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Northern School of Contemporary Dance

Type	Contemporary dance school
Established	1983
Principal	Sharon Watson MBE
Students	c. 250
Address	Chapeltown Road, Leeds, LS7 4BH, England 53°48′48″N 1°32′00″W / 53.8132°N 1.5333°W / 53.8132; -1.5333
Affiliations	Conservatoire for Dance and Drama University of Kent
Website	nscd.ac.uk
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	The Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Type	Listed building
Designated	22 November 1991
Reference no.	1255639
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	98 Chapeltown Road
Type	Listed building
Designated	22 November 1991
Reference no.	1255632
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Wall gates and piers to north east and west of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Type	Listed building
Designated	22 November 1991
Reference no.	1255641

The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) is a higher education institution in Chapeltown, Leeds, England specialising in contemporary dance. Students can obtain undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in dance, validated by the University of Kent. A programme of adult, youth and children's classes is also available for the local community. Its buildings include the grade II listed former New Synagogue.

History and buildings

The school is housed in a former Orthodox Jewish synagogue, a red-brick domed building that was completed in 1932. The Jewish congregation worshipped in the building until 1985, when the building was sold.

The school was founded in 1985 by Nadine Senior MBE and in 1987 it moved into its current premises, located on Chapeltown Road. The building was listed as a Grade II building in 1991 as were the boundary walls, which date from c. 1835.

Between 1987 and 1997, a series of phased developments were carried out which extended the site to include the adjacent Brandsby Lodge, also a grade II listed building. This £3.2 million redevelopment, which resulted in the creation of four new dance studios and additional teaching facilities, was completed with funding support from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of England and the Foundation for Sports and the Arts.

In 1988, the converted former synagogue re-opened its doors as The Dome Theatre and in 1993 was renamed The Riley Theatre in dedication to the memory of Jeffrey Riley, who was the School's Technical Director between 1985 and his untimely death in Kobe, Japan in 1993.

Senior retired in 2001 and was replaced in 2002 by Gurmit Hukam. In 2012, Janet Smith MBE was appointed principal, having previously been the Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre. In 2020, Smith stepped down from her role, and was replaced with Sharon Watson MBE, formerly the longest-standing Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance Theatre in Leeds. In 2022, NSCD left the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama to become an independently registered Higher Education Institution.

Vocational training

NSCD offers full-time vocational training in contemporary dance at Certificate, Bachelors and Masters levels. The training includes classes influenced by the techniques of Cunningham and Graham, the more modern hybrid, evolved techniques and release based techniques as well as complementary training in ballet, yoga and fitness.

Centre for Advanced Training

In 2004, with funding support from the Department for Children, Schools & Families’ Music and Dance Scheme, NSCD and Northern Ballet came together to establish Yorkshire Young Dancers (YYD), the first national dance Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) in the UK. There are now a total of 10 dance CATs offering pre-vocational dance training to young people across the country.

See also

• History of the Jews in England
• List of former synagogues in the United Kingdom
• Listed buildings in Leeds (Chapel Allerton Ward)

References

1. "The Former New Synagogue". Jewish Communities & Records UK. JewishGen and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
2. Historic England. "The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Grade II) (1255639)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
3. Historic England. "Wall gates and piers to north east and west of Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Grade II) (1255641)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
4. "About us; History". NSCD. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
5. Historic England. "The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (Grade II) (1255632)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
6. "About us; History; Timeline". NSCD. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
7. Brierley, Ceri (15 November 2011). "Janet Smith announced as new principal of NSCD" (Press release). NSCD. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
8. "Courses; Our courses". NSCD. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
9. "Courses; Our courses; BPA (hons) in Contemporary Dance; Technique and Performance Practice". NSCD. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
10. "Community Programmes; Yorkshire Young Dancers (YYD) National Centre for Advanced Training". NSCD. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
11. "National Dance Cats". National Dance Cats. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

External links

• Official website
• "Northern School of Contemporary Dance". EduBase2. Department for Education. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
• NSCD at Higher Education Degree Datacheck
• Berry, Kevin (4 April 2013). "Northern School of Contemporary Dance Spring Showcase". The Stage. Retrieved 21 February 2014. Review of showcase performance
• CDD official website
• National Dance CATs official website

v t e Performing arts schools in the United Kingdom
Acting Arts Educational Schools, London Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Central School of Speech and Drama City Academy Drama Studio London East 15 Acting School Guildford School of Acting Guildhall School of Music & Drama Identity School of Acting Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art London College of Music Manchester School of Theatre Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Oxford School of Drama Pauline Quirke Academy Redroofs Theatre School Rose Bruford College Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Stella Mann College of Performing Arts Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
Dance Bird College Central School of Ballet City Academy Elmhurst Ballet School English National Ballet School The Hammond School Laine Theatre Arts London Contemporary Dance School London Studio Centre Masters Performing Arts College Northern School of Contemporary Dance Pauline Quirke Academy Performers College Royal Ballet School Scottish School of Contemporary Dance Stella Mann College of Performing Arts Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Urdang Academy
Music See: Music Schools in the United Kingdom
Musical theatre Arts Educational Schools, London Bird College City Academy Emil Dale Academy Guildford School of Acting The Hammond School Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Laine Theatre Arts London College of Music London School of Musical Theatre Masters Performing Arts College Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Musical Theatre Academy Performers College Redroofs Theatre School SLP College Stella Mann College of Performing Arts Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Urdang Academy
Secondary Arts Educational Schools, London Birmingham Ormiston Academy BRIT School Dance School of Scotland The Hammond School Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Sylvia Young Theatre School Tring Park School for the Performing Arts
Former Academy of Live and Recorded Arts Birmingham School of Acting Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts Drama Centre London London Theatre Studio

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