This December, Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, is supporting Scottish dance artists and collaborators to bring life back to their Grassmarket premises with a show filmed in their Edinburgh studiosentitled Now Here This that will be streamed to audiences across the world.
In a night of performance, movement and celebration that will feature new and reimagined performances by Alan Greig, Bridie Gane, Katie Armstrong & Lewis Normand, Oceanallover, SALTYDOLLS and Shaper/Caper, the filmed performance will take you through Dance Base’s Grassmarket home, with dance and performance in familiar and not so familiar spaces.
The guided journey that includes live music, physical theatre and contemporary dance, will not only celebrate the incredible range of dance and movement that the organisation champion through their work, but will also set the tone for a hopeful new year for this treasured Scottish venue.
Morag Deyes MBE, Artistic Director of Dance Base said “We are so proud to present this amazing programme of dance, music and theatre. We’ve mashed up the glamour of film, the wonder of our gorgeous studios, and the abundance of professional dance talent here in Scotland to bring audiences a uniquely curated programme of performance by some of the brightest stars of the Scottish dance world to light up the winter darkness. We hope as many people across the world/UK tune in and be dazzled and inspired by these talented performers”
The programme comprises Scottish born Alan Greig, who has trained and worked internationally, with a solo dance show that uses text, theatre, movement and choreography with his work Within Reach while Glasgow based contemporary dance choreographer and performer Bridie Gane brings her trademark wit and whimsy to her piece, Reception.
Experienced dance artists Katie Armstrong and Lewis Normand collaborate with musician Signy Jacobsdottirto create Stronghold that usesfilm, movement and sound to explore themes of absence and presence.
The utterly arresting site specific dance, design and music company, Oceanallover, present Ecdysis (In Vivo) that is inspired by a species of indigenous reptiles reminding us of what we must lose in order to move forward.
New Edinburgh based theatre company, SALTYDOLLS, run by Estlin Love and Fiona Oliver-Larkin, creates explicitly feminist theatre using puppetry, stand-up comedy, object manipulation and clown to look at themes of isolation and connection with BEANS, WALLS, BABES.
Shaper/Caper, an independent dance company based in Dundee led by award winning choreographer Thomas Small, brings a piece inspired by Cocteau’s The Human Voice with The End? thatcaptures LGBTQ+ experiences collated during nine months of lockdown.
Now Here This is one of the many and varied artists’ commissions Dance Base Scotland has been proud to initiate thanks to support from Creative Scotland with funding from Scottish Government via the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund – essential support for the sector which aims to reconnect artists, audiences and venues after this time of separation. The curated artists were chosen by a panel consisting of Dance Base’s Artistic Director Morag Deyes and members from the Dance Base Artist Advisory Group who are excited to see the works brought to life.
The full performance of Now Here This, that is free to attend, will premiere at 19.30 on Thursday 17 December via the YouTube, Facebook and the Dance Base website where donations can be made to help support Dance Base
Some additional gifts from Dance Base will be announced shortly after the 17th on their social media channels.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 