George Dance [also known as George Dance, the younger; and as George Dance, Junior] was born in London, England on 20 March 1741. He was the son of the architect George Dance, the elder (c.1694-1768) who had designed the Mansion House (1739-52) for the Lord Mayor of London. After training with his father in the fundamentals of architecture, in 1758 he went to Rome where he attended the Accademia di S. Luca, and over the next six years made a study of Roman antiquity. During this period, he was evidently influenced by the emerging style of neo-classicism. Following his return from Rome in 1765, he joined his father's office. One of his first projects was the redesign the Church of All Hallows, London Wall. His father died in 1768 and he succeeded him as clerk of the City works and master of the Merchant Taylors’ Company in the City of London.
Dance designed several town planning schemes for London, however, few of them were realised, although his plans for Finsbury Circus and St George’s Circus were to influence the shape of London's cityscape.
With his brother, Nathaniel Dance, he was a founder member of the Royal Academy in on 10 December 1768 and in 1798 succeeded Thomas Sandby as Professor of Architecture at the Academy, however, he didn't give a single lecture and resigned his post in 1806. He died in Bloomsbury, London on 14 January 1825
For a detailed list of architectural projects by George Dance see Howard Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840. New Haven, Connecticut and London: Yale University Press, 4th edition, 2008 pp. 297-299.
Text source: Art History Research net (AHR net)
Text source: Art History Research net (AHR net)
