Shall We Dance is a site specific show for bandstands that celebrates the art of partner dancing from the1920’s to the 1950’s, based on the memories and stories collated from the older community. A cast of ten performers dance the Charleston, waltz, tango, foxtrot and jive accompanied by a lively soundtrack and narrative across  four decades.

The Basement supported company Ragroof Theatre performed Shall We Dance as part of Celebrating Age in Brighton and Hove. The Basement supported the development of the piece with rehearsal, and development space, admin resources, fundraising, production advice and marketing.

To mark the Celebrating Age / Street Elders celebrations, The Basement worked as co-producer with Ragroof Theatre to hold an outdoor tea dance at Brighton’s Jubilee Square. Audiences of 1500 of all ages gathered to enjoy partner-dancing workshops to the sound of twelve piece jump jive band the Fat 45.

Inspired by a visit to SXSW, Austin, Texas and its gig poster expo Flatstock – The Basement  brought together over 35 national and international artists to transform The Basement into a visual feast of contemporary screen printed, letter-pressed and lithographed gig posters.

Never content to stay within the bounds of exhibition – SubScreenSonic was a collection of events designed to encourage artists, the public and the music industry alike to reignite the passion that existed in the 60s and 70s for gig posters and kick start the UK scene here and now, with artists masterclasses, open access workshops and a city wide poster hunt. Building on the reputation of our previous exhibitions: Pop! in 2004, and Erotica in 2005 The Basement is continually committed to supporting and developing opportunities for professional arts practitioners. Audiences of 8000 visited this exhibition.

BAPSE brought together a host of 37 local, national and international artists to create a stimulating show, which explored the controversial subject of contemporary erotic art.

This exhibition investigated erotica from all perspectives and included an assortment of arousing art forms. We combined the very best of erotic art showcasing both new and unusual work as well as the time-honoured notions of about erotic art, while avoiding the clichés of pornography.
Like our previous Pop! exhibition held in May 2004, Erotica came about to give exposure to artists – combining local up-and-coming talent with national and international established artists and allowing them to exhibit on an equal platform. Audiences of 5000 visited the exhibition.

This exhibition marked The Basement's move into the basement at the Argus Lofts and established The Basement as innovative creative producers, attracting audiences of over 7000. POP displayed the work of some of the finest cutting-edge urban artists in the country.  Celebrated artists included Banksy, the most infamous graffiti artist working in Britain today who has since gathered international acclaim, Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz animator and artist behind comic Tank Girl, James Cauty former KLF frontman and controversial artist and Faile, a New York based collective, famed for delicate, sensitive graffiti exhibited alongside many other well-known local artists such as acclaimed young Brighton artist Anthony Micaleff and Simon Dixon, a Brighton artist known for his iconic pop art images, alongside emerging new talent.
This set a precedent for future productions of showcasing new and established artists work simultaneously, to bring new opportunities and audiences to the artists involved. All the exhibiting artists work was related to the music industry, coupled with an anarchic edge which perfectly compliments the edgy underground feel of The Basement.
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