Guiding principles
ICK Dans Amsterdam supports the development of young choreographic talent with a dance production house: ICK Artist Space. Here, a new generation of dance makers is given the opportunity to experiment, create and present themselves. They do this from their own perspective on the body in all its diversity, strength and vulnerability. We believe in the unicity of each artist and therefore offer tailer-made trajectories for research and creation. Dance makers with ambition for large venues need a different path than those who are still orientating themselves. We stimulate the exchange and work closely with the Company and the Academy of ICK (International Choreographic Arts Centre). ICK Artist Space offers long-term residencies to approximately 4 Artists in Residence and short-term residencies to a selection of 8-10 guest-artists per year. We also organize context programs, workshops, master classes and festivals.
History
ICK Dans Amsterdam (International Choreographic Arts Centre) is the City Company and Dance production house in Amsterdam. This platform for contemporary dance was founded in 2009 by Emio Greco|Pieter C. Scholten. They have been working together for more than 25 years in their search for a new dance language and a new approach to the body. ICK is built on three pillars: ICK Company (producing international dance performances), ICK Artist Space (supporting dance makers) and ICK Academy (stimulating education and research projects). Since the 2019/2020 season, the company has been supplemented with a junior company: ICK-Next.
As of January 2021, Dansmakers Amsterdam, the former production house for dance, has merged into ICK-Artist Space. Suzy Blok, director of Dansmakers between 2013 and 2020, is now head of ICK Artist Space. Founded in 1993 as the dance laboratory DansWerkplaats Amsterdam, it developed into the city’s dance production house called Dansmakers. In 2011 Dansmakers moved to an old industrial building in North Amsterdam by the IJ canal, which used to be the Stork factory and created a venue and studios for the next generation. This space is now being further developed as a multi-disciplinary venue and workplace for young culture as Podium Noord.
Building and facilities
ICK Dans Amsterdam is house company of the Meervaart Theater, with access to various facilities. Studio ICK is located in the office building (Talentenhuis). ICK-Artist Space has a studio in Amsterdam West with simple montage facilities and collaborates with Likeminds and other partners in Podium Noord (formerly Dansmakers Podium). Podium Noord houses 2 rehearsal studios, one large multifunctional hall and a stage. Furthermore, there’s a foyer with bar. The venue-hall is 30 m x 25 m and the stage with sprung floor is 16 m x 10 m. The audience capacity is 150 seated on the set tribune but there is possibility of a larger audience up to 350 people for activities and events with a different set-up.
The European Dancehouse Network continues its EU-funded EDNext 2022-2024 programme with the theme of equity explored through activities co-organised and hosted by EDN members in 2023.
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From 20 March 2020, Moving Futures will travel to nine cities and bring innovative dance to the theatre in various Dutch neighbourhoods.
Please note that the festival is partially cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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While many EDN members are still closed for public, activities continue to take place remotely - both for artists and audiences! We bring to you plenty of shows, trainings, celebrations, reflections. Take your peak!
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For the first time, EDN offered the possibility for its members to send artists to the Moving Futures festival in Amsterdam, from May 22 to 25, 2019 as part of the Carte Blanche – Artist focus.
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This Atelier took place in March 2016 organized by Dansmakers Amsterdam. It explored how we can make dance more relevant in our society and what dance can do for our society in return, focusing in particular on new audiences, participation and education. The participants were invited to share their thoughts on dance and discuss its accessibility and openness in the light of participation, commitment, interaction and education.
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Sanne Wichman, Production at Dansmakers Amsterdam, reports on her visit to CSC Bassano del Grappa.
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The second edition of the EDN Carte Blanche for artists took place from August 20th to 26th, 2019 hosted by the CSC – Centro per la Scena Contemporanea. Twelve artists from nine Dancehouses attended B.Motion under the guidance of local mentor Eva Zilio.
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Many dancehouses in Europe have been created over preexisting buildings: convents, factories, industrial sites, brick houses, distilleries, to name some examples. This Atelier at CSC Bassano del Grappa took place in a series of meetings aimed at considering and tracing the European, as well as the international, dancehouses history.
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At the beginning of March 2020 EDN and AND + worked together to implement the path started in Yokohama and to prepare a public talk, as part of the in-depth events open to the public, organized by the Tanzplattform Deutchland in Munich (Germany).
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An atelier organized by EDN-member Dansmakers Amsterdam, concerning the current possibilities in digital communication of and about artistic practices. The atelier connected makers in dance and other disciplines to digital professionals working with social media, digital archive and online monetisation in order to share tools and knowledge in times of need.
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Four days of performances, dialogues, interviews, shared physical practices and conversations about dance.
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