WHY Dancehouse Amsterdam?

The foundation of Dancehouse Amsterdam puts an end to the long search for good accommodation for many Amsterdam dance organisations. The requirements plan for a dance studio and collective dance building dates from the mid-1990s. It developed out of a dialogue between the initiators (Dansmakers (formerly DWA) and the Henny Jurriëns Foundation) and the later company partners on the one part, and the Amsterdam Arts Council and the City of Amsterdam on the other. Besides greater efficiency, cost savings on overheads, and more intensive mutual cooperation, Dancehouse Amsterdam means a powerful positioning of Amsterdam dance and better communication to the dance public.

In November 2001, the Amsterdam district of Oost-Watergraafsmeer held a competition for the new use of the sports complex. The design selected was the initiative of dance promoter Cees de Graaff and architect Bert Tjhie of Tekton Architekten to house Dancehouse Amsterdam in the gasholder. Since then, the location has changed, and a new building will be constructed 150 metres from the site of the original gasholder, which has been demolished.
The building is owned by the housing cooperation Stadgenoot and the project developer OCP.