Dance Base Appoints New Co-Chairs

Dance Base has announced the appointment of Alice McGrath and Paul Fitzpatrick as the new co-Chairs of the Board of Directors.

Paul is currently the Director of Creative Engagement at The National Theatre of Scotland and is one of the most respected arts producers and cultural leaders in Scottish performing arts. Prior to joining the NTS, he was Chief Executive of Imaginate, developing theatre and dance for young people, and joint CEO of the Catherine Wheels Theatre Company. Alice has held a variety of leadership roles in Scottish arts including strategy development lead with Federation of Scottish Theatre and director roles with Scottish Dance Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre as well as Imaginate. Alice joined Queen Margaret University in October 2021 and teaches on the Arts Management and Cultural Policy MA.

The sharing of the Chair role between two people brings different and complimentary perspectives into board leadership and increases the available resource for the level of commitment that this role requires. Their appointments are part of our strategy to strengthen the industry knowledge and capability within the Board as we develop the sustainable model for the long-term future of Scotland's National Centre for Dance.

Paul Fitzpatrick commented, "Dance Base was founded the year after I moved to Scotland, and I have been a huge fan of the organization since the beginning. Dance is what got me into the arts in the first place when I was just five years old and saw a classmate practicing a time step in the school playground. So, it feels very special and important to me that I have this opportunity, alongside my dear friend and colleague Alice McGrath, to support the fantastic team at Dance Base and to take the organization from strength to strength." 

Alice McGrath added, “Like Paul I'm also a huge fan of Dance Base and the Scottish dance community, having worked with the sector for many years. I'm really delighted to have this opportunity to work with the organization and Paul in a different way, and together with the board, to support the team in developing and realizing a sustainable and strategic plan for dance, that helps ensure that its value to our culture and communities is known and understood.”  

Jill Breingan, Acting Chair expressed a warm welcome to the new co-chairs: “I am delighted to welcome Alice and Paul to the Board. It's an important moment for the organization as we implement plans for an ambitious and sustainable future supporting dance and dance artists. Paul and Alice bring a wealth of experience in running arts organisations and working with artists, they will be an invaluable resource for our leadership team.”