Dance Base is Scotland’s National centre for dance. As a registered charity, we exist to encourage and celebrate the potential for dance in everyone. We offer a vibrant and uplifting focal point for dance as an art form, a physical and creative activity, and a way of life. We reach out and work in partnership with others to inspire creativity, to cultivate a future for dance in our communities and to support individual and community wellbeing.

Since 1994, we have championed dance in Edinburgh and across Scotland. In 2001, we opened our purpose-built £6.4m centre in Edinburgh’s historic Grassmarket, creating a home for dance in the heart of the city.

 

Our work spans across three areas:

 

Our Professional Programme supports professionals at every stage of their career, through:

• Training for emerging artists

• Artist residencies

• Artist Support Programme (offering creative, practical, and producing support)

• Weekly professional classes

• Award-winning annual programme at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

‘Dance Base has been pivotal in my development as a dance artist'
(Emerging Dance Artist, 2020)

 

Our Public Programme brings the joy of dance, in all its forms, to people in Edinburgh and Scotland, in an inclusive and non-competitive environment. We offer:

• Four purpose-built studios

• Over 100 dance classes each week

• Over 40 different forms of dance, in styles like ballet, hip hop, tap, contemporary, Cuban salsa, ballroom, and many more!

• Online classes to be done from the comfort of your own home.

• Classes for babies, children, adults, and over 60s

 

'Dance increases my son's confidence, develops his creativity and imagination, and the warmth and guiding nature of the teacher makes the session so enjoyable’ 

(Feel Like Dancing class participant, 2020)

 

Our Health and Wellbeing Programme uses the power of dance to improve people’s health, wellbeing, and place in society, including:

• Bringing together specialist dance artists, charities, community organisations, and public health funders

• Our groundbreaking Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland programme, in partnership with Scottish ballet

• Dance interventions like Dance/ Connect for young people experiencing anxiety and mental health disorders, in partnership with UCL

• Work in hospital settings, like Step by Step, with patients at the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity

 

'...Every time I think about dancing, I can feel my insides light up.’

(Dance for Parkinson’s participant, 2017)

 

 

Make a donation to secure the future vibrancy and impact of our work. 

 

Want to stay up-to-date on the difference your donations make? Join our Supporters mailing list!

 

Contact

For more information about making a donation please contact: Emma Smith, Project Development Officer

Email: emma.smith@dancebase.co.uk

 

Dance Base is a registered charity no. SC022512