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The Dancehouse home of NBS
occupies some 35,000 square feet (3,250
sq.m) of floor space and constitutes one
of the most comprehensively appointed dance
training facilities to be found anywhere.
Prominently located on Oxford Road, in central
Manchester, opposite the northern headquarters
of the BBC and surrounded by the campuses
of no less than three universities, the
school has good access to the local bus,
rail and tram networks and to the national
rail and motorway systems and extensive
worldwide links via Manchester Airport.
The Dancehouse complex is spread over three
floors of a 1930s Art Deco building and
consists of six dance studios, one of which
also houses library and study facilities,
and a 430 seat theatre with large stage
and extensive ancillary spaces. The theatre
stage and all dance studios have sprung
floors and the latter are all equipped with
full height wall mirrors, barres, infra-red
heating and cooling fans. The theatre auditorium
seating is partially demountable /partially
electrically retractable, offering a variety
of possible configurations as both performance
and additional training spaces.
The premises have generous
circulation spaces, with student and staff
common rooms, a well equipped first aid/physiotherapy
room, staff and administration offices and
separate male and female changing, shower
and toilet facilities for staff and students.
The theatre has a green
room, dressing rooms and wardrobe facilities
below stage and office, workshop and storage
space both backstage and in the basement.
The theatre manager’s office and the
computerised box office are located in the
main foyer at ground level. There are disabled
toilet facilities both front of house and
backstage and there is a large passenger/goods
lift for disabled access to the theatre
and to some dance studios.
There is a café for
students and staff on the first floor adjacent
to reception. Reasonably priced fresh food
and drinks are served mid-morning and during
lunchtime for consumption in the shop only.
There are also snack and drink vending machines
for your use. Drinks making facilities are
available in the staff common room and there
is a licensed theatre bar adjacent to the
auditorium, used for public or private functions
on theatre nights.
There is a wide choice of
student residential accommodation very close
to the school (from as little as three minutes
walking distance) and other equally nearby
facilities include routine and emergency
medical and dental centres, as well as all
the city centre benefits of shops, restaurants,
hotels, theatres and recreational venues.
The school has a continuous
programme of improvement of the premises
and equipment to optimise the benefits to
it’s students of the dance education
and training it provides for them.
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