Dance house as the art of (co)existence: Interview with Gisela Mu?ller and Barbara Friedrich

Uferstudios is a monumental space for contemporary dance in Berlin consisting of 14 bright studios that range from 85m2 to 415m2. An old electrical trolley depot built in 1920s was rebuilt in 2010 and now hosts the Inter-University Centre for Dance Berlin HZT, Tanzfabrik Berlin, ada Studio, Tanzbu?ro Berlin and the freelance dance community. Uferstudios is run without an artistic director or an artistic board, and coexistence is based on a constant dialogue and sharing the vision and the paying of the rent. The nonhierarchical way of governing the space offers a new model for a dance house - which is both intriguing and very different from other dance houses in Europe that I had a chance to experience. I invited Barbara Friedrich, the managing director of Uferstudios, and Gisela Mu?ller, a board member and artistic director of the Tanzfabrik school, to speak about the protocols of coexistence, the con_icts, the vision and the costs of running the space. Both of them are founding members and driving forces of Uferstudios.