The Dance Space is Really Taking Shape

What a journey it’s been - and it’s not over yet! However, with the news that Arts Council England is awarding us more than £400,000 in Cultural Recovery funding we’re getting ever closer to opening the doors and welcoming you in.

In January, our Building Handover Manager Federico Bedoya joined the team. Federico will be working with us to ensure we can move seamlessly into The Dance Space with all of the fire, health & safety processes and policies in place.

While COVID-19 and Brexit have meant inevitable ongoing delays to building work, we are extremely excited that one of the building’s most iconic features will be installed in late February/early March 2021. The building’s fire escape - tarnished copper-coloured steel spiral staircase - will be located on the north-east corner of the building and, along with the building’s external steel cladding, is arguably one of the most prominent design features of The Dance Space. We are planning to capture the installation of the staircase as it happens and will share that with you when we can. 

We are also in the process of shopping for Harlequin antimicrobial dance floors for the studio spaces. Laid on top of the Junkers sprung wooden floors, this will act as the ideal surface for dancers of every style, from clog to hip-hop. Importantly, as we are committed to the building being as green and sustainable as possible, the antimicrobial coating will offer greater hygiene whilst reducing the need for the constant use of chemicals.

We’ve been working with two ex-Dementia nurses, a disabled dance artist and a visually impaired consultant to the creative sector to help us choose wall colours, fixtures and fittings that will make the building as comfortable and easy to use to as many people as possible. 

We’ll keep you updated with new progress as they happen! Watch this space….