Rioult Dance Center

AO worked with Rioult Dance New York to create the first home in New York City for its professional company and school. Located on the second level of a mixed-used building and accessed by its own distinct street lobby with an open gestural stair, the Rioult Dance Center is comprised of various sized studios, a green room, an administrative suite, and community gathering areas. Achieved within the restraints of a leased space, this project brings the company’s dancers, choreographers, teachers, and administrators together in a recognizable destination specifically suited for dance allowing the company to expand its repertoire, offer classes to the public, and introduce new audiences to its art.

Each acoustically isolated studio has high ceilings and generous windows, and is equipped with sprung floors, bars, mirrors, and sound systems. The largest “company” studio is fitted with black-out shades, curtains, theatrical lighting, and retractable seating for over one hundred to become an intimate performance venue. The open circulation space finished with wood floors acts as a flexible warm up area for dancers by day and welcoming audience lobby for evening performances. The central reception station is wrapped in a custom metal and wood lattice detailed to express the bold character of Rioult’s dance and washed with light making it a dramatic feature both as experienced within the dance center and seen from the street.