The Rieman building, which was modified for full-time dance use in 1981, features a large open floor with high ceilings, and can be converted into a space for meetings and presentations without significant renovation, Richardson says.

It’s exactly this adaptability that makes the center so attractive to the dance program.

Last week, Harvard dancers filled Rieman to capacity during a class taught by the renowned professional dance company Taylor II. Within hours of the master class, Rieman was converted into a theater space for a Taylor II performance.

Elizabeth Bergmann, director of Harvard’s dance programs, says that other than Rieman “there’s no adequate performance area for dance except the Loeb [Mainstage] which we don’t have access to.”

“Without a studio, there’s no program,” she says.

A History of Dance

Members of the dance community cite the long tradition of dance in Rieman to argue that it should not be converted to another use.

“It’s like somebody said they’re going to take over the Memorial Church and turn it into a lounge,” says Charles Fried, Beneficial professor of law, who often attends student dance shows. “It’s destructive of a tradition.”

Radcliffe College originally built Rieman in 1898 as a gymnasium for sports and dance.

Dance at Radcliffe developed into a distinct extracurricular activity in 1964 when the famed New York dancer Claire Mallardi came to Radcliffe to direct the program.

Dancers eventually assumed exclusive use of Rieman in 1981.

The 1999 decision to hand over the fate of the dance program’s long-time home to Radcliffe drew little public fanfare at the time—students are only now beginning to protest.

Richardson says Radcliffe agreed to allow the College to lease Rieman for six years, until 2005, to give planners time to find an alternate dance space.

“We wish we could do this without inconveniencing anyone,” Richardson says.

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