The Stage

Rambert campaigns for £6m move to South Bank

Published Tuesday 17 February 2004 at 12:35

Rambert Dance Company has announced plans to raise an estimated £6 million for its transfer to a new purpose-built home on London’s South Bank.

The company has occupied its current building in west London since 1971. However, limited rehearsal space and inadequate facilities have led management to seek new premises for the organisation.

Coin Street Community Builders, a development trust set up by South Bank residents in 1984, last year invited Rambert to become part of a new development which it plans to construct on the Doon Street car park site behind the National Theatre.

Artistic director Mark Baldwin said: “As Britain’s only large-scale touring contemporary dance company, we perform on some of the largest stages this country has. The size of our studios, however, severely restricts the scale of productions that we can create, essentially stifling our artistic aspirations.

“In addition to fulfilling our artistic needs, the new premises would also provide the public with greater access to the company, our education activities and our archive. We have in this proposal the opportunity to turn Rambert into a national resource centre.”

The organisation intends to raise the necessary capital through a combination of private donations and public funds.