Rubicon Dance

Rubicon Dance is a community dance organisation based on Nora Street in Adamsdown, Cardiff. Since 1975, it has been delivering dance to people of all ages and abilities across Newport, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. In a typical week, Rubicon works with approximately 2000 participants, offering accessible and imaginative dance initiatives.

The organisation works in schools, health and social care settings, and community venues, as well as at its own premises. Rubicon's sessions serve children and young people, disabled people, patients in hospitals, stroke survivors, and socially isolated elderly people. The charity is known for reaching those often excluded from the arts and for embedding long-term commitments to communities—in many cases working with groups for decades.

Rubicon offers a wide range of dance styles including tap, ballet, contemporary, jazz, rock 'n' roll and disco. Classes are available for adults, children and young people, with specialist programmes including Dance for Health and Wellbeing, Dance in Schools, and community classes. The organisation also runs accredited learning pathways: GCSE Dance, BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance Pathway), and Rambert Grades. Professional development is available through a community dance apprenticeship scheme, Wales Wide Training Programme (connecting 17 organisations across Wales), and continuous professional development opportunities.

The building on Nora Street was previously used as a religious mission and later became the Casson Theatre. After fundraising and renovation, it was reopened as Rubicon Dance in November 1983 by Princess Diana. The two studios feature sprung floors, mirrored walls, ballet barres, heaters and fans, and are fully accessible including via lift to the upstairs studio. The studios are available for hire to individuals, community groups, and local artists. Rubicon generates 24% of dance participatory attendances in Wales and attracts 12.5% of the dance audience in Wales. Over 484 Rubicon graduates have provided 5,808 hours of volunteering.

You can join classes for adults, children or young people in tap, ballet, contemporary, jazz and other styles. Rubicon also offers specialist programmes in Dance for Health and Wellbeing, GCSE preparation, BTEC vocational training, and community dance apprenticeships. The studios in Adamsdown are 5 minutes' drive or 15 minutes' walk from Cardiff Queen Street Station.

The team includes Deborah Ford, Education Manager and tutor of the full-time BTEC Extended Diploma, who trained at London Contemporary Dance School and performed with leading choreographers including Wayne McGregor and Siobhan Davies; Aisling Wallace, Children and Young People's Coordinator, who trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and completed a community dance apprenticeship with Rubicon; Anwen Davies, Health and Wellbeing Mentor, who studied Dance Studies at University of Surrey Roehampton and holds a Professional Diploma in Community Dance from The Laban Centre; and Rhian Rogers, Dance for Health Programme Leader, who graduated with a BA Honours in Contemporary Dance in 2017 and completed a community dance apprenticeship with Rubicon.

Rubicon explicitly works with people of all ages and abilities and has made challenging traditional views of dance its mission, reaching those often excluded from the arts.