Weekly classes · Contemporary
Contemporary Dance
Classes in
Plymouth.
Weekly contemporary dance classes in Plymouth city centre for adults who want to move with weight, breath and honesty rather than fixed steps — floor work, release technique and short expressive phrases taught without a single leotard in sight. One class is £10; a block of four is £32.
Contemporary asks a simple question: what does the music make you want to do? Then it teaches you how to do it well.
Bare feet · open minds · all levelsJoin the class
Move like you
mean it.
Send a short note and we'll get back to you with this week's contemporary timetable, the city-centre studio and a few words on what to bring.
- £10 for a class, £32 for four — no sign-up, no tie-in
- Technique for beginners, depth for returning dancers
- Reply within a day, more often within the hour
Class details
Contemporary,
every week.
At a glance
- Location Plymouth City Centre
- Day Sent with your timetable
- Time Evenings
- Level Beginner-friendly
- Age group 17 – 75
- Partner needed No
About contemporary dance classes in Plymouth
Contemporary is the dance style that grew out of ballet's discipline and then deliberately let go of its rules. It works with gravity rather than against it — falling, rolling, suspending, recovering — and puts as much value on breath and intention as on where your foot lands. Our Plymouth class is built for adults: some who trained years ago and miss it, some who've never danced at all and are drawn to the freedom of it, and a few who tried a class on holiday and can't stop thinking about it.
It's the most physically honest style on our list of Plymouth dance classes — there's nowhere to hide behind a routine, but equally nobody's judging your lines. If you'd like the structure that contemporary is built on, our ballet class is the natural companion; many people take both and find each one makes the other easier. Couples have even borrowed contemporary phrases for a first dance that felt like them rather than a ballroom textbook.
How the class is structured
We begin on the floor, always: a slow, breath-led warm-up that wakes up the spine and gets everyone out of their heads and into their bodies. Twenty minutes of technique follows — release work, swings, weight transfers, a travelling sequence across the room — taught with plenty of options so a beginner can take the simpler version and someone with training can push further. The last part of the hour is a short phrase of choreography, set to something atmospheric, that develops across a four-week block into a piece the whole room dances together. There's usually a couple of minutes of guided improvisation near the end, which sounds terrifying and turns out to be the bit people talk about on the way home. You'll dance barefoot or in socks; we don't provide any footwear or kit, so bring soft layers and a water bottle.
Where it goes
Four weeks
closer to the floor.
Contemporary progress is less about steps and more about permission. Here's roughly how it unfolds.
Breath and weight
Finding your centre, giving your weight to the floor and learning that falling is a technique rather than a mistake.
Swings and travel
Momentum-led movement: arm swings, spirals and a travelling phrase that takes you the length of the studio.
Floor work
Rolls, slides and getting down and up again without bruises — the vocabulary that makes contemporary look like contemporary.
The phrase, together
A full choreographed section danced as a group, plus a short improvisation you'll be amazed you enjoyed.
Why contemporary
What contemporary
gives back.
Regulars tend to describe the effects in terms of how they feel rather than what they can do — here's what they say.
- Deep flexibility and mobility without a yoga mat
- Core strength from all that floor work
- A quieter head — an hour with no screen and no to-do list
- Freedom to express something without words
- Better posture and a lighter, easier way of walking
- Musicality that goes beyond counting to eight
- A creative outlet for people who thought they weren't creative
- Space to be a beginner again, in the kindest possible room
Contemporary questions
Ask us
about contemporary.
Ten plain answers for anyone weighing up a contemporary dance class in Plymouth. Anything we've left out, the form above is the quickest way to ask.
01Do I need ballet training to do contemporary?
No. Ballet helps, but the class is designed for adults with no dance background at all. We teach the technique from first principles — weight, breath, alignment — and offer easier and harder versions of most exercises so everyone works at their own level.
02What's the difference between contemporary and modern or lyrical?
They overlap, but contemporary is the most grounded and technique-led of the three: think floor work, release and momentum rather than the pointed feet of lyrical or the fixed shapes of older modern styles. Our class draws on release and Cunningham-influenced work, but nobody will quiz you on the names.
03What do I wear, and is there anything I need to bring?
Soft, stretchy clothes you can roll around in — leggings, joggers, a fitted top so the teacher can see your alignment. You'll dance barefoot or in socks. We don't provide any kit, shoes or props, so a water bottle and a layer for the warm-up are all you need.
04Does contemporary involve improvising solo while everyone watches?
There's a short guided improvisation most weeks, but it's done by the whole room at once with the lights low and the music up — nobody is watching you. Most people who dread it in week one look forward to it by week three.
05Where is the contemporary class held?
In a studio we hire in Plymouth city centre — central enough to reach on foot from the station or by bus, and with parking not far off. We confirm the precise venue and room in the timetable we send when you get in touch, since the studio can vary as the schedule changes.
06How much does a contemporary class cost?
£10 for a single drop-in, or £32 for a block of four classes, which is £8 a time. There's no membership, no joining fee and nothing to cancel if you need a break.
07Is it suitable for someone who's not flexible?
Absolutely — flexibility is something the class builds rather than something it expects. Contemporary works with whatever range you have today and gently extends it. Plenty of regulars started unable to touch their knees, let alone their toes.
08I trained years ago and stopped. Is this a good way back in?
It's one of the best. The class welcomes returning dancers and gives you the harder options when you're ready, without the pressure of an audition-track studio. Many of our regulars are exactly that: people who danced at school or college and have missed it ever since.
09What do contemporary classes dance to?
A mix — ambient and neo-classical pieces, cinematic scores, singer-songwriters and the occasional unexpected electronic track. The music sets the mood of each phrase, so it changes every block and often within a class.
10Can I try a single class before committing to four?
Yes, and we'd recommend it. Pay £10 for one class, see how the style and the teacher feel, and then take a four-week block if you'd like to carry on. No one will follow up if you decide it isn't for you.