Laban (college)
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Laban in Deptford, south-east London, is a college and centre for contemporary dance, and includes 13 dance studios, a 300-seat theatre, library and café. It is part of Trinity Laban.
Laban, originally the Art of Movement Studio based in Manchester, was founded by Rudolf Laban an Austro-Hungarian dancer, choreographer and a dance/movement theoretician. In 1958 the school moved from Manchester to Addlestone in Surrey, and then to New Cross in London 1975 and was renamed Laban Centre for Movement and Dance and again in 1997 it was renamed Laban Centre London. In 2002 the new building opened Deptford, to critical acclaim. At the same time, the college was renamed 'Laban'.
In 2005, Laban merged with Trinity College of Music to form the first conservatoire for music and dance in the UK. The merged organisation is known as 'Trinity Laban', though both colleges are largely autonomous.
Designed by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, the building won the Stirling Prize for Architecture in 2003.[1]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Lea Anderson (choreographer, artistic director, MBE)
- Bilinda Butcher (Vocalist/Guitarist of My Bloody Valentine)
