Los Angeles, California

Rise Academy of Dance approached Ponce Architecture to provide a conceptual design proposal for their growing dance studio.  The client desired a vision for the space that reflected their mission to encourage students’ artistry while implementing rigorous technique and training.  The client asked us to draw inspiration from the fluidity and artistry in dance, while establishing an order and visibility in a strip mall storefront located in Los Angeles, California.  

The existing storefront’s interior is an irregular-polygon-shaped space.  By analyzing the floor plan and exploring design techniques or language typically used in dance, we established a spatial ordering system.  The process employed ideas such as mirroring, projections, and reflection, resulting in a carefully “choreographed” interior space that establishes a cohesive relationship between lobby/studio and program/user.

The light filters through the lobby illuminating an undulating and acoustical wall system throughout the dance studio.  Like a draped theater curtain, the folds in the wall panel frame the reflected performance in a single, seamless gesture.