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Where technique meets emotion. Our lyrical and contemporary program helps dancers ages 8 and up express themselves through movement — building strong technical foundations and personal artistry.
Both lyrical and contemporary allow dancers to explore emotion, musicality, and self-expression while building on a strong technical foundation. While the two styles share many similarities, each has its own unique approach to movement and music.
At Steps Dance Center, we teach both styles as separate but complementary classes — giving dancers the range to move fluidly between graceful, story-driven lyrical pieces and the abstract, experimental world of contemporary. Both styles are excellent choices for dancers who already have ballet or jazz training and want to develop their artistic voice.
For dancers who love to perform, express emotion, and tell a story through movement.
For dancers who love to explore, create, and discover new ways of moving.
45 min
An introduction to both styles for dancers with prior training. Students explore emotional expression, floor work, and the fundamentals that distinguish lyrical from contemporary.
45 min
Advanced technical and artistic training. Dancers deepen their movement vocabulary, refine performance quality, and prepare for competition and company work.
Please reach us at info@stepsdancecenteronline.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Lyrical typically follows a song's lyrics and story — the choreography interprets the emotion of specific words. It blends ballet and jazz with graceful, connected movement. Contemporary is more abstract and experimental. It draws from ballet, jazz, and modern dance, incorporates floor work and improvisation, and often uses the music as inspiration without literally interpreting lyrics. Many dancers train in both to build a wider artistic range.
Our lyrical and contemporary classes start in 4th grade. These styles build on foundational technique from ballet and jazz, so we recommend at least a year of prior training before starting. If you're not sure whether your dancer is ready, our front desk team is happy to help you assess.
Yes — lyrical and contemporary work best when dancers have already built a foundation in ballet, jazz, or both. If your dancer is new to Steps, we'll help you find the right foundational classes to take alongside so they can progress into lyrical/contemporary confidently.
Lyrical and contemporary dancers wear form-fitting attire that allows the instructor to see body lines — leotard with leggings or dance shorts is ideal. Most students dance barefoot or in foot undies (a small footcover that protects the ball of the foot for turns and floor work). Hair should be pulled back. Full attire guide is available at shopnimbly.com/stepsdancecenter.
Lyrical is often a great fit for dancers who love to perform, express emotion, and tell a story. Contemporary suits dancers who love to explore, create, and try unconventional movement. Many students take both — they complement each other beautifully and help dancers develop a versatile artistic voice.
Lyrical and contemporary are two of the most-competed styles in dance. Dancers who train in these styles are well-prepared to audition for Steps Dance Company, where they'll compete choreographed pieces at regional and national competitions. Learn more at our Auditions page.
We are located at 4054 Fox Valley Center Drive, Aurora, IL 60504 — minutes from Naperville, Oswego, Montgomery, and Lisle. We sit right at the Fox Valley Center off Route 59 with free on-site parking. Call us at (630) 499-5678 or email info@stepsdancecenteronline.com with any questions.
4054 Fox Valley Center Dr.
Aurora, IL 60504
(630) 499-5678
info@stepsdancecenteronline.com
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