about

Located in the Woodward’s Heritage building at 111 West Hastings Street, on the traditional land of the Coast Salish peoples Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver). KW studios are multipurpose production/performance spaces available to rent to the public with a mandate to support low-income, non-profit, indigenous and DTES artists. The spaces consist of a 1,051 sq. ft. dance studio on the main floor, and a 3,802 sq. ft. production studio with attached recording studio and dressing room in the basement. Both spaces feature harlequin vinyl sprung dance floors, lights and lighting grid, recording / live sound gear, projector and screen, green screen and a full outlining curtain track.

In October of 2014: Vancouver City Council unanimously approved a General Manager of Community Services, in consultations with the General Manager of Real Estate and Facilities Management, recommendation that Kokoro Dance Theatre Society be the primary tenant of 7,168 sq. ft. of community amenity space at 111 West Hastings Street and 351 Abbott Street (“Woodwards”) to be shared with Vancouver International Dance Festival Society, Vancouver Moving Theatre Society, and Raven Spirit Dance Society.

The studios, now named KW Studios, have undergone extensive renovations and improvements to convert them to dynamic and creative spaces for dance, theatre, music, rehearsal, creation, production, and recording purposes. KW Studios has a specific mandate to provide spaces primarily to not-for-profits, DTES, Indigenous and Low-income arts groups at affordable rates.