Contemporary Dance Classes in Leicester
Contemporary Leicester
Contemporary — Leicester
Class is coming soon
Fill out the form for more info
Class Details
Location: TBC
Day: TBC
Time: TBC
Age Group: 17 – 75
Teacher: —
Class Structure
Beginners Class — 60 Minutes
A Slow Start
A calm, low-gear opening — melting down through the spine, tracing small spirals, letting the breath arrive before the movement and teaching the body to surrender its weight downward rather than clench against gravity.
Give and Catch
The core mechanic — descending and rebounding, letting a fall happen and reclaiming it — practised unhurriedly so it's swing and momentum, not force, doing the work.
Travelling
Sequences that cover ground, collecting turns, level changes and small jumps, building your stamina alongside a real awareness of the room around you.
Fixed or Free
Depending on the week, either a set phrase to sharpen or a steered improvisation — the moment the craft tips over into movement that's unmistakably your own.
Winding Down
Extended stretches, deeper breathing, an unhurried close — being present is the entire point, and we let the ending respect that.
About Contemporary Classes in Leicester
Contemporary sets ballet's fixed vocabulary aside and grows from something looser — breath, momentum and the pull of your own weight. It's physical and expressive in one breath, as happy rolling on the floor as standing tall, and what it really asks for is curiosity rather than a certain sort of body. The goal is movement that feels true, not a spotless shape held for the mirror.
Leicester is a fine place to chase it. Its flagship theatre is Curve — the striking, glass-walled Rafael Viñoly building in the Cultural Quarter that has launched major UK tours, from Miss Saigon to the RSC's Matilda — while the grand old De Montfort Hall by Victoria Park keeps touring dance and concerts coming all year. The art form is playing out on your doorstep, not sealed behind studio walls.
Classes happen barefoot at partner studios in and around the centre and Leicester's creative pockets, with the exact room shared once you book. The age range spans 17 to 75 — genuine first-timers, returners coming back after years off, students from both universities — everyone slotted in without any fuss. Nobody checks your flexibility or dance history on the way in; both build themselves over time. Arrive by train or bus, because the pedestrianised Lanes and the one-way system make driving into the core more trouble than it's worth.
Browse all 20 of our dance classes in Leicester, or see contemporary classes in our other 66 cities.
Fill Out the Form for More Info
Fill in your details for up-to-date class info.
Why Choose Contemporary in Leicester?
Movement With Meaning
The steps are only a container — what you pour into them is entirely your own. We're chasing expression you can genuinely feel, not a shape you grab and lock.
Deep, Quiet Strength
All that lowering into the floor and pressing back up switches on the deep core and the tiny stabiliser muscles most workouts miss, and it's layered in slowly week by week.
A Proper Switch-Off
Working from the breath and moving without a plan nudge the whole session somewhere near meditation; your thoughts quieten down even as your body stays busy.
A Real Stage on Your Doorstep
Learning the style minutes from Curve and De Montfort Hall means there's a genuine dance scene waiting for you the second you walk out the door.
Your Contemporary Journey
From first class to confident dancer — here is how it usually goes.
Getting to Know the Floor
Getting Started
Shifting weight, spiralling and rolling gently, every movement triggered by an exhale, getting used to the swap between releasing and catching yourself.
Kit
Fitted kit that survives floorwork, feet bare or in grip socks, hair fastened up, plus a jumper to keep warm through the gentle beginning.
Gathering Momentum
Technique
The pull-in of a contraction, the hang of a suspension, the fall you catch — now sent travelling, with turning and dropping through levels while momentum does the heavy lifting.
First Improvising
Easy starting points — a feeling, a picture to react to — repeated until improvising off the cuff no longer feels like standing exposed.
Opening Up
Longer Runs
Ground sequences, standing material and low jumps stitched into longer runs, contrasting quick with slow and weighted with airy.
Composing
You take your first steps into choreographing, running into ideas like motif and canon that expand a single seed into a full work.
Your Own Voice
Perform or Not
Showcases and collaborative pieces are there if the idea appeals; if not, the weekly practice is reward all on its own.
Where Next
A bit of ballet to refine your lines, some contact improvisation, or a route into the independent dance-makers working around Leicester.
Contemporary in Leicester FAQ
Everything you need to know before your first class.
I'm not flexible at all — does that rule me out? +
Not one bit. Flexibility is a by-product of the work, not something you have to bring with you. The style moves on weight and momentum rather than sky-high kicks, and your range loosens off quietly the longer you keep coming.
Do I need ballet or any training behind me? +
Not at all. Beginner contemporary lays down its own groundwork and takes nothing as read; the bulk of the room has never touched a ballet barre. The single thing it wants from you is a readiness to exhale and let your weight fall — every technical bit grows outward from that.
Is it barefoot, and what do I wear? +
Usually barefoot or in grip socks, so your soles stay in contact with the floor. Put on something close-cut that survives a roll around, and bring a warm layer for the slow, grounded start.
What does 'release technique' actually mean? +
It means moving on breath, weight and momentum instead of gripping everything tight — you let gravity carry you down and float you back. It underpins most contemporary teaching in this country, and it's our starting point.
How much of it is on the floor? +
A decent chunk — it's central to the whole thing. We introduce it step by step, so the strength and the confidence to roll and spiral safely are in place well ahead of the moment you actually need them, never sprung on you cold.
How much is a class in Leicester? +
£8 a session, handed over on the night, with no strings attached. As soon as your nearest studio settles a weekly time, cheaper blocks become available.
Where do the Leicester classes run? +
Partner studios in and around the centre and Leicester's creative pockets, on sprung floors made for jumping and rolling. Your address turns up after booking, always close to the station and the Highcross parking.
Will I be forced to improvise or perform? +
Not out of the blue, ever. Any improvising is led and kept gentle, and getting on a stage is entirely up to you — plenty of people come only for the class and never perform at all.
Where can I see contemporary dance in Leicester? +
You're nicely placed for it: Curve and De Montfort Hall host touring companies right through the year, and Curve's own line-up features dance regularly. Once you've found your feet, ask whoever's teaching what's worth booking.