Choreographing Space: Architecture and Dance as Interdisciplinary Practices

"Dance, dance… otherwise we are lost." This oft-cited phrase by Pina Bausch encapsulates not only the urgency of movement, but its capacity to reveal space itself. In her choreographies, space is never a neutral backdrop, it becomes a partner, an obstacle, a memory. Floors tilt, chairs accumulate, walls oppress or liberate. These are architectural conditions, staged and contested through the body. What Bausch exposes — and what architecture often forgets — is that space is not simply built, it is performed. Her work invites architects to think not only in terms of materials and forms, but of gestures, relations, and rhythms. It suggests that architecture, like dance, is ultimately about how we inhabit, structure, and emotionally charge the spaces we move through.

Beneath the ridge of the White Carpathians, where forest turns into meadow, stands the new headquarters and showroom of Janošík, a company producing windows and doors for contemporary architecture. The architecture arose from reflections on quality windows and their ability to shape space and atmosphere through connection with the surrounding landscape. The building was reborn through the reconstruction of a 1950s cooperative hall, originally used as a grain warehouse. What was once a closed structure has been opened both symbolically and physically. A barrier has been transformed into a link between the building, the meadow, and the distant views—so that the very essence of windows could be revealed. The building is called Spoj—The Link. The architecture was designed by Jakub Janošík, who shapes the design and artistic direction of his family company: "We wanted to create a pleasant space for work. Also, a place where we can present our products—windows, doors, sliding walls—where people can not only see them but also experience them. The surrounding nature and hills have probably influenced our perception of architecture in close relation to the landscape. It is something we are reminded of here every day."

It is not very common to see trees take center stage in residential design projects. The perennial evergreens played a crucial role as the protagonists in the genesis of ideas that were later materialized into the design of this house. After making the decision to construct a new home for their growing family, the two owners nearly forgot the 1.38-acre land that has been in their family for 50 years, passed down through multiple generations of descendants. The land had become deserted, as it was inhabited by trees, plants, and wetlands. Upon the first survey, a walk through the damp, plant-covered path led the architects to the two massive banyan trees that stand majestically at the center of the land. These towering giants, with their expansive and beautifully lush canopies, were truly a breathtaking sight. The kind of majesty and beauty that can only be shaped by nature and the passage of time.

Among the seven winners of this year's 16th Aga Khan Award for Architecture was theRevitalisation of Historic Esna in southern Egypt. Led by the Cairo-based firm Takween, the project was far more than a simple restoration. It was a comprehensive renewal effort that combined deep community engagement with the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage. By creating thousands of jobs and restoring the historic center, the initiative offered a powerful alternative to demolition. The Aga Khan Trust lauded it as a 'replicable model for sustainable development'.