The floor
| THE FLOOR | |
|---|---|
| founding | May 1, 1981 |
| Sponsorship | registered association |
| place | Berlin |
| country | Germany |
| management | Thomas Zimmermann |
| Website | www.dieetage.de |
DIE ETAGE - School for the performing and visual arts eV in Berlin is a state-recognized and non-profit school for professional training in the fields of stage acrobatics / artistry , stage dance , painting / drawing / stage design , musicals , pantomime and drama . Its specialty is the combination of these specialist areas under one roof and the interdisciplinary nature of the training that goes with it .
Its beginnings go back to 1978, the school was founded in 1981.
history
The Czech mime Nils-Zdeněk Kühn from the Pantomima Praha , Assistant Professor Miloslav Lipinský and employees of Laterna Magica (Prague) hired in 1978 a factory floor in the hitchhiker street in Berlin's Kreuzberg district , called "Floor IV" to courses for pantomime to give . Together with other stage artists (dancers, actors, artists) he developed the idea of creating a school in which all branches of the performing arts are represented. The undertaking to create such a cultural center could not initially be realized due to squatting in West Berlin .
On May 1, 1981, "Die Etage" opened in Hasenheide am Südstern as a professional artist school, which was added to the school register of the State of Berlin as a supplementary school. A studio stage was set up in one of the factory rooms. In addition, a course program was developed in all disciplines of the performing arts to get started with the training. A training center for performing arts developed from the experiment . In those early years of the school, flamenco was also offered as a training course. In April 1982 the pantomime department started under the direction of Nils-Zdeněk Kühn.
In the spring of 1983, additional rooms were rented and prepared for school operations in-house. This year the first of a series of summer academies took place in which international artists were hired to teach the various disciplines. The stage dance department opened in autumn 1983 , followed by painting / drawing / stage design in autumn 1984 and drama in spring 1985.
On July 1, 1985, as a school board , a non-profit association founded. In autumn 1985 a training concept was drawn up in which the concept of integrative basic training is anchored. In 1986 the State of Berlin granted state recognition as a private school in accordance with Section 9a PSchG (Private Schools Act). In 1987, the Berlin Senator for Science and Research recognized visiting the floor as being equivalent to attending a vocational school named in the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAFöG, Section 2, Paragraph 1) . Since December 1989, the examination regulations for the floor have been recognized by the state.
Today the six departments pantomime, acting, stage acrobatics, painting / drawing / stage design, stage dance and musicals are taught.
Partner organizations
The floor is a member of the board of directors of the “Fédération européenne des écoles de cirque professionnelles” (FEDEC, European Association of Professional Acrobatics and Artistic Schools) and is listed there as “école supérieure”.
There are partnerships with the Mime Centrum Berlin , a work, information and documentation center for movement theater based in Berlin, the Form Theater in Wrocław and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague .
Location and spaces
The floor is on Ritterstrasse in Berlin-Kreuzberg. On two floors of a former factory building, general training and rehearsal rooms with mirrors, suspension floors and ballet bars, an acrobatics room with special floors, a painting studio with special lighting, a studio theater, offices, changing rooms with showers and teachers' rooms are located on an area of around 1000 m². The studio stage has a lighting and technical room. Various halls and an outdoor studio are also used.
Facilities
theatre
The studio stage primarily offers the students the opportunity to show their skills in a professional setting. At regular intervals, students from the various training areas present their work results in workshop performances.
Gallery of the floor
In the anteroom of the theater, the work of the students in the painting / drawing / stage design training area is shown in constantly changing exhibitions .
The blue
About once a month there is an open stage in the theater on the "Blau" floor, where students' own productions are presented. The development of the program, the moderation, organization and management are in the hands of the students. Former students and artist friends who stay in Berlin, as well as international artists, are regularly represented with small and experimental programs. In June or July every year this event takes place in the inner courtyard of the building and is then called "Sky Blue". The "Orientation Days" are held every year in summer.