Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Dance conservatoire in Chapeltown, Leeds, England
The Northern School of Contemporary Dance is a higher education institution for contemporary dance in Chapeltown, Leeds, housed in a former synagogue built in 1932. The building is Grade II listed and contains dance studios, performance spaces, and teaching rooms across its converted interior.
The school was founded in 1983 and moved into the former synagogue in 1987, a building that had originally been constructed to serve the Jewish community in Chapeltown. The congregation had left the building as the local population shifted, and the school gave it a new purpose.
The building was originally an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, and its large arched windows and ornate stonework are still clearly visible today. Visitors stepping inside find a dance space that still carries the shape and light of a place of worship.
The school sits in Chapeltown, a neighborhood north of Leeds city center, and is easily reached by bus from the main transport hubs. Anyone wanting to see a performance or visit the building should check in advance what is open to the public on any given day.
The school played a central role in creating the first pre-vocational dance training program in the United Kingdom, developed together with Northern Ballet. This meant that young dancers could follow serious training without having to leave full-time school.
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