The Jerwood Foundation’s decision to invest in Ipswich was brave, all too often it is the big cities that steal the spotlight. The financial contribution was essential to creating our building, then the Jerwood name provided us with credibility as we built the “in house” artistic programme and grew our organisation. The most consistent feedback we receive from artists, audiences and participants is that the DanceHouse provides a fantastic environment to create and enjoy dance - we have no doubt that having these extraordinary facilities have been critical to ensuring that DanceEast remains the vanguard of dance practice. 

Brendan Keaney, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of DanceEast 

  • A grant of £500,000 was made by the Foundation towards the creation of DanceEast’s permanent home at the former Cranfield...

    A grant of £500,000 was made by the Foundation towards the creation of DanceEast’s permanent home at the former Cranfield Mill site on the regenerated Ipswich Waterfront which opened in October 2009.

    Designed by John Lyall Architects, Jerwood DanceHouse with its 200-seat flexible theatre space, dance studios and fitness and pilates suites is the first and only custom-built facility in the East of England for dance. 

    In 2024 Jerwood Foundation awarded a total grant of £50,159 over two years to support DanceEast’s world class commissioning programme, in the creation of two new dance pieces by some of the UK’s foremost dancemakers: choreographic duo Jess and Morgs and Dickson Mbi. Through this programme DanceEast has provided these artists access to Jerwood DanceHouse’s world class facilities, including its state-of-the art digital studios, commissioning fees and wraparound support from its sector-leading creative team to help bring these new works to fruition to inspire new and existing audiences.

    Photo: Young dancers in the dance studio as part of Centre for Advanced Training (CAT), a national programme for outstanding individuals aspiring to a career in dance.  Photo credit: Rachel Cherry.

  • The building became Jerwood DanceHouse, now one of the UK’s most important centres for dance. I love returning there, as we’ve done so many times over the years, to create and perform shows. It’s great to see the friendly smiles of the receptionists as you walk in, the dance studios are beautiful and spacious, but most of all I love the sense of experimentation that feels possible. 

    Luca Silvestrini, Artistic Director, Protein

         The Little Prince - Luca Silvestrini's Protein Dance, 2019. Photo © Jane Hobson