Credit: Pako Mera
Grace’s Satchel Special: What’s Shaking a Leg at Dance Base This Fringe?
Darlings, you know I adore a standing ovation, but sometimes it’s the movement before the applause that really gets the goosebumps going — and this year, Dance Base has choreographed a summer so spectacular it might just pirouette right off the map!
Scotland’s National Centre for Dance has revealed its 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme — and trust me, it’s got more twists than a tango in stilettos. With 29 shows from 13 countries, it’s a veritable United Nations of hip rolls, heel flicks, and heartfelt storytelling. And yes — they’ve teamed up again with Assembly Festival. Third year running. A proper performance power couple, if you ask me.
From local legends like Tess Letham and Malcolm Sutherland to global dazzlers from Brazil, Hong Kong, Denmark and beyond — this is where dance doesn’t just entertain, it connects. We’re talking shows that explore identity, history, tech, and even the odd existential crisis (yes, through choreography — it’s very Fringe).
Now, I must give a whirl through my favourites. Pop a plié and take notes, loves:
PRIME at 10 (1–3 August) – If you think over-60s don’t groove, think again. This silver-streaked in-house company is back, showing us all how it’s done with the energy of caffeinated teens and moves that’d make Strictly jealous.
DOUBLE TAKE (5–10 August) – The PRIME gang team up with the Lothian Youth Dance Company. Age? Irrelevant. Talent? Overflowing.
Evolution – Scotland and Estonia collide (gracefully) in a youth-fuelled international dance bonanza. Brought to you by the brilliant YDance — expect fireworks with footwork.
These Mechanisms – Aged 82, Christine Thynne returns to show us how joy and resilience can still sparkle in the bones. Robbie Synge joins her for a Made in Scotland masterclass in movement and moxie.
Wee Man – A raw, all-male exploration of masculinity across generations. Teenage angst, poetic truth, and Luke Sutherland’s haunting score. You’ll be thinking about this one for days.
What Ever Happened to Harmony Banks? – Tess Letham is back, darlings, and this time she’s pulling back the velvet curtain on fame, downfall, and reinvention. Dance-theatre meets mockumentary — and yes, it’s giving icon.
Score – Isaiah Wilson turns the body into a programmable machine using actual electric muscle stimulation. I tried to convince my toaster to join in. Didn’t end well.
A Journey of Flight – Kathryn Gordon evokes bird migration with dreamy Shetland roots and flowing white sheets. A piece that practically flaps with beauty.
Through warm temperatures – Mele Broomes brings castor oil, cello, and spiritual healing into a performance that’s as potent as it is poetic. Self-care never moved like this.
Candlelight: Classic Rock in the Round – Rock ballads, contemporary dance, and 1,000 flickering flames. Expect your heart to break and your soul to headbang (gently, of course).
Wakati – Shelmith Øseth reflects on her migration journey from Kenya to Norway. Cultural identity, memory, and dance that crosses time itself. Powerful.
Soil – Greenlandic rhythms and movement meet questions of home, language and belonging. A standout from #DANISH you’ll be whispering about in queues.
And darlings — that’s only a shimmy of what’s on.
There’s also samba from São Paulo, a duet about dancehall dreams from Ireland’s CoisCéim, and a French percussionist teaming up with Scotland’s own Mark Bleakley. Oh, and Fringe Fragments returns with an all-female line-up of global gems, ready to leap from showcase to worldwide stardom.
Between the performances, the dance classes (yes, you can join too, you brave swan!), and the masterclasses with actual Fringe artists — Dance Base is once again the warm, wiggly heart of Edinburgh this August.
So, whether you’re a plié princess, a foot-tapping first-timer or simply want to be moved (in body and soul), I suggest you set your satnav for Dance Base.
As they say on the floor — five, six, seven, GO.
With love (and very tired legs),
Grace x
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