NBS

The School

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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