The Performance Lab

Causes: Arts & Culture, Dance

Mission: The mission of THE PERFORMANCE LAB is to create a replicable model for interactive arts exchanges that bring artists and communities together in different places at the same time. THE PERFORMANCE LAB works with students and teachers; schools at the elementary, secondary and college level as well as artists, art organizations and communities across the country. Ultimately, we envisage a network of interactive studios linked together for the sharing of innovative and challenging works in the performing arts.Marcia Chapman of Ballet Arts Minnesota (BAM) spearheaded the creation of DancePartners (now THE PERFORMANCE LAB) in 1996, after recognizing the need for everyone in communities throughout Minnesota and America to have access to quality arts education. Chapman and her collaborators envisioned a flexible video-conferencing technology that could bring dance educators and artists into communities where the performing arts might contribute to the quality of people's lives.In 1999, with BAM acting as fiscal agent, DancePartners received a major grant from the Technology Opportunities Program, a Federal agency aiming to close the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not ["The Digital Divide"]. TOP saw our willingness to experiment and their subsequent grant as a bold step forward in bringing the arts into the lives of many who do not have such access. Three years later, DancePartners changed its name to THE PERFORMANCE LAB (TPL) and achieved it's own independence as a 501(c)3 organization. The name change is meant to emphasize interdisciplinary focus and adventuresome commitment to innovation. We continue to rely on accessible technology to provide interactive arts experiences at reasonable cost in diverse communities.