New premises will deliver inspirational cultural benefits for Scotland

In 1978, Scottish Ballet moved into 261 West Princes Street, a former Army drill hall. Over the past 31 years, Scottish Ballet has produced work of an exceptionally high artistic standard, yet extending its educational and dance-sector support have been severely hampered by the Company’s current dilapidated premises in Glasgow’s West End. Dance spaces in the former Army drill hall are noisy, have no climatic control, and are very confined; the full Company is unable to rehearse, sets cannot be used in rehearsal, and in two studios, dancers cannot even perform a full lift! The building is prone to sewage flooding and on-going repairs are uncovering extensive asbestos, while delivery access in the residential zone is problematic and the site is inaccessible to most people with disabilities.

Scottish Ballet needed a new home, and after considering over 180 sites throughout Scotland, it was decided that the Company would make its new home as part of the Tramway complex, redeveloping the derelict and unused areas into a state-of-the-art facility of a scale and nature unrivalled in the UK. Construction work on the new building, designed by award-winning Malcolm Fraser Architects, began in 2007, and the Company moves into its new home in June 2009.

 

Scottish Ballet Tramway Project

The £11m project to build Scottish Ballet's new premesis at Tramway has resulted in a facility which will deliver:

• inspirational collaborative work to be created in a unique multi-arts production and presentation centre;
• a well-equipped education department to extend opportunities across Scotland and the UK;
• high-quality work and an increased repertoire to be prepared for touring in purpose-built rehearsal spaces;
• audience development through extended touring, educational programmes and access through i-pod and web-based activity;
• facilities to support and extend Scottish Ballet’s Associates programmes which identify and develop young talent;
• a Health and Fitness Centre for Dance Injury Prevention and Treatment;
• the show-casing of work in adjacent Tramway performance spaces;
• sets, props and lighting to be stored, repaired and rigged on site;
• dedicated studio and changing rooms for Scotland’s independent professional dance sector – the only facilities in the West of Scotland;
• opportunities for people living in the catchment area and accessible programmes for people with disabilities.

 

Facilities include:

Rehearsal Studio 1 (400m²)	Rehearsal Studio 2 (240m²)
Rehearsal Studio 3 (196m²)	Practice Studio (47m²)
Music Reprographics Area and Archive, Music Editing Suite and Music Practice Studio (48m²)	Health and Fitness Centre for Injury Prevention and Treatment (80m²)
The Court – the social heart of the building	Independent Professional Dance Centre(136m²)
Education Centre (183m²)	Wardrobe Department (376m²)
Digital Video Editing Suite (50m²)	Green Room and Kitchen (42m²)
Administration areas	Technical Workshop and Storage

 

Scottish Ballet’s new building is an extension of the existing Tramway, replacing a derelict area. The Education Suite, the Independent Professional Dance Studio and some administration spaces are housed in a renovated section of Tramway. The premises will be wholly accessible, and are well served by public transport.

 

The building is on three levels: a large workshop area on the ground floor has within it a double height section for maintenance, preparation and storage of sets and lighting equipment. Around this portion, at first floor level, wraps wardrobe and administration areas. Sitting above at second floor level are the three large rehearsal studios and health and fitness areas.

 

Consultation

Extensive consultation and research including three separate studies over a four-year period shows that there is broad community and arts sector support for Scottish Ballet to find suitable premises, and a need for a first-class resource for independent professional dance organisations.

 

Tramway: a catalyst for inspirational development of new work

Tramway is a leading contemporary visual and performing arts venue, incorporating the Hidden Gardens, a unique environmental arts project. It has gained an international reputation through its association with artists such as Peter Brook, Robert Lepage, and Silviu Purcarete. This is balanced with a programme of work for and by the people of Scotland. Scottish Ballet at Tramway will position a large-scale producing company within a dynamic international arts centre and community resource.

 

The project will give Scottish Ballet unprecedented opportunities to engage with, and draw inspiration from, a wide community of artists from other artforms on a daily basis. Collaboration will bring to bear an extended range of skills, knowledge and potential for creative and operational synergies.

 

Improved working conditions enhance performances

For the first time, the full Company will be able to rehearse together in one studio, and bring in elements of props and sets. The 20m x 20m floor-space allows dancers to prepare for the main stage instead of having to re-orient themselves spatially when they arrive at a venue. This will have a marked impact on the quality of the work.

 

Natural light diffuses across the space from pyramid shaped skylights. All the studios benefit from high level fresh air ventilation, sprung floors, mirrors, and acoustic lining, creating working conditions that foster concentration and energy.

 

Studio 1 can accommodate small groups of people for viewing rehearsals.

 

Scottish Ballet dancers must maintain fitness levels comparable to world-class athletes; injury can end a career in an instant. A Health and Fitness Centre for Dance Injury Prevention and Treatment will enable dancers to build and retain fitness and flexibility, and help prevent and recover from injury.

 

A Digital Video Editing Suite will provide the facilities to produce web-casts and DVDs of work in progress and performance for the benefit of educators, students and dancers in the teaching/ learning process.

 

New productions tour to more communities

Improved facilities for Scottish Ballet at Tramway will enable the Company to extend its repertoire and to tour more widely. An additional full-scale production will be created and toured annually from Tramway. Studios 2 and 3 and the Practice Studio will mean that sections of larger works can be rehearsed simultaneously maximising output and improving the quality of the work.

 

The music that accompanies the touring repertoire will also be enhanced with new editing capabilities, and facilities for the musicians. Wherever possible the Company strives to provide live music. Musical scores for different ensembles can be reconfigured for venues of varying sizes and stored in new Music Reprographics and Archive areas. Recorded music will be developed to suit the structure and duration of choreography in the Music Editing Suite. A soundproofed Music Practice Studio will enable the Company pianist and other musicians to practise in-house, capitalising on breaks between rehearsals and ensuring the highest quality of musical support for the dance creation and rehearsal process.

 

Plans to train and retain Scotland’s talented youngsters

Scottish Ballet is a partner in the provision of classical dance training at the Dance School of Scotland at Knightswood Secondary School in Glasgow, one of the Scottish Executive’s Centres of Excellence. 

 

At Tramway, the Company will have suitable facilities to support both the existing Associates Programme and the scope to partner a new BA in Modern Ballet at the RSAMD - a crucial missing link in the classical dance training ladder in Scotland. Scottish Ballet’s improved facilities will also help attract and retain fully trained dancers in Scotland.

 

Education Centre transforms opportunities

The Scottish Ballet Education Centre (183m²) at Tramway will provide a dedicated studio (128m²), suitable office space and changing rooms creating the conditions for the delivery of a first-class education programme. Current premises have no education studio, no changing rooms and there are insufficient administration areas to properly prepare and deliver education programmes. Studio-based activity is a key part of Scottish Ballet’s education work but at present this is marginalised and squeezed in around the needs of the main Company. The education studio at Tramway will be used to prepare work and resources, and to hold classes, workshops, seminars and in-service (teacher) training. It will be fully accessible and provide both weekend and weekday access. The Tramway provides an exciting new home for Scottish Ballet.  Please contact Education, on 331 2931, if you are interested in a free tour of the building and to view a company rehearsal.

 

Dedicated studio for independent dance professionals

Scottish Ballet at Tramway will deliver a centre for independent dance in Glasgow, completing a network across Scotland’s key population centres and filling the critical gap in studio provision for the independent/freelance professional dance sector in the west of Scotland. The positive impact on the independent professional dance sector in the Glasgow area cannot be overstated. The Tramway project will provide facilities comparable to what Dance Base provides for the professional dance sector in the Edinburgh area.  

Modest project costs

Item	Cost (£)	Detailed projections show that the Scottish Ballet Tramway building will cost just £1,400 per square metre, compared to between £2,300 and £4,500 per square metre for other specialist dance facilities that have opened in the UK in recent years.
Construction costs	8,053,000
Professional Fees	965,000
Client direct costs	1,017,000
Land value	1,000,000
Total Project Cost	11,035,000

 

A sustainable project with provision for running and maintenance costs

The project is sustainable with provision for running and maintenance costs: it is delivered in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Arts Council (National Lottery Fund). For more information, please go to the full list of supporters.

 

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