merger is set to be completed by 1 August 2004, subject to the necessary regulatory consents, with a new Board of Governors in place for the 2004/05 academic year.



Paul Strang, Chairman of Trinity College of Music Board of Governors, and Sir Walter Bodmer, Chairman of LABAN Board of Directors, are enthusiastic about the benefits to be gained by both institutions in this collaboration:



“The bringing together of Trinity College of Music and LABAN is a really exciting venture for both institutions and is entirely consistent with their respective mission statements. This innovative collaboration will enrich the learning experience of students and the artistic community, promote excellence of student achievement and, importantly, offer opportunities for creative partnership in the local community, augmenting a provision already strong in both colleges.”



The joining of these two leading conservatoires creates a new force in the performing arts and offers an exemplar for the higher education sector of successful association between specialist institutions which strengthens their professional focus and maintains internationally recognised levels of student achievement. Whilst current degree programmes will be retained within each institution, the added value of collaborative ventures between composers, choreographers and performers which this partnership affords, means an enhancing of the current provision at each institution.



Following several artistic collaborations between Trinity and LABAN last year, further collaborations are already underway for this academic year. Masters students will be exploring performing live and experimenting with approaches to creative practice. This will run concurrent with the dance-music project OPUS 1, a collaboration between Theatre enCorps, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Gustav Mahler Society. These two conservatoires are at the cutting edge of their art forms and working in partnership in the future will open up many exciting avenues.



The new alliance of Trinity College of Music and LABAN will be headed by Gavin Henderson, Principal and Chief Executive Designate. The Director Designate of LABAN is Anthony Bowne, and the Director Designate of Trinity is Derek Aviss. The new institution will be directly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).



Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England states:



“I wish to applaud the way in which Trinity College of Music and LABAN have set about planning their merger. It is an amalgamation which has the full blessing and support of HEFCE; two highly specialised and well focussed colleges seeing the potential of academic and artistic partnership, to create what will be Britain’s first Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Neither will lose their existing art form strengths, as leader in their respective fields, but there will be much added value in the work they can develop together. I have no doubt that this partnership will do much to propel Britain’s advance in the creative industries, for the greatest benefit of our cultural well-being.”



Gerry Robinson, Chairman of Arts Council England adds his endorsement:

“LABAN’S new home in Deptford is one of the marvels of the moment, and I am proud that the Arts Council was able to assist in its creation with a major lottery award. So too Trinity’s new home in Greenwich is one of the great architectural achievements of the past – newly restored with support from the Heritage Lottery fund. The alliance of the two colleges brings about a remarkable synergy of arts, education, local authority and private resources – in creating Britain’s first Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Such partnership is a towering example for the future, and a wonderful injection of life – not only for this quarter of London, but for the nation as a whole. This is a visionary concept which deserves the greatest success.”



The collaboration adds to the growth of this area of South East London as a thriving, artistic hub. LABAN is situated in its awe-inspiring building at Deptford Creekside – winner of the 2003 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize – barely half a mile from Trinity College of Music in King Charles Court within the historic Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich. The new LABAN building was opened in February 2003. It is the largest purpose built facility for contemporary dance in the world, and includes the new Bonnie Bird Theatre and an amphitheatre. Trinity College of Music moved to King Charles Court in 2001 following extensive renovation of the 17th Century building, and the estate includes Blackheath Halls which Trinity acquired in July 2003.



The Rt Hon Nick Raynsford, Minister of State, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich says:



“The coming together of Trinity College of Music and LABAN is another great leap forward in the consolidation of this corner of London as a vibrant new cultural quarter. Both colleges have committed programmes of outreach work which are of enormous benefit to the wider community. So too their public performances and artistic residencies, at Blackheath Halls and Bonnie Bird Theatre, ensure that the national and international strength of their work is shared by a diverse public – both of those resident locally and visitors to the area. I am delighted about the joining up of these two venerable and dynamic institutions, in turn bringing about a joining up of Education and Arts resources. I wish them all success.”



Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham and Deptford is equally delighted with the new collaboration:



" I am immensely proud of LABAN's presence in our community. This world leading dance training institution with its vibrant, successful education and community programme is the jewel in our crown. Not only is it the best building in Britain as judged by RIBA, it is also the catalyst for much needed regeneration in our Borough.



The alliance with Trinity College of Music, a five minute walk from LABAN in our neighbouring borough Greenwich, will provide a dynamic and artistic powerhouse for South East London and the Thames Gateway."



ENDS.

www.laban.org

www.transitionsdancecompany.com

www.transitionsdancecompany.co.uk

Review of the year: architecture
Londoners took Lord Foster's Swiss Re Tower to their hearts – but, asks Giles Worsley in The Daily Telegraph, how long can it maintain its pride of place?



Best: Herzog and de Meuron's Laban Dance Centre in south London.

Worst: Nicholas Grimshaw's Bath Spa.

Herzog and de Meuron's Laban Dance Centre, the worthy winner of the Stirling Prize, was the one building completed this year that carried a real charge of architectural excitement. Set on the edge of Deptford Creek in south London, its transparent cladding glowing in the twilight, its studios and corridors alive with young dancers rejoicing in their good fortune, it was a building that captured the imagination of everyone who visited it.

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