Uferstudios_ for Contemporary Dance

On the banks of the Panke in Wedding, new life has sprung up in what was once a maintenance facility for the BVG, Berlin’s public transport company. The garages have been transformed into fourteen roomy studios, as well as offices and ateliers. The site’s past remains visible, and the industrial vibe can still be felt.

With inspiration from Berlin’s dance scene and the TanzRaumBerlin network, plus support from the state lottery foundation, Uferstudios GmbH has created a new site for contemporary dance, which was officially opened in 2010. Since then, the Uferstudios has offered choreographers, dancers and other artists a space for professional work in a stimulating environment where openness and participation are valued.

What’s unusual about Uferstudios is the synergy of artistic production, education and information: its various uses come together to form an electrifying spectrum. Artists in residence cross paths with students and instructors from the Inter-University Center for Dance as well as artists and staff from the Tanzfabrik Berlin, ada Studio and Tanzbüro Berlin. It’s a place to rehearse, research, work and study, in focused seclusion or open collectivity—for a day, or for years. Studios, a media library, a communal kitchen and a spacious courtyard are all available for public rehearsals, lectures, workshops, performances, or just taking a relaxing break from work.

Uferstudios provides freedom for the artists, students and scholars who work here, and it grows with their ideas and activities. It’s an independent, self-financing workplace, linked through the varying backgrounds of its users into a network that is both local and international.