The University of Michigan’s prestigious School of Music, Theater, and Dance (SMTD) has added a new Dance building next to the Moore Music Building, allowing SMTD to enhance their stature among dance programs and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Dance Building has four studios of various shapes, ranging in size from 2,000 sf to 4,000 sf. The largest is the Dance Performance Studio Theatre, with 126 fixed theater seats, steeply raked for excellent sightlines, control room, performance lighting, projection and theatrical grid. Studio Two is designed to support choreography and filming for screen dance and mixed media projects. The Rumelhart Ballet Studio can be divided and was designed to work well for Hiphop. The Granoff studio, with its hardwood floor and gorgeous woodland views, is a natural space for receptions as well as rehearsals. A light-filled cross-training room recognizes that dancers are athletes and need to train as such. Locker rooms, offices, meeting space and a student lounge round out the building. Throughout the building, large windows capture natural light and beautiful views. Load-bearing masonry provides natural acoustic isolation among the studios, so every studio can be used at any time. AV systems are designed for robust playback of both music and images. Angled walls and carefully placed absorptive treatments keep the studios sounding clear and supportive, even for heavily amplified music. The quiet HVAC keeps the rooms fresh and comfortable while allowing easy spoken communication.
