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T
he idea to create Dance Houses, modelled on
the Letters andArts Houses in Cyprus, began
during the term of former Minister of Education
and Culture, the late Akis Kleanthous, who fore-
saw the significance and the dynamics of dance
in Cyprus through meetings with members of the
dance community. Limassol, as Cyprus’ original
dance metropolis, is where the first Contemporary
Dance House was founded in 2007, on the initia-
tive of five contemporary dance groups based in
the city. It functions with a plethora of programmes
and activities, serving the local dance community
as a steady reference point.
The successful example of the Limassol
ContemporaryDanceHouse played a catalytic role
in the dance community’s efforts to find a building
and set up a Dance House for the emerging dance
community of Nicosia.
The Cultural Services of theMinistry of Education
and Culture launched a series of meetings in 2009
alongside theMunicipality ofNicosia, with the aim
of finding space for the community’s rehearsals,
shows, workshops and festivals, but also to
develop exchange programmes and activities in
cooperation with other artists.
The Municipality of Nicosia responded positively
to theCultural Services’request and after two years
of consultations and meetings, the Municipality
decided in 2011 to grant the Ministry the listed,
historical building of Agios Andreas Municipal
Market, which up until then housed the Cyprus
Theatre Organisation’s Experimental Stage.
Due to the fact that the building was severely
damaged, the Technical Services of the
Municipality of Nicosia began repair works in
2012, renovating the building and landscaping
the surrounding area to ensure that it was safe and
accessible to the public, modelled on the standards
Nicosia Dance House
