A CHURCH designed by one of the country's greatest architects is to be transformed into the "Sadler's Wells" of Scotland after being purchased by a world renowned ballet master.
Danish choreographer Peter Schaufuss announced plans to buy Edinburgh landmark St Stephen's Church in April and is determined to convert the into a leading centre of dance having invested a "significant sum".
Mr Schaufuss, who was artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet for one year from 1994, had also recently purchased Charlotte Baptist Church in the city's Rose Street and is set to relaunch it a performance venue called Rose Theatre this summer following a £1.8 million overhaul.
It will host the Gilded Balloon for at least the next three years and the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival in July.
Mr Schaufuss said St Stephen's Church – which he bought from gaming tycoon Leslie Benzies, former president of Rockstar North which created the Grand Theft Auto series – could become a centre for dance as important as London's Sadler's Wells, one of the world's leading performance venues.
"I want St Stephen's to be a dance centre for Scotland," he said. "There is Dance Base in the city, but there is no Sadler's Wells but I really see it working like that.
"Because it has so much space, and it can be a theatre in the round which means it would be very attractive to many dance companies.
"Edinburgh has a lot of theatres, but it does not have a theatre in the round.
"So, that's how I see it. But we will not be opening it this year, we will do it next year – I don't want to do it half cooked, I want to open this dance house properly."
Speaking about his two Edinburgh cultural properties, he said: "They are two such different venues, the Rose Theatre at St Stephen's – St Stephen's is so dramatic, it is so big, it is almost surreal in a way, it really has a feeling of intensity.
"I had a wonderful career as a dancer, but when I was there, I looked after my money, I did not spend it at discos and casinos, and because of that, I can do this: I feel really fulfilled by this."
He added that he would "never say never" about making other acquisitions in the city and while he may not become a permanent resident of Edinburgh, he said he could "imagine" living in Scotland full time.
One of the most important Georgian buildings in central Edinburgh, St Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge was designed by the architect William Henry Playfair.
The Benzies Foundation acquired it from the Church of Scotland in July 2014, since when it has been used by a number of local community groups and the Edinburgh International Festival.
Mr Schaufuss's affection for Edinburgh goes back to his parents both appearing in a production at Edinburgh's festival in the 1950s. He is investing his personal fortune in these ventures.
Schaufuss, knighted in Denmark, had a long and distinguished career as a dancer, director and choreographer.
He was director of the London Festival Ballet, now English National Ballet, where he founded the English National Ballet School, Berlin Ballet at Deutsche Oper Berlin and the Royal Ballet in Copenhagen.
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