New York Live Arts
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| Address | 219 W 19th St Chelsea, New York City United States |
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| Owner | New York Live Arts |
| Capacity | 184 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2002 as Dance Theater Workshop |
| Reopened | 2011 as New York Live Arts |
| Architect | Edgar Rawlings |
| Website | |
| www |
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New York Live Arts [Live Arts] is a movement-focused arts organization in New York City that serves as the home of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Its activities encompass commissioning, producing, and presenting works of dance, performance and music, together with allied education programming and services for artists. Live Arts is located in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. Its building features a 184-seat theater, rehearsal studios and offices. The organization was formed in 2011 when Dance Theater Workshop [DTW] and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company merged.
New York Live Arts was created in 2011 through the merger of Dance Theater Workshop and The Bill T. Jones Arnie Zane Dance Company. The merger was conceived by the boards and staff of both organizations to address specific challenges each was facing around 2009. Dance Theater Workshop was struggling with capitalization and fundraising-capacity problems connected to substantial debt and operating costs it had assumed to develop its building, which opened in 2002. For its part, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company had been looking to establish its first studio/office facilityand had recently been advised that its bid to become a tenant of a new building in Harlem had been rejected despite its having secured commitments of $13 million in public funding to support the development of the space.
News of the possibility of a merger generated discussion within the New York City contemporary dance scene. DTW had been a vital part of New York City dance since 1965, helping nurture the careers of hundreds of dancers and companies. There was concern that having a single artist, Bill T. Jones, at the head of the organization could alter the eclectic and inclusive spirit that had distinguished DTW.
Following a months-long process of discussions, community forums and negotiations, the boards of both organizations agreed that the shared values of the two entities and the complementary expertise of their staffs pointed to the possibility that a merger could address the immediate needs of both organizations and open new possibilities for the combined organization. The Jones organization committed to raising $3 million to pay down the bond debt on the DTW building as part of the merger agreement. Simultaneous with the merger announcement, the two entities unveiled the New York Live Arts name, noting that the omission of the word dance was meant to suggest potential future directions encompassing a wider range of art forms.
New York Live Arts is overseen by an 18-member board. Bill T. Jones serves as Artistic Director, supported by Associate Artistic Director Janet Wong. Kim Cullen is Executive Director overseeing day-to-day operations in concert with approximately 25 full-time staff members New York Live Arts' annual budget is approximately $6 million, supported by philanthropic contributions, earned income, and government support.
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