Dance Research Studio

Dance Research Studio is an independent research centre for innovative dance and performance founded by Jacky Lansley in 2002. Situated in Shoreditch in central London, the studio provides an accessible and nurturing laboratory for combined arts research and development.

A vibrant community of practitioners has gathered around the studio and made it their home – as part of the Associate Artist Scheme, Residency and Mentoring Programmes, international exchange projects, training workshops and community classes.

The studio’s renowned professional development programme – The Speaking Dancer – is supported and delivered by an outstanding international faculty of practitioner/teachers, some of whom are associates of DRS. Overall the programme provides an invaluable stepping stone into a professional context for graduates and further training and research opportunities for more established practitioners.

DRS emerged from and is part of the new and independent dance sector within the UK. Artistic Director Jacky Lansley was a founder of the seminal independent studios X6 Dance Space and Chisenhale Dance Space. DRS builds on and continues this legacy of innovation and research, forging an identity as one of the leading independent contexts for dance research.

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“I think the venue is a complete gift – a haven in central London that feels intimate without being restrictive. It has the atmosphere that I always hope to find: welcoming, inviting…”
SDIPT Participant

“DRS is a place I return to continuously. It has been central to my development as a dance artist and facilitator. As head of ‘Dandelion Collective’, an inclusive dance group, I depend on such links and opportunities. DRS carries the pioneering spirit of contemporary dance and performance art in the UK, it is a great privilege as a young artist to be part of its inspiring community.”
Esther Huss, Associate Artist

“I have had the privilege to participate in workshops full of rich interactions, intellectual reasoning’s and practice that has shaped and challenged the way I see my own work as an artist… It is so rich and so powerful to be guided and encouraged by artists who understand the politics of our time, who have lived their politics through their art and who are not afraid to remain integral to their practice.”
SDIPT Participant

“The word ‘independent’ suggests spaces, companies and organisations that promote and support a diversity of practices and people who are inherently interdisciplinary and flexible enough to adapt to the needs of different audiences and communities. It also means contexts that allow artists to develop through relevant and rigorous training and provide access to useful skills, information and human support. It can also mean being independent from conventional trends that neutralise artistic practice and innovation.”
Jacky Lansley