Dogtown Dance Theatre
Nestled within the Manchester Residential and Commercial Historic District on Richmond's south side
Located at 109 West 15th Street, the former Bainbridge Junior High School Gymnasium was built in 1939. Just as sports and recreation once were the principal activity on this site; dance, performance and community outreach comprises the essential purpose of this beautifully refurbished facility.
Dogtown Dance Theatre, on the second level of the building, offers a flexible 46 by 31 foot stage (not including the wings) and seating for up to 100 audience members. The third floor offers studio/rehearsal space and the lower level offers a full dressing room for performers.
As a flexible mid-sized facility with a full catering kitchen, Dogtown Dance Theatre is available to the public to rent for special events.
Affordable space for small businesses with a primary focus on (but not limited to) performing arts, community outreach, or socially responsible, progressive business practices is available for lease on the first level.Free parking for up to 100 vehicles is available in the adjacent lot and surrounding streets.
Dogtown Dance Theatre and its programs are a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. The mission of Dogtown Dance Theatre is to provide a home for independent artists to create and present their work in movement, vusual and music arts. Dogtown seeks to enliven the local community by fostering expansive creative expression and education across diverse populations.
If the Center Stage complex in downtown Richmond serves as a Broadway away from New York City, then Dogtown Dance Theatre promises an equally critical factor of a city’s creative health: a thriving Off-Broadway scene where independent artists and small companies can afford the time and space to create and present their work in a facility designed with them in mind.
RVA Dance Colective's co-artistic director, Jess Burgess is the Artistic and Executive Director at Dogtown Dance Theatre. The collaboration between Dogtown Dance and RVA Dance Collective formed in the spring of 2011. This partnership originally allowed RVA Dance the opportunity to rehearse and create work in this amazing and inspirational space, and helps serve the collective's mission to bridge the gap between artists of all mediums in the city of Richmond. Now, RVA Dance Collective is the company in residence at Dogtown Dance Theatre. We host a free modern class each Sunday at 11am for the community as part of our ongoing support of Dogtown's mission.
For more information about Dogtown Dance Theatre, to rent studio space or to inquire about performances, please visit www.dogtowndancetheatre.com.