The Arts Center was founded in 1972 as the Center for Music, Drama, and Art (later known as the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, and now Arts Center Lake Placid!). During its early days, the organization was known as a destination for some of dance’s leading choreographers, including Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp. Each spent multiple weeks every summer in residency developing some of their most iconic work. Martha Graham Dance Company still incorporates the Lake Placid Tapes (VHS recordings of work created during this time) in the onboarding process for new dancers and the Lake Placid Run (a unique movement technique) is taught at Julliard to students studying the Graham technique.
The Arts Center’s Artist Residency Program aims to mirror this impact on the emerging artists of today. Since the program’s revitalization six years ago, work developed through the Residency Program has been seen at The Joyce Theatre, Florida’s Soundscape Park at the New World Center, Jacob’s Pillow, and at regional art centers across the country.
Each season, the Arts Center welcomes both artistic companies and individual artists from across New York State and the nation to the North Country for long-term residences. Each residency receives free access to Arts Center facilities – including studio and theatre space with the goal of creating new work, strengthening or refining existing work, or moving their artist practice forward from a creative standpoint.
While in residency, companies are provided opportunities to deepen their relationship with our local community by offering masterclasses, workshops, open rehearsals, or preview performances of their new work – with invitations for the local community to react to their work as it may be the first time an audience is seeing it.
Over the past 12 months, the Arts Center Lake Placid has supported 12 companies/choreographers serving 164 individual artists.
Companies that have recently taken part in the Artist Residency Program include the New England Center for Circus Arts, EMERGE125, Parson’s Dance Company, Flamenco Vivo Carlotta Santa, CIRCA, Acrobuffos, and Parallel Exit.
