Funding is secured for dance venue expansion
An expansion at the Birmingham Hippodrome has been allocated funding from the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP).
The £1.48m investment from the Local Growth Fund will be used to expand and oversee physical space for Dance Hub Birmingham, who work with the arts sector to prioritise dance in the city’s cultural plans.
The remaining £3m of funding for the development for Dance Hub, which is delivered by Culture Central, will come from Arts Council England.
The expansion is expected to create 17 new jobs, five apprenticeships and 100 more dance performances every year. It will include a “New York-inspired” rooftop extension on the Hippodrome’s fourth floor, creating 675 sqm of floor space with a new studio, and will offer improved accessibility from the public entrance.
The development is a collaboration between GBSLEP and five dance organisations: Dance Hub Birmingham, Birmingham Hippodrome, DanceXchange, One Dance UK and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Anita Bhalla, board director for creative industries at GBSLEP, said the development will help to grow Birmingham’s leisure tourism sector.
“GBSLEP’s investment into the Dance Hub Birmingham development will bring significant economic and cultural benefits to our young and diverse population. The project will attract more dance companies from across the country to this new space, creating more jobs and opportunities for our growing leisure tourism sector.”
