By Katy Gagnon
“Everybody is fighting for the same money when there's not even a lot of money to begin with,” said Long Island City resident and veteran dancer Valerie Green.But one of the understated and much-valued needs of a dancer is space. And it is through her 1,200-square foot dance studio in Long Island City that Green makes her greatest contribution to the local dance community. It is here, on the third floor of a renovated silk factory on 24th Street, that Green, 35, provides the much-needed space for local dancers to create, rehearse and inspire.She offers everything you'd find in a studio in Manhattan, said M. Angel Flores, a dancer who lives in Astoria and has been a member of Green's company since 2005. “But to have it near home, it's great.”And at the modest $12-per-hour rental rate, it's something even the most cash-strapped dancers can afford.”She's been a really great advocate for the Queens art scene,” said Chris Henderson, art services director of the Queens Council on the Arts. “She's bringing more artists to the area and providing a venue where they can perform.”Raised in the suburbs outside Cleveland, Ohio, Green began dancing as a toddler. She doesn't remember exactly what drew her to dance, but remembers she always wanted dance in her life. She eventually earned a degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and after graduation in 1995 moved to New York City to train with the Eric Hawkins Dance Company, one of the pioneering companies of modern dance. Since then, Green has taken her dance internationally and has performed throughout the Balkans. She's been positively reviewed by critics in America and abroad. And, this year, her company Valerie Green Dance Entropy will celebrate its 10th anniversary.The idea to open a studio first came to Green while she worked and rehearsed at Broome Corner Studio in Soho and when the studio was about to close, she planned to take over. But instead the building was sold, converted into luxury condos and Green was pushed out in March 2004.”I think losing the studio in Manhattan bothered Valerie because it was a place she worked and rehearsed in for so long,” Flores said, adding that dancers need an “artistic home” to create and Green “wanted to recreate that for herself and for other dancers.”Disappointed, but not deterred, Green set out to open another studio – this time in Queens. She researched the area, found an available space and took the gamble that a professional dance studio in Queens would prosper.It took work to get the studio off the ground, including thousands of dollars of her own money and putting several hours of repairs into the space. Green installed a special ceiling to help muffle sound and spent days sanding and finishing the studio's maple wood floor. And in November of 2005, Green Space opened.Today, the studio has become so booked up that Green often has difficulty scheduling a time when she can use it to rehearse her own dances.She's used the space to spearhead several community programs and festivals, including public dance classes and Green Space Blooms, a six-day festival that starts April 11 and features the work of Queens-based dancers and choreographers.And through this steadfast self-promotion and diligent drive, Green has secured a formidable place for herself in the Long Island City business community. “Compared to a lot of other artists in Long Island City, Valerie is able to produce work from the right side of the brain as well,” said Mitchell Hauser, owner of Court Square Wine and Spirits and a Valerie Green/Dance Entropy board member. “She's able to be an artist as well as a businesswoman.”In the 12 1/2 years since her move to the city, Green hasn't looked back. One successful project always has developed into another, culminating with where she is today.The lease for Green Space expires in two years. Green wants to renew, but fears rezoning of her up-and-coming Long Island City neighborhood might push her out again. She hopes to keep the space she and local dancers love so much.”It makes me happy to provide an opportunity for people to do what they love,” she said.
