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Dance Base Festival 2026 in partnership with Assembly Festival

Dance Base Festival 2026 in partnership with Assembly Festival

From Breakdancing to Butoh, from Pole Dance to politics, Dance Base Festival 2026 in partnership with Assembly Festival sees multiple perspectives collide under one roof.

The programme brings together 23 shows from 12 countries to reimagine activism, heritage and identity through the body, in the home of dance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Dates: 7-30 August.

Explore the printed 2026 programme here.

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

Image: Dance Base Festival 2026 in partnership with Assembly Festival illustration by Thea Bryant. 

Fringe Fragments

Catch a glimpse of the next big thing at Dance Base’s Fringe Fragments. An industry pitching platform open to audiences, in 2026 we will spotlight Penny Chivas (Scotland), Alicia Cano and Benoît Callens (Luxembourg) and Philip Berlin (Sweden) as they present 15-minute excerpts of tour-ready performances.

24 – 25 August | 13:15 and 17:30 (60 min)

A group of people stand around chatting in a darkened theatre

Spotlight on Dance from Scotland

An event for dance industry professionals from around the world to discover a selection of some of the talented artists currently working in Scotland and find out more about their practice and projects through panel discussions and presentations.

24 August | 10:30–12:30

Image credit: Sally Jubb

A dancer stands on stage with their back to the audience. They hold a microphone over their head, silhouetted against a great orange moon.

Where We Choose to Stand

By Penny Chivas

A powerful dance-theatre show inspired by activism and political change. Blending movement, music, real stories and moments of audience connection, it invites reflection on the choices we make—and what it means to stand together.

7 – 16 August | 20:30 (50 min)

Image credit: Brian Hartley

A middle-aged woman with dark hair wearing a white T-shirt dances joyously in front of a pink background

40/40

By Two Destination Language

An inspiring and moving celebration of Two Destination Language co-artistic director Katherina Radeva’s 40 years as a woman, a migrant and an artist. Claiming space on a dance floor, she dances with joyous abundance and presents stories of her past and present.

www.madeinscotlandshowcase.com

18 – 23 August | 14:30 (50 min)

Image credit: Beth Chalmers

A woman in a yellow shirt throwing their coffee and shouting at the viewer with such force and movement that by the final frame their hair is covering their face.

Anatomy of Survival

By Frauke Requardt & Vivienne Franzmann

A woman walks into a cafe. She orders a coffee. The barista doesn’t understand her request. The woman loses her sh*t. Chaos reigns. This is a show for all the nervous systems in the auditorium.

25 – 29 August | 19:45 (60 min)

Image credit: Camilla Greenwell

A dancer on stage, holding a large curved pipe.

Basque Showcase: Jarraibiderik Gabe / Trembling Frequencies

By Erain / Helena Wilhelmsson

A double bill of emerging choreographic voices from the Basque Country. Bodies and objects create shifting physical landscapes in Jarraibiderik Gabe, while the mysterious and dynamic solo of Trembling Frequencies takes a look at the shifting landscapes within.

7 – 16 August | 13:00 (60 min)

Image credit: Jesus Robisco

A dimly list stage: four dancers hold a fifth up on their shoulders.

Border Bodies

By T.F. Cia de Dança

In times of social segregation, ‘Border Bodies’ desires to rediscover ways of being together. Despite their diverse backgrounds, artists unite, believing that their differences empower each other when they act as one. Part of the São Paulo Showcase.

7 – 30 August | 17:15 (60 min)

Image credit: Adriano Escanhuela

A small boy in white trousers, headphones and a red long-sleeve top dances on top of a hay stack.

Boys Don't Dance

By Marc Brew Company

Boys Don’t Dance celebrates individuality and the liberating power of dance. Combining movement, BMX tricks, storytelling, lighting and an uplifting 80s soundtrack, alongside visual projections and animation it creates an immersive experience for audiences.

www.madeinscotlandshowcase.com

7 – 23 August | 13:15 (60 min)

Image credit: Rebecca Doggett

A dancer bends backwards towards the camera with their right arm extended beyond their head.

Celtic Collective

By The National Youth Dance Company of Scotland & National Youth Arts Wales

Bringing together the National Youth Dance Companies of Scotland and Wales for an electrifying night of bold choreography. It celebrates the power of dance, blending distinct cultural influences with cutting-edge vibrant contemporary dance.

7 – 16 August | 16:05 (60 min)

Image credit: Raido Bergstein

A lockup of two images stacked on top of one another. On top, a group of young dancers in dark clothes run across a stage, on the bottom a group of older dancers in white shirts and grey trousers stand on stage, hands cast wide.

Common Ground

By PRIME & LYDC

Dance Base’s two in-house companies PRIME (for over 60s) and Lothian Youth Dance Company (for 14-21 year-olds) come together in a quadruple bill to explore the pressures we all face.

11 – 16 August | 14:40 (60 min)

Image credit: Sally Jubb

A dancer kneels alone on stage, head and long hair thrown back.

DeRuWa / Hazy

By The Busan International Dance Festival Organizing Committee

Busan International Dance Festival presents the next generation of Korean choreographers in a double bill featuring Kim Hyung-min’s DeRuWa, where three dancers are propelled by an accelerating beat, and Hwang Jungeun’s Hazy, a captivating, visceral and intimate solo.

26 – 30 August | 13:15 (60 min)

Image credit: Hwang Jungeun’s Hazy. Image courtesy of the artist.

A lockup of two photographs of two sets of dancers dancing on stage. Both images are upside-down to create to create a dizzy effect.

HK Soul Showcase: Gemini and Romantic 4:48am

By Justyne Li and Blue Ka Wing

A double bill showcasing the creativity of Hong Kong dance artists: Justyne Li’s new contemporary dance work Gemini, and Blue Ka Wing’s Romantic 4:48am, an exploration of interpersonal dynamics in high-density living.

7 – 16 August | 17:30 (60 min)

Image credit: Hin Hon

A group of people dance in a studio.

If I Can't Dance I'm Not Coming

By Karl Jay-Lewin and Matteo Fargion

Reimagining Fritz Lang’s 1927 Metropolis as a score for dance, an eclectic ensemble of performers embraces dignity over virtuosity, blending rebellion with humour in a process shaped with clarity and care.

18 – 27 August | 14:40 (60 min)

Image credit: Alexander Williamson

Blurred, motion-filled scene of a man and woman in a physically intense dance duet against a cloudy sky. The soft focus and sweeping movement create a sense of urgency, intimacy and emotional tension.

Il canto dell'assiolo

By Compagnia Bellanda

In the silence of a summer night, a call returns. A duet rooted in Breakin’ explores love’s borders—between desire and control, tenderness and violence. Breath, language, and movement intertwine, exposing intimacy as threshold, conflict, and transformation.

18-30 August | 20:30 (45 min)

Image credit: Marta Mariotti

A lockup of two photographs. In the top left corner a group of dancers hold the arms of another dancer, lying on the floor. In the second a dancer makes angular shapes with their arms.

Les Échos de la Rue and Sab'r

By Detours Festival

Two award-winning shows from the Detours Festival: Sab’r, a one-woman Krump show that combines femininity and introspection, and Les Échos de la Rue, five breakers who transcend urban and personal struggles.

7-16 August | 15:50 (60 min)

Image credit: 1. Jérôme Vorzanger. 2. Courtesy of the artist.

A breaker' spins on their head on an outdoor stage, surrounded by an amphitheatre of onlookers

Detours X Dance Base All Styles Street Battle

By Detours Festival

A free dance battle open to all on the streets of the Fringe. Catch styles like Breakin’, Contemporary, Afro, Popping, Locking, Irish or even Tap, or go head-to-head for your chance to win a cash prize and a spot in the Detours World Final in Brussels this October. To add some extra spice, a panel of local and international judges will be joined by you, the audience, to decide the winner. If you’re looking for more funk in your Fringe this Summer, make sure you turn up to get down.

Interested in competing? Please arrive between 11:30 – 12:00, prior to event start time, to sign up.

8 August | 12:00 (150 min)

Image credit: Jérôme Vorzanger.

A photograph of a dancer, gazing at the camera, arm outstretched and bathed in a purple light.

Maiden | Mother | Whore

By Theiyā Arts

A mixed media performance with South-Asian contemporary dance, spoken word and visual art. Maiden | Mother | Whore delves into the tensions between individuals and collectives, agency and power, and patterns of oppression and resistance.

18-30 August | 17:30 (60 min)

Image credit: Andy Catlin.

A long exposure photograph of two dancers on stage, dressed in tartan and bathed in pink light.

not for glory

By Jack Anderson, Charlotte Mclean, Malin Lewis

A rebellious unravelling of traditional dance and music. not for glory is bodies and bagpipes, kilts and queerness, a battering, flinging skirl. This dance-theatre gig resuscitates tradition, dissects heritage, not for glory – but for what?

11 – 23 August | 19:45 (60 min)

Image credit: Brian Hartley

A photograph of a dancer, all in white, hanging by one arm and a leg from a white, spiderlike metal structure.

Poles

By Corpo Máquina Society

A champion pole dance artist. A spider-like steel structure. A live soundscape. At the cutting edge of personal and public space, pole dance virtuoso Yvonne Smink delivers a performance of technical strength and intimacy, choreographed by Guilherme Miotto.

18 – 30 August | 12:45 (60 min)

Image credit: Karin Jonkers

A group of older dancers in white shirts and grey trousers stand on stage, lit dramatically with their hands spread in front of their faces.

PRIME: We Are

By PRIME

Who are we when we’re together? When we’re alone? When we fight for what we believe in? Dance Base’s in-house company for dancers over 60, PRIME premiers new work from Artistic Director Kally Lloyd-Jones and choreographer Malcolm Sutherland.

6 – 9 August | 14:40 (60 min)

Image credit: Sally Jubb

Two dancers on a stage bathed in green light, lie on the floor with their legs tucked under them.

R/evolution(s)

By Dance Base Yokohama/Conan Amok

A contemporary Butoh work, this piece reimagines Butoh for the present while carrying its inheritance forward. Uniting Conan Amok—heir to the lineage of Dairakudakan, one of Japan’s leading Butoh companies—and contemporary dancers, renewing the form from within.

18 – 30 August | 16:05 (60 min)

Image credit: Hatori Naoshi

Two dancers in traditional South Asian dress, sit cross legged, one in front of the other, arms outstretched.

Space In Between

By Cosmic Dance

A South Asian triple bill exploring tensions between intention and outcome, self and society. Blending Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Contemporary movement, three interconnected works examine regret, conflict and misalignment, revealing unseen forces shaping identity, relationships and choice.

9 – 16 August | 14:30 (50 min)

Image credit: Sally Jubb

Five dancers in black tops are intertwined in a group hug.

Taiwan Season: Proximities

By LEI Dance Theatre

LEI Dance Theatre and Lao-French choreographer Olé Khamchanla create a captivating quintet about boundaries and rules, distance and closeness, alienation and connection. An intelligent, imaginative and questioning blend of traditional, contemporary and classical styles.

6 – 30 August | 19:00 (50 min)

Two dancers, standing back to back. One has heavy red, green, white and black make up and a beanie. The other wears a steam punk-esque mask.

Taiwan Season: UNDER MASK

By Mailantia Dance Company

What lies beneath the roles and identities we choose to play? Drawing upon folk ritual and a battery of cross-cultural movement styles, Lai Yun-Chi’s company Mailantia presents a bold, intricate quartet about concealment and transformation.

6 – 30 August | 18:40 (40 min)

Image credit: Lai Chien Chung.

A group of dancers, all in white, kneel on stage, arms listed towards the sky.

The Renaissance of Spring: Samsara & Shroop

By Jajack Movement

This double bill begins with Samsara of Blossoms, a multimedia performance exploring humanity’s rebirth through Eastern philosophy and Western myth. It is followed by Shroop, a deeply personal journey of physical and mental recovery after a stage accident.

Supported by Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation.

11 – 14 August | 21:45 (60 min)Image credit: Ju Kyeong Lee.

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