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What was once a raw warehouse space in Queens now serves as a creative hub for dance, music and art. Previously home to a mailing distribution factory and a subsequent a sewing company, Topaz Arts, Inc., had to be completely gutted and remodeled by co-founders Paz Tanjuaquio and Todd Richmond when it was founded in October of 2000.
Once Richmond, a composer/filmmaker, and Tanjuaquio, a choreographer, (also husband and wife) had set their sights on the space in Woodside, they lovingly molded it to their standards, with determined physical labor.
Tanjuaquio laughs while pointing to a photo in an album of Topaz’s early days.
“The things I do for dance,” she says, regarding a picture of her holding a shovel amongst long strips of wood and rubber pads, which eventually came to comprise the space’s current sprung heated floor.
A concept of Richmond’s inspired by the floors they experienced when they performed in Korea, the sprung heated floor is not only toasty on dancers’ toes, but also energy efficient. Hot water flows through it, emitting warmth and spreading it throughout the floor and the room where it resides.
“We knew we wanted to be energy efficient,” Tanjuaquio says, “And this was back before the green trend.” Now, Topaz uses eco-friendly lighting, energy efficient and recycled materials for productions and throughout the entire space – and vegetables even grow on the roof come the warmer months.
In addition to being environmentally responsible, Topaz’s founders were also aware that they wanted their nonprofit organization to boast a gallery as well as a rehearsal space. “We really take a very holistic approach to making art,” Tanjuaquio says, “The space itself has become our art as well.”
Four visual arts exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists are hosted per year at Topaz Arts. Aside from using Topaz for this function, Tanjuaquio and Richmond also rent it out as a rehearsal space for choreographers, use it for artist residencies, and engage it as a stage for dance productions.
Topaz’s December showing of the evening-length “On the Other Side of Silence” was the creative organization’s first main production of their own work in the space. (Prior to this, Topaz had informal showings of works). Based on Yoko Ono’s 1952 “Soundless Music” manuscript, the piece had been shown in segments at different spaces throughout the city since Tanjuaquio and Richmond first started working on it in 2006.
When it all recently came together as a main event, the production included film as well as choreography. “I felt it really lent it to dance imagery,” Tanjuaquio says. Noting what drew her to the script, she adds, “I was really excited about it and the parallels of what [was going on] then and now.”
She refers to the concept of manmade destruction, such as that experienced in Hiroshima in 1945 and Manhattan in 2001, and explores through the choreography she created, “How society picks itself up after something catastrophic.”
Tanjuaquio explains she was additionally intrigued by the contradiction presented by the “Soundless Music” title. “We challenged ourselves to see what that was,” she says. “[For me], it was finding balance in a tilted world,” she continues, speaking of the production’s meaning.
Richmond’s exploration of spaces of silence in the show’s film imagery and musical scores took the audience to West Coast deserts filled with sand dunes, Nevada atomic bomb test sites, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The couple spent time shooting in each of these places during the last few years, although some film locations weren’t all that far from where it was shown in December: Viewers were also taken to local haunts like Flushing Meadows Park.
The films were shown at various points throughout “On the Other Side of Silence” and combined with Tanjuaquio’s attempts to seek balance via the movements of her dancers. Dressed in costumes ranging from Kimono tops to space age-like jumpsuits, the dancers swung each other back and forth like pendulums, bounced rubber balls or acted as though the floor had uneven areas to it – all in different segments during the evening.
Tanjuaquio was also seen making her way across the floor with her dancers.
“On the Other Side of Silence” may have been the first full-length piece to grace Topaz’s space, but Richmond and Tanjuaquio have been collaborating on dance pieces and films since 1993. Both visual artists, various residency arts programs took them around and outside of the country to practice their crafts. When in Manhattan, they were constantly moving around for rehearsals and productions.
“The main thing with dance is really finding a home to be able to create the work,” Tanjuaquio says, which is why anchoring Topaz Arts in Queens was a great step for the pair, as well as city artists.
“We wanted to create this reverse residency space where instead of leaving New York, you can still be in New York and find that concentration and peacefulness,” she explains.
Now, Topaz Arts collaborates each summer with the Queens Museum of Art for its Dance in Queens program, which gives choreographers the opportunity to apply for rehearsal and a dance-based performance space at the museum. Four choreographers are chosen and given rehearsal time during museum hours, which engages visitors. “I think it’s intriguing for people to see how dance is made,” Tanjuaquio says of the program’s effects on Queens community members.
Topaz also teams up with performing arts institution Dance Theater Workshop for its Outer / Space program, which promotes affordable space and artists residencies in the boroughs. Through this grant, Topaz participates in choosing artists to use its space.
Its proximity and yet short distance from Manhattan allows audience members who flock to Topaz to indulge in city culture surrounded by a tranquil environment.
“They come from all over,” Tanjuaquio says of the Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan residents who come to see shows or rehearse, “Which always surprises me. It shouldn’t: I mean, it’s New York City.”
Upcoming goals for Topaz Arts include a May showcase at LaMaMa in Manhattan, a June 13th event at Topaz Arts featuring an open rehearsal with choreographer John Jasperse with an exhibition of new media work by Hector Canonge, and to continue to expand its collaborative projects with organizations. It may be on a quiet Queens side street, but as Topaz’s recent “On the Other Side of Silence” production exemplifies, a lot can be happening in a seemingly subdued spot.
“Once people get here, they get it, because it’s so peaceful,” Tanjuaquio says. “But at the same time [it’s] so close to Manhattan and the frenzy... We’ve been able to cultivate people who don’t normally come to see dance.”
Along with Richmond, Tanjuaquio was initially unsure if people would even come to Queens when they took the leap and dove right into the project that has blossomed into Topaz’s current state. “When we started out, we tested the ground,” Tanjuaquio says. “We built the space and they actually came... It’s really great how much it’s grown: the community and artists here. As far as dance and performance, it’s really grown a lot.” To learn more about Topaz Arts’ full offerings, including annual open houses, workshops, readings, technical support services for recording, sound and graphic design, visit topazarts.org.
By Rachel Kalina