The STDC - State Theatre Dance Centre

Abstract

The State Theatre Dance Centre forms part of the regeneration and upliftment of the Pretoria CDB. The STDC (State Theatre Dance Centre) is proposed to be sited directly opposite the South African State Theatre, in the CBD of Pretoria. The proposed site for the STDC, urban-infill project is an underutilized and undeveloped portion of land along Pretorius Street. Throughout the project the context was sensitively investigated and considered. The proposed building does not attempt to aesthetically ‘blend’ with the surrounding buildings but is rather the product of considering the opportunities and constraints that have been highlighted throughout the thesis whilst attempting to breathe new life and innovation into the environment. The thesis highlights the importance of the spaces found in-between elements within the built environment, as it are the se spaces that express and infuse individual elements with life and energy. Dance comes to life as a series of frames of movement. The choreographer positions dancers’ bodies within space to create a continuous flow of ‘frames’ where the relationships between dancers are expressed by the spaces in-between them. This idea is expressed throughout the thesis as the project develops through the different stages.