The Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) was founded by Leeds City Council in 1985 to offer vocational dance training to young people from the city. The college moved to its permanent home of a converted synagogue in Chapeltown in 1987, and its unique approach soon began to attract students from all over the UK.
In 1990, the local education authority included the college in its further education provision and appointed a Board of Governors. The NSCD became the first institution in the UK to offer a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Dance) degree (BPA) in 1993, and transferred to the higher education sector in October 1994. The BPA degree is validated by the University of Leeds. Since its foundation, the NSCD's student numbers have grown from a dozen to nearly 200.