Dance Base Festival 2025 in partnership with Assembly Festival will present 282 performances of 29 shows from 12 countries in the home of dance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Witness late-night curiosities and concerts. Calls to action and invitations to reflect. Find that age is only a number and that any body can dance. Discover stories about the land under our feet and the future that lies ahead of us. Feel diasporic dancing dialogues. Sense the shape of our societies. Be challenged. Be entertained. Be moved by movement.

Developed in partnership with Assembly, this year’s programme welcomes performers from across the world, as well as providing a continued platform for local talent. Dancers and choreographers from countries and territories including Taiwan, Norway, Brazil, Finland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, USA, Lithuania and Basque Country will arrive in Edinburgh this August to share their work on the world’s biggest stage. The venue will also host some of the most exciting professionals working in Scotland today including Mele Broomes, Mark Bleakley, Tess Letham, Malcolm Sutherland and Kathryn Gordon.

Dance Base is supported by Creative Scotland and Edinburgh City Council.

With thanks to Kilted Donut for supporting our launch event.

Image: Dancers Malcolm Sutherland, Alex Henderson and Sakura Inoue from ‘Solitude Without Loneliness’. Credit: Pako Mera.

Download the festival guide

Fringe Fragments

Produced by Dance Base, Fringe Fragments is a new pitching platform showcasing dance talent from around the world. Designed as a public event and industry showcase, audiences can see excerpts from tour-ready performances by international and UK dance artists.

A dancer wearing blue jeans but no shirt, striked a pose in from of a green wall.

Akropolis I

By Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre

12 – 24 August | 16:05 -17:05

National Dance Awards 2025 nominee Kennedy Junior Muntanga premieres a raw, shape-shifting solo that dives deep into fractured identities, power, and survival through the lens of the African diaspora.

Image credit: Phillipa Langley

A person in a suit falls through space, lit by a bright spotlight

Bolero

By Kinetic Orchestra

12 – 23 August | 18:40 -19:25

Two dancers specialised in acrobatics and floor technique have become tools of the classical artist’s genius, but inspiration is running low and the choreography is not progressing. The pressure is high, and emotions are heating up as they struggle to create something final.

Image credit: Petra Kuha

A person in an orange suit, surrounded by candles, plays violin. Overlaid yellow text reads:

Candlelight: Classic Rock in the Round

By Blue Violin

31 July – 24 August | 21:15 – 22:15

Blue Violin shatters musical boundaries, breathing fierce new life into rock’s greatest anthems. Watch as dancers emerge from shadows and smoke, their movements painting emotional landscapes through AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird.

A person in trousers and a tshirt rolls a spotlit disco ball across a stage

Dancehall Blues

By CoisCéim Dance Theatre

12 – 24 August | 14:40 – 15:40

Ireland’s dance theatre vanguards, CoisCéim [kush-came] are back with the critically acclaimed, sell-out hit from Dublin Fringe! David Bolger’s “expertly ingenious” (Irish Times) duet grooves between hope and the dystopia of an angry world. Bold, gripping, unmissable.

As part of Culture Ireland showcase.

Image credit: Ros Kavanagh

A close up photograph of a foot dressed in traditional Indian clothing with ankle bells

Dansa Rickshaw

Dance Ihayami

31 July – 10 August | 14:30 – 15:20

Journeying from Indian dance to Scottish melodies, blending tradition with innovation. From Bharatanatyam’s storytelling to bagpipes and reels, it fuses cultures. Martyn Bennett’s Ud the Doudouk bridges eras, celebrating heritage, exploring new artistic horizons through rhythm and movement.

A group of dancers on stage, the front row are younger, wearing blue. The dancers in the back row are older and wearing black.

DOUBLE TAKE

By PRIME & LYDC

5–10 August | 13:15 – 14:15

Dance Base’s in-house companies showcase new work. In its 10th anniversary year, PRIME will showcase commissions by Tony Mills and Robbie Synge. LYDC will showcase work by Marc Brew and Abby Warrilow.

A group of three dancers outside on grass, leaping and jumping. Behind them is a large, lego-like wooden structure.

Evolution

By YDance

5–10 August | 14:40 – 15:40

Evolution showcases dance from Scotland and Estonia in a bold, dynamic performance. Presented by YDance, this international collaboration features the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland, ETA Kompanii, and Project Y Evolution Company, guided by acclaimed artists from Rhythmosaic.

A close-up photograph of feet on stage, walking around a pattern of rocks.

Fields (Extract)

By In the Fields Project

5–24 August | 17:15 – 18:15

Playful and poetic, Fields (Extract) is a compelling performance that draws the audience into a textured landscape of stone, where patterns of dwelling are made and unmade, shaped by land, by time and by human hands.

Made with support from Dance Base, City Moves, Tramway.

A photograph of a naked person on stage, crouched over with their head bidden behind a white pillar

Inlet

By Hani Dance

1–23 August | 17:30 – 18:30

Inspired by Rome’s city walls legend, Inlet explores the timely significance of walls as boundaries, fortifications and barriers that influence human interactions and perceptions. Through raw movement and compelling visuals, Inlet invites audiences to reflect, feel and break free.

As part of KulturLX showcase.

Photograph of a dancer on stage, silhouetted in dark purple lighting

IV

By SERAFINE1369

19–24 August | 15:50–16:50

IV considers cycles, time, divination and decomposition. A series of tableaux, a speaking clock and the sounds of a breaking storm set the scene for a work that fractures and unfolds from stillness into moments of blissed out dancing.

As part of Here & Now.

Photograph of a dancer in a hall with a wooden floor, flying a paper aeroplane over white sheets hanging on lines criss-crossing the space

Journey of Flight

By Kathryn Gordon

12–17 August | 14:30–15:20

An immersive 50-minute dance performance created in Shetland and inspired by the migration of birds. Featuring live music and stunning visuals, it explores arrivals, departures, the nostalgia of place, and flight itself.

As part of Made in Scotland showcase.

Photograph of three dancers in white and grey floaty costumes, outside with an arch behind them

NOEUD

By DAB Company

19–24 August 14:30 – 15:20

DAB delves into the working methodologies shared by Eduardo Chillida and Cristobal Balenciaga, positioning three dancers on stage with the intention of finding the path from constraint to freedom.

As part of Basque Showcase.

A photograph of two dancers standing close to one another, eyes closed and seemingly naked. One kisses the other under the chin.

NORMAL

By 71BODIES

31 July –3 August | 19:00 – 20:00

An interdisciplinary production merging dance, story telling and film. NORMAL is about people, bodies and stories that do not belong to mainstream society. It is also about the interactions and intersections that exist between disabilities, sexuality and gender identity.

A photograph of several dancers wearing blue and grey costumes, dancing on stage

PRIME at 10

By PRIME

1–3 August | 13:15 – 14:15

Celebrating their 10th anniversary year, Dance Base’s in-house company for over 60s will showcase a new commission by Robbie Synge alongside a revival of Steinvör Palsson’s ‘Carry on Dancing’.

Photograph of a dancer alone on stage, wearing bright green gym shorts.

PUFF

By Alice Ripoll and Hiltinho Fantástico

19–24 August | 19:00 – 19:45

PUFF explores disguise in African Diaspora dances, where silenced cultures, messages, and traditions are transmitted. Samba, capoeira, and passinho showcase speedy footwork and body dissociation, creating illusions that suggest something is being concealed. “Puff” in Portuguese means a magical disappearance.

Presented by CÂMBIO and sponsored by the Consulate General of Brazil in Edinburgh, the Guimarães Rosa Institute and the British Council.

Three dancers in a row with their hands scretched high above their heads and their heads thrown back, wearing black underwear and electrode packs.

score

By Isaiah Wilson

12–24 August | 21:40 – 22:10

score uses electric muscle stimulation to explore how technology impacts human autonomy, questioning the loss of free will and the body’s relevance in an increasingly tech-driven world. This is dance sci-fi horror.

As part of Kultur LX.

Soil

By AVIAJA Dance

1–17 August | 15:50 – 16:50

A powerful dance performance about identity, language, and belonging. Through movement and the rhythms of the Greenlandic language, it explores how we connect to culture—without words, across borders, and beyond expectations. A captivating journey of self and recognition.

As part of #DANISH showcase.

Three dancers at a table on stage, covered in a red checked table cloth. One dancer stands, tossing rose petals over their head.

Solitude Without Loneliness

By Malcolm Sutherland

2–10 August | 16:05–17:05

Combining text, movement and situational absurdity, this evocative work delves into the often misunderstood distinction between solitude and loneliness. Bodies and characters collapse, separate and reform in a search for meaning, attachment and understanding.

Image credit: Brian Hartley.

A performer dancers on a white stage, with a drumkit in the foreground.

Stepping in… Spilling out…

By Mark Bleakley

12–17 August | 19:50 – 20:40

Stepping in… Spilling out revels in dance and the simplicity of stepping, from two-steps to clubbing to marches. Alongside drummer Rémy Gouffault, Mark delves into personal history; celebrating the politics, history and communities encountered.

As part of Made in Scotland.

A group of dancers on stage, wearing loose, dark trousers and light tops, lit with an orange glow.

Taiwan Season: Trace of Belief

By Chun Dance

31 July – 24 August | 20:30 – 21:15

Inspired by temple processions and personal memories, choreographer Hsieh Yi-Chun makes an impressive international debut with a brand-new ensemble dance about collective ritual and individual will. Come discover what anchors faith in our ever-changing world.

As part of Taiwan Season.

A photograph of a dancer on a darkened stage wearing a huge ruffled costumes, lit in bright red and orange, that curves over their head.

through warm temperatures

By Mele Broomes

12–24 August | 13:15 – 14:15

Affirming castor oil’s legacy as a natural remedy, an elixir, and a historic source that transcends boundaries. Vocals, dance, cello and electronic soundscapes takes you on a journey of reconnection with nature and the body. Moving towards a place of warmth. Inviting release.

Please note: all performances have integrated BSL. Both Friday performances are audio captioned, and Saturday performances with be relaxed.

As part of Made in Scotland showcase.

A dancer in trousers and a vest stands with a microphone, against a background of pen sketches of a dancer in motion and various props.

These Mechanisms

By Christine Thynne & Robbie Synge

1–20 August | 17:15 – 18:15

Who says an octogenarian shouldn’t be working with stepladders, electronics… and water? Brimming with curiosity and joy, Christine manipulates and raps her way along a precarious journey, taking us to surprising places. Just got to keep going!

As part of Made in Scotland.

Photography credit: Amy Sinead

Design credit: Jenny Booth

A group of dancers on stage make a pyramid shape with their hands and bodies

Voyeur / Samba & Love

By São José dos Campos Dance Company

31 July – 24 August | 13:00 – 14:00

In this double bill, ‘Voyeur’ exposes intimacy under silent surveillance, while ‘Samba & Love’ erupts with rhythm, confronting the burnout of modern life. Two physical, emotional works where resistance and tenderness collide.

Part of the São Paulo Showcase supported by Associação Paulista dos Amigos da Arte and São Paulo State Secretariat of Culture.

A dancer, lit dramatically, stands stock still on stage, with their eyes closed.

Wakati

By Shelmith Øseth

31 July – 3 August | 14:40 – 15:40

Wakati is a Swahili word for time. The performance Wakati explores how past, present and future affect the development of a culture and the life of a human. In Wakati, the performer explores her own cultural history and heritage through time.

Two young dancers on stage, one holds the other back, as if from a fight. They are both wearing football uniforms and are surrounded by adult dancers in football uniforms.

Wee Man

By Barrowland Ballet

5–17 August | 19:00 – 20:00

A visceral and dynamic dance-theatre performance by award-winning choreographer Natasha Gilmore. With humour and heart, a cast of men and teenage boys explore the evolving expectations and rules of masculinity – its tenderness, tensions and toxic traditions.

Supported by Creative Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund, Young Start, and The Work Room.

A dancer in an orange top and fluffy blue skirt poses in an expensive looking room, with painted portraits of people from the past.

What ever happened to Harmony Banks?

By Tess Letham

5–10 August | 18:40 – 19:25

A surreal and playful blend of dance-theatre and live documentary imagining the downfall of a fictional icon. Daring and sprinkled with bittersweet humour, it explores how women are shaped — and shattered — by the spotlight.

Made with support from Creative Scotland, Dance Base, Scottish Dance Theatre and Citymoves with previous development supported by The Work Room.

Image credit: Solen Collet

A person in a dark raincoat stands on stage, seemlingly screaming into the void

When you’re alone in your forest always remember you’re not alone

By Vilma Pitrinaite

1 – 9 August | 22:00 – 22:35

A raw cry against brutality. The polyphony of indignant voices evolves into a song of Lithuanian resistance, ‘The Brothers of the Forest’, amplifying the dancer’s relentless strength

Supported by the Lithuanian Culture Institute.