East London dance and UD's vibrant new creative hub in the heart of Stratford's Sugar House Island opening this autumn

The Talent House, first-look images revealed


To mark the lease completion and start of our fit-out, East London Dance and UD are delighted to reveal first-look images of The Talent House, a vibrant new creative hub on Sugar House Island in Stratford that will bring the two organisations together under one roof.

With high-performance professional facilities spanning across three floors housed in a historic warehouse with a modern extension, The Talent House is purpose-built to facilitate and encourage the passions and aspirations of dance and music artists, supporting young people and local communities on every step of their creative journey.

Designed by Waugh Thistleton with internal design by award-winning architect Katy Marks, from Citizens Design Bureau, and located within a new development by Vastint UK, the building comprises two dance studios, five music production/recording studios, a live room and two vocal booths, a large flexible rehearsal/events space and a tech lab for education and training. The design brief also includes a shared area for building users and members, including a canteen and co-working space, and a central atrium functioning as the main reception of The Talent House and as a space for dance jams and informal gigs.

This new permanent home will enable East London Dance and UD, long-standing champions of the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs and creative leaders, to support even more outstanding but under-represented talent - developing their skills, nurturing confidence and helping to build careers.

An engine room for creativity, The Talent House will create opportunities for early career and more established dance and music artists to connect with one another, to be inspired and create, as well as encouraging the crosspollination of talent, ideas, conversation and performance between art forms. More than 2,100 hours of free access to the building and its facilities will be made available to locally-based independent artists every year.
With professional rehearsal spaces and digital broadcast capability throughout the building, brand new creations and collaborations from bold, authentic and blazingly contemporary east London dance and music creatives will have a vital launchpad to reach new audiences locally, nationally and internationally.

Opening this autumn for everyone with an interest in expressing themselves through dance and music, from first steps to professional heights, The Talent House aims to welcome more than 12,000 people every year with an inspirational public programme, co-curated with young people, artists and local residents.

The Talent House has been made possible with the support of Arts Council England; Greater London Authority; London Legacy Development Corporation; London Borough of Newham; Vastint UK; Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, funded by Westfield Stratford City and delivered by Foundation for Future London; London Marathon Charitable Trust; The Linbury Trust; Foyle Foundation; Cockayne – Grants for the Arts & London Community Foundation; and Arts & Culture Impact Fund. East London Dance and UD continue to fundraise for the final £350k to reach the £4.1m target for The Talent House.

Sugar House Island is a balanced, mixed-use development that has been carefully curated in line with Stratford’s regeneration as a hotspot for successful, forward-thinking creative businesses and communities.

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