Muirhouse dance role shapes up

But the people who are recruiting Muirhouse's very own dancer in residence say they will be satisfied if it simply encourages young people in the area to be healthier, happier and more confident.

Despite the area being saddled with an image of Trainspotting rather than Strictly Ballroom, the dancer is being recruited to work at North Edinburgh Arts Centre for 18 months, holding regular dance workshops for children and running a summer school.

The idea was dreamed up by North Edinburgh Arts, the children's festival Imaginate, and Dance Base, which last year opened its own north Edinburgh base at the former Leith Town Hall.

Imaginate development director Alice McGrath said the benefits would be huge for young people given their first opportunity to dance. She said: "It helps their emotional, their social, their cognitive development. What we're really hoping to do with this dance artist is map the health benefits for participants. The benefits are endless - it increases confidence and self-esteem, and it opens their eyes to other things that are available for them in life."

North Edinburgh Arts director Kate Wimpress said the project would give youngsters the chance to get involved in workshops and performances over a longer period than if the centre simply ran occasional classes. "People have got busy lives going on, and if you do a short project often it's just by the end of it that people have got into it and it's over. Having it for a year and a half means people will know that every Thursday or Tuesday there's dance going on in the centre, so it becomes part of the community."

Ms Wimpress said there had been huge interest in the post, which also offers the dancer the chance to spend time working on their own dance and choreography projects in collaboration with Dance Base, and to produce performances.

The dancer will start work in May, based at North Edinburgh Arts Centre in Pennywell Court. The cost of the post - 30,000 over 18 months - will be met by Creative Scotland's Partners Fund, set up to pay for professional artist residencies in the community.

Ms Wimpress said she hoped to get all sorts of people across North Edinburgh taking up dance for the first time.

"It's very much down to the dance artist to decide what they want to do, but they're going to be working with very young children and their families, and with primary school children and up to about S2, introducing lots of different styles of dance and perhaps working towards some performances.

"We're hoping to engage kids and parents and carers who maybe wouldn't necessarily think about going to a dance class - it's not something they're seeking out, but it's on their doorstep and accessible."