Watch now on YouTube

William Reue Architecture has been a Kew tenant for seven years.  During that time, the firm’s work has gained acclaim from critics, and in recent years, the firm’s reputation has been growing exponentially. William Reue, founder and principal of the firm, is not only a fine architect but a thoughtful, creative person who’s always looking for innovative ways to address challenges.

The firm’s latest work is a gorgeous townhouse project in the West Village here in New York.  It is a beautiful design with stunningly simple lines and replete with grace and light.

Typically, architects present new projects in “airless” photographs where the rooms barely seem like they could have been or will ever be inhabited. Reue wanted a way to highlight the dynamic beauty of the new townhouse. His solution is astoundingly innovative.  The firm commissioned an evocative dance to be choreographed, performed and videotaped in the space — a piece that would bring the space to life, suggest the drama of the life of future inhabitants, and brings us a richer experience of the space itself.

Entitled “Elevation – A Ballet Exploration of an Architectural Space,”  this film is unique in its combination of architecture, dance, film, and music. To pull it off, William Reue Architecture collaborated with choreographer Sean Roschman, whose body of work includes commissions by Cirque Du Soleil’s onedrop.org and Lady Gaga’s ARTRave New York Fashion Week, to create an original dance that was performed by Jon Cooper, Megan Dickinson, and Oscar Carrillo.

The video was directed by Brandon Bloch, a commercial filmmaker based in Brooklyn who was supported by a small but talented team including Tim Sessler as Director of Photography. The soundtrack – called “Iguazu” – was created by Hays Holladay, an experimental musician based in Los Angeles whose work is often informed by physical spaces.

The resulting four-minute video is quite moving.  It is sexy, seductive, and fueled by the athleticism of the dancers. Take a look on YouTube.