From Sadler’s Wells to the Place, Laban to the Peacock, there are many theatres in London that are dedicated to the art of dance. But what about the rest of the country? We’ve rounded up five of the UK’s best dance focused stages, so you know where to go when you fancy a bit of “moving and being moved”.
Where to dance across the UK
The Point, Eastleigh
A “powerhouse for contemporary dance, theatre and combined arts†the Point in Eastleigh, Hampshire, has a strong movement focus with an array of performances and dance workshops. As a venue, they are also renowned for being a hub of creativity and supporting upcoming artists, with their project GradLab offering opportunities to recent graduate choreographers and performers, their HOME scheme helping companies including Lîla Dance, Gravity & Levity and Joli Vyann, as well as supporting well known choreographers including Ben Wright (current Co-Artistic Director of Candoco) and his company b-group, and ex Hofesh dancer James Finnemore. Check out our interview with Vicky Hargreaves, who’s a Creative Programme Producer at The Point, to hear about the venue’s Summer Social outdoor art weekends, which run until 22 July.
Image Credit: The Point via Facebook
The Point is located at Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 9DE
The Riley Theatre, Leeds
The theatre attached to top vocational training centre Northern School of Contemporary Dance, the Riley Theatre is unique in the fact it is set in a former synagogue. Sitting in the pews, you can watch the future of contemporary dance in the school’s various showcase evenings (this year’s graduation showcase is on from 4-7 July) as well as visiting professional companies.
Image Credit: Riley Theatre via Facebook
The Riley Theatre is located at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, 98 Chapeltown Road, Leeds, LS7 4BH
Dance House, Cardiff
Home to Wales’ premiere contemporary dance company National Dance Company Wales, the Dance House on Cardiff Bay is a world class production facility and performance space for local artists, youth groups and touring companies. A resident organisation at the Wales Millennium Centre, Dance House also offer adult classes including morning yoga, beginners ballet and contemporary dance, as well as Dance Days for children 7-18.
Image Credit: Dance House Cardiff via Facebook
Dance House is located at Wales Millenium Centre, Pierhead Street, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4PH
Birmingham Hippodrome/ The Patrick Centre, Birmingham
Although not solely dedicated to dance performance, the Birmingham Hippodrome is a key dance venue in the West Midlands due to being the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Hippodrome also shares its building with danceXchange a Birmingham based dance development organisation offering classes, curating a series of contemporary dance performances on their own stage, The Patrick Centre, and also producing Birmingham International Dance Festival, which you can read more about in our 2018 round up.
Image Credit: Kalpesh Patel via Flickr
The Birmingham Hippodrome is located at Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB
DanceXchange is located at the Birmingham Hippodrome, Thorp Street, Birmingham B5 4TB
Jerwood DanceHouse, Ipswitch
Home to organisation DanceEast, the Jerwood DanceHouse is a state of the art, modern dance facility that includes a 200 seat studio theatre in which world class companies create and perform new work. Dance East’s associate artists for 2018-2020 include choreographers Kaia Goodenough, Tim Casson, Julie Cunningham and Joseph Toonga, and over the summer the theatre also welcomes visiting performances from companies such as the National Youth Dance Company with their latest piece Used to Be Blonde by Guest Artistic Director Sharon Eyal.
Image Credit: Jerwood DanceHouse via Facebook
Jerwood Dance House is located at Foundry Lane, Ipswitch, Suffolk, IP4 1DW