Dudendance has been attracting a non- theatre audience to outdoor performances for many years, and our experience tells us that this is one of the best ways of reaching people who may not otherwise go to the theatre.
Since 2014 Dudendance has established a reputation for large scale outdoor production creating Borderlands (2014-2017) for all the ruined Abbeys of the Borders as well as parks, country estates and urban areas, Out of The Wild (2010/2018) for local woodlands and Alien Species which has toured extensively to Scotland’s coastline (2022-2025). We engage local casts of performers, choirs, musicians and young people and have also performed as part of Edinburgh Fringe with audiences being bused in.
The company has beeen based in Huntly from 2001 and in Selkirk since 2014, successfully embedding our work within two rural communities in Aberdeenshire and the Scottish Borders.
Audiences have benefitted from internationally acclaimed work from highly respected artists happening in their locality. We also have an enthusiastic local following which is supplemented by new audiences coming across live performance on their door step. Alien Species (which has toured beaches in the Moray Firth, Inverclyde, Fife, Lothian The Borders and South Ayrshire 2022-25) has attracted more than 3000 + people with almost all performances sold out (free but ticketed) plus many locals who came across the show and stayed to watch during their day out / evening walk at the beach. The work is highly visual and the bright orange colour of the material can be seen a long way off. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, the success of the tour has inspired the next phase of work.
Dudendance has benefited from regular grant funding support for developing new creative work, touring and working extensively with young people. This has included Creative Scotland since 1996. Partnership and other funding support has come from: Communities Scotland, Grampian Enterprises, Aberdeenshire LEADER Fund, Awards for All, Boglea and Clashindaroch Windfarm Fund, Borders Council, British Council and Glasgow City Council. Large scale commissions have included Tramway, CCA, IETM, London Southbank Centre, YES Festival, Greenwich Festival, Alchemy Film Festival, Huntly Hairst, Historic Scotland, Summerhall, Arches LIVE and Jersey Arts Centre. International commissions include RAW Moves Singapore, Brandenburg State/Fabrik Potsdam, Monaco Dance Film Festival, Claremont Ferrard, Festival Video Danca Argentina, Campinas University / LUME Theatre Brasil, Stalker Teatro Italy, Vancouver film festival and Vancouver Dance Centre Canada.