Dame Judi Dench campaigns against the sale of Scottish dance school

Dame Judi Dench, the Oscar-winning actress, has voiced “extreme disappointment” over plans to sell the residential wing of Scotland’s national dance academy, which she claims threatens the school’s future, says Times Online.

The University of Glasgow wants to sell Dalrymple Hall, which provides accommodation for 80 pupils who attend The Dance School of Scotland.

Glasgow council, which leases the building, has indicated its reluctance to build new residential quarters on cost grounds, raising fears that many pupils outside commuting distance will be unable to attend.

The closure would affect two-thirds of the 120 pupils of the academy, described by Donald Dewar as “a jewel in the crown of Scottish education”.

The academy, based at Knightswood secondary school, is designated as a centre of excellence where pupils receive intensive dance training alongside normal academic lessons.

Dench, 75, who worked with former pupil Jennifer Leung in Nine, the Hollywood musical starring Penélope Cruz and Nicole Kidman, said the closure threatened the school’s future as many pupils lived too far away to commute.

“Despite the current economic conditions, it is inappropriate that such action should even be considered, bearing in mind the school’s unique status in arts education in Scotland,” said Dench, who won the best-supporting actress academy award for her portrayal of Elizabeth I in the 1998 film, Shakespeare in Love.

“Removing residential provision will mean it cannot remain a truly national school and may threaten its entire existence.”

Leung, a pupil at the academy between 1995 and 2001, said the school’s reputation for producing world-class performers was widely appreciated.

“I loved my time at Knightswood [and] it would be an absolute shame if it was to close,” she said. “It is Scotland’s only real school for talented dancers and performers and is known at the performing arts colleges in London as a place full of talent.”

Parents of pupils have lodged a petition with the Scottish parliament over the matter.

Until two years ago, funding for the school and its residency was ring-fenced by the Scottish government, but changes to local authority funding means that the cost comes out of Glasgow council’s budget.

There are now 124 pupils, 13 of whom come from within Glasgow, with others from Aberdeen, Angus and Argyll and Bute. The residence at Dalrymple Hall is leased by the council for £440,000.

The council has looked for alternative accommodation, but in a report last November said it had been unable to find a suitable alternative. The report suggested it would cost up to £7m to build a replacement in the grounds of Knightswood and was not “value for money”.

Beth Morrison, from Monifeith in Angus, whose daughter Paige, 16, is a pupil, has launched a campaign to save Dalrymple Hall. “My daughter would have to travel 200 miles a day. It means she would have to leave before 6am and would not get home again till 9.30pm.”

Dance experts from across the country say that expecting pupils to commute would severely affect training. They include Brian Friedman, the creative director of the X Factor, who said residential accommodation played a huge part in preparing young dancers for work.

Glasgow council would not comment until results of consultation on the proposals were published in a few weeks.

A Scottish government spokesman said: “Glasgow council has been consulting on proposals for the future of residential provision ... and as yet, no decision has been taken.”

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