Dance Base is Scotland's National Centre for Dance, a charity established in 1993 offering over 70 weekly classes, professional support, performances, residencies and community projects from its purpose-built venue in Edinburgh's Grassmarket.
Dance Base is Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, established as a charity in 1993 to foster the development of dance in all its forms. The organization opened its purpose-built venue in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket in 2001 and has been at the center of the dance community in Scotland for over 30 years. Tony Mills serves as Artistic Director and Jeanie Scott as Chief Executive.
The center offers over 70 classes per week across four studios with sprung floors. Classes include ballet ranging from beginners to professional level, contemporary dance featuring Cunningham and Release techniques, tap, hip hop, afrobeats, and other styles. Ballet classes are described as inclusive and range from classical to modern. Advanced-Professional Ballet classes combine barre and center practice at levels comparable to RAD and ISTD Advanced Foundation to Advanced 2. Professional classes are available for those in dance training or actively working in the sector.
Dance Base provides residencies for professional dance artists and choreographers based in Scotland, offering studio space Monday through Friday. The organization also runs community projects, performances, and international exchanges. PRIME, Scotland’s first semi-professional dance group for people over 60, was established in 2015.
Dance Base is Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, established as a charity in 1993 to foster the development of dance in all its forms. The organization has been at the centre of the dance community in Scotland for over 30 years and operates from a purpose-built venue that opened in 2001 in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket. Dance Base has built an international reputation as the home of dance in Scotland. The organization offers public classes, professional classes, performance programming, workshops, residencies and other activities, with a mission to help dance flourish and change lives in Scotland and beyond.
Dance Base is located at 14-16 Grassmarket in Edinburgh’s Old Town, postcode EH1 2JU. The entrance is between The Black Bull and Sofi’s, approximately a 15-minute walk from Waverley Station.
Dance Base offers over 70 classes per week including ballet (from beginners to professional level), contemporary dance (featuring Cunningham, Release, Flying-Low and improvisation), tap, hip hop, afrobeats, Bollywood, K-POP, house dance and reggaeton. The organization provides public dance classes, professional classes for the dance community, workshops, performance programming, paid residencies for professional dance artists and choreographers based in Scotland, international exchanges and community projects. Classes are taught by a range of artists actively working in Scotland.
Dance Base welcomes members of the public for classes, professional dancers in training or actively working in the sector, and people seeking health and wellbeing benefits through dance. The organization is committed to making its spaces, programmes and events available to all in an inclusive and non-competitive environment. Professional classes are available for those practising or working at a professional level in performing, making, teaching or choreographing. Paid residencies are offered to professional dance artists, choreographers and companies based in Scotland.
Dance Base caters for all ages and experience levels, from beginners through to advanced-professional dancers. Ballet classes range from beginners to professional level and are inclusive. Contemporary classes are offered at beginners and improvers levels, as well as professional level. The Advanced-Professional Ballet class is for students and dancers working at Advanced-Professional level, comparable to RAD or ISTD Advanced Foundation to Advanced 2.
Dance Base supports professional dance artists at all stages of their careers through broad-reaching support programmes. The organization offers paid residencies to professional dance artists, choreographers and companies based in Scotland throughout the year, providing studio space on a weekly basis Monday to Friday. Professional-level classes are available at a reduced rate for those in dance training or actively working in the professional dance sector. The Catalyst programme expands support for professional dance artists across Scotland.
Dance Base classes include Cunningham, Release, Flying-Low and improvisation techniques in contemporary dance. Contemporary classes are influenced by Nikolais and Cunningham technique. Ballet classes focus on learning or refining ballet technique, with Advanced-Professional Ballet combining barre and centre practice to develop and sustain classical technique, artistry and discipline. Advanced-Professional Ballet classes are comparable to RAD or ISTD Advanced Foundation to Advanced 2 levels.
Dance Base offers performance programming and established the first five shows per day over five days in its Edinburgh Fringe programme in 2002. The organization provides performances, international exchanges and community projects.
Phone: 0131 225 5525. Email: dance@dancebase.co.uk. Address: 14-16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9:30-21:00, with Saturday and Sunday hours varying depending on activity.