Dance Base is the national centre for dance in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. As a company it has existed since 1984, promoting and delivering dance activity in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. In June 2001, it moved into £6.4 million purpose-built premises on the

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market place, street and event space in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Location The Grassmarket is located direct ...

in the city's

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

. The premises were opened by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, the Royal Patron of Dance Base, on 21 September 2001. The following month the Artistic Patron, choreographer Mark Morris, created and dedicated a new work at the Festival Theatre. The centre now provides a programme of activities in a complex of four studios. There are three artistic programmes: a public programme providing over 100 classes in over 40 different forms of dance; a professional support programme, supporting and promoting professional dancers through classes, workshops and performance opportunities; a participation programme working with individuals and groups with a wide range of interests and abilities. Over 2, 500 people a week attend Dance Base. In partnership with

Scottish Ballet Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the five leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Northern Ballet. Founded in 196 ...

, a ''Dance For Parkinson's'' programme was developed to help participants suffering

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

to improve their balance and coordination as well as gaining in confidence and creativity. As part of the centre's professional programme, they operate a performance platform at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. It is designated as venue 22 of the Fringe.

References

External links

Dance Base website
{{dance-stub Organisations based in Edinburgh with royal patronage 1984 establishments in Scotland Dance in Scotland Dance in the United Kingdom