Topic - DICUSSION 4 (TOPIC 4 - Modern and Contemporary Dance)

11/11/2020 Topic: DICUSSION 4 ( TOPIC 4: Modern and contemporary dance )
DICUSSION 4 ( TOPIC 4: Modern and contemporary dance )

JILSON LUCERO
All Sections
MODERN and
CONTEMPORARY DANCE
MODERN DANCE
( click the picture for additional references )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=OyEEdb9sZZ4)
a free, expressive style of dancing started in the early 20th century as a reaction
to classical ballet. In recent years it has included elements not usually associated
with dance, such as speech and film.
Modern dance is often considered to have emerged as a rejection of, or rebellion

against, classical ballet, although historians have suggested that socioeconomic
changes in both the United States and Europe helped to initiate shifts in the
dance world
The Two Faces of Modern Dance

https://nwu.instructure.com/courses/1027/discussion_topics/6023?module_item_id=14823 1/12
Technique
Modern dance expands on traditional ballet technique, freeing it to encompass the exciting
world of total body involvement and creative expression. Modern dance was born when ballet
dancers wanted to free themselves from the rigid structure of ballet to embrace and explore
the possibilities of unlimited movement choice. In all of my classes, students learn technique
(dance steps and combinations) through inventive, exciting, original choreography that is
structured specifically for each age and ability level, always to fantastic music. Music is a very
important sensory ignition for children. Using great music from every category of music is an
important part of my program. Most class levels learn two choreographed dances throughout
the school year, with the oldest level learning more and the youngest level learning only one
choreographed dance.
Creative Improvisation
Creative improvisation is unique to the modern dance form. From the delightful movement
poems that Ginny Martin wrote for the youngest dancers to the sophisticated improvisational
story exercises explored by older dancers, improvisation invites the dancer to use their own
creative instincts as they move through space, encouraging them to trust themselves as they
invent movement of their own. Improvisation allows dancers to incorporate movement they've
learned elsewhere in class, possibly changing that movement to dance it faster or slower;
higher or lower; or with different emphasis. Through improvisation students are guided to
explore the personality that might accompany their dance as it unfolds.
MODERN DANCERS
Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991)
( click the picture for additional
reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_63g5TICeY)
They say, Graham is to modern dance what Picasso is to modern art. She is literally known as
the mother of modern dance. While Graham began her career in ballet, her passion was for
modern dance. She set in motion an entirely new angle to modern dance. She was the first
dancer to perform at the White House.
She started her dance company in 1926―The Martha Graham Dance Company, which is the
oldest dance company in America. It has helped develop famous dancer-choreographers like
Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. She will be eternalized for her intensely emotional
performances, unique choreography, and especially for her homegrown technique.
Specific Technique: Focusing on the center of the body, contraction and release alternation,
coordination between breathing and movement, and relationship with the floor.
Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.
Popular Performance: Her performance as an Aztec woman being attacked in the dance
piece, Xochitl, by the choreographer Ted Shawn was a sensation.
Lester Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November

1953) ( click the picture for additional reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZZ8RP8cTcs)
Horton had a short but excellent career as a modern dancer and choreographer. He chose to
work out of California instead of New York City. He formed his own dance company―The
Lester Horton Dance Group―in 1932 and became noted over two decades for an individual
technique and theatrical style that embraced themes of social and political protest. He worked
on several movie musicals too.
Specific technique: He emphasized on body awareness to allow freedom of expression. He

stressed on body flexibility, and coordination.
Who are you? If you’re you, don’t try to dance like him or her. Dance like yourself.
Popular Performance: The most notable performance was the 1943 version of The Phantom
of the Opera.
Merce Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26,

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOAagU6cfBw)
Merce Cunningham had a long and distinguished career as a dancer and choreographer. By
the time he was 20, he was a professional dancer, soloing at the Martha Graham Dance
Company. In 1953, he formed his own dance company called Merce Cunningham Dance
Company. His company had a distinctive approach reflecting Cunningham’s technique,
highlighting unlimited possibilities for movement.
Specific technique: His techniques include isolated movements, his signature being the eerily
calm upper torso, and these have been brought to practice by dance companies including the
New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater.
Dance is an art in space and time. The object of the dancer is to obliterate that.
Popular Performance: In his iconoclastic prime in Antic Meet (1958), he won hearts where he
is chair-strapped to his back, then swaps it for a jumper with five arms, and not a hair out of
place. Effortless!
Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 – September

14, 1927) ( click the picture for additional reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq2GgIMM060)
Isadora Duncan is considered by many to be the creator of modern dance. She danced on
bare feet, wearing simple costumes and letting her hair loose, and flowing. She created the
first school of modern dance. She is remembered for her death in 1927, when her scarf got
caught in her automobile’s wheel and strangled her. She believed that, dance is the expression
of her personal life. Her choreography included subjects like waves and wind, clouds and
trees.
Specific technique: Her movements centered around jumping, running, jumping, skipping,
and tossing.
If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.
Popular Performance: She is known for her dance in Beethoven, and Bach, in which she’s
dressed in Greek tunics and barefoot.
Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25,

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkeEEk2VOAM)
MJ was the trend-setter of music videos. He made dancing a crucial part of modern pop music.
The popularly known “Jackson style” was the result of his flexibility and the grace with which
he performed. He was nicknamed as “the sponge,” for his grasping abilities. Not known to
many, he had tried doing tap like Astaire, and doing pirouette like Baryshnikov, but he had
failed miserably. However, his own unique style gained him the glory he deserved.
Specific technique: His trademark is his “moonwalk” and the tornado spin.
To live is to be musical, starting with the blood dancing in your veins. Everything living
has a rhythm. Do you feel your music?
Popular Performance: Breathtaking in “Man in the Mirror” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”.
Gene Kelly (23 January 1906 – 2 November

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0tnHNYpRG8)
Kelly’s style was a combination of tap, ballet, and modern. He brought dance to theaters,
covering entire set, changing camera angles to get the three-dimensional effect in film. His
good looks complemented his energetic and athletic style of dancing.
Specific technique: His style lies in athletic jumps, fierce tapping, and ability to make props
dynamic, using the mobility of cameras.
At 14 I discovered girls. At that time dancing was the only way you could put your arm
around the girl. Dancing was courtship.
Popular Performance: His performance in Singin’ in the Rain is incredible.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE
Contemporary dance is a common form of dance that is often misunderstood. Unlike traditional
dance methods, it is a raw form of dance that does not follow any rules. Popular to audiences
and dancers alike, it portrays the world through the eyes of the dancer, their experiences,
stories, and emotions. Here we look closer at what exactly contemporary dance is and how it
is performed.
What is Contemporary Dance?

Contemporary danced emerged in the 20th century as dancers strived to exhibit more
personal expression in their dancing. It was a way to stray from the more traditional and
structured styles. Breaking the conventional style of dance, contemporary focuses on the
freedom of movement.
When performing, dancers focus on connecting their mind and body through fluid dance
moves. This allows dancers to explore emotions, and use their natural energy to portray
personal expression in their dance techniques.
There is no rule of thumb to what type of elements their performance can include, but you will
find a combination of techniques often ranging from ballet, jazz, modern, break dancing and
even yoga and Pilates.
How is it performed?
Most dancers prefer using their bare feet or soft ballet slippers, and often costumes as well
that will express their story and allow for easy movement on stage. The studio and
performance theatre will usually be large and open, where the dancers can focus on floor work
and are free to move about.
Dancers love performing contemporary as it pushes against traditional boundaries and

commonly incorporates versatility and improvisation. They are free to create their own moves
or routines, from sharp and abrupt to flowing and long movements.
As it incorporates different styles, it is also performed to a variety of music genres. The music
will be important to help tell the story and set the mood. Some performances may even be
silent or have voice overlay.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE STYLES AND

TECHNIQUES
Contemporary dance styles and techniques combine the discipline, control and poise of more
traditional dance forms with the free movement and spatial expansion of modern, experimental
dance modes. Adults and children alike can gain fluidity of movement, greater understanding
of improvisation and the freedom to express themselves individually and in groups, through
dance. Adults who have enjoyed classical dance styles, ballroom dancing, tap and jazz dance
often report improved muscular flexibility and responsiveness when they participate in
contemporary dance classes and groups. Children who learn modern dance modes along with
their studies of traditional dances strengthen their bodies while gaining essential
understanding of varied dance styles. While combining the practice of classical dance patterns
and steps with free-form movement on smooth, open dance floors, they are encouraged to
engage in creative, experimental dance
Charles Weidman ( click the picture for additional reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nc1izg8WlU)
Charles Weidman (1901–1975)
He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and has been one of the great dancers of modern dance
and also pioneered the development of this art. In 1927 next to Doris Humphrey they left
Denishawn where they opened a company that would explore a new aesthetic in the dance,
new principles of technique that include gravity, fall and recovery, the sustained, suspended
and vibratory movement. Incorporating these innovative techniques, the two artists
choreographed works like Lysistrata, School for husbands and Alcina Suite.
Eric Hawkins ( click the picture for additional reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YFT7LReALkc)
Erick Hawkins (1909–1994)
Dancer and choreographer born in Trinidad, Colorado. He began his studies in classical dance
and soon became interested in modern dance. He was a dancer of the American Ballet and
Ballet Caravan where he performed his first choreography “Show Piece”. One peculiarity of
this artist was that in some of this works he didn’t put music or if he put it finished the show.
The President of United States gratified him with the National Medal of Arts, a month before he
died.
Katherine Dunham ( click the picture for additional reference )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSTuO5E9_1g)
Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)
American dancer and choreographer. She created a dance academy in United States where
all students were afro-americans. Dunham is known as the mother of modern afro-american
dance.
She was a classical dancer, when she began to discover African culture, she added
movements in both classical and modern dance.It must be said that the technique of Katherine
Dunham is still standing today and is one of the most important foundations in modern dance
in the United States.
CONTEMPORARY VS. MODERN DANCE: WHAT’S

THE DIFFERENCE?
Modern Dance is a specific style of dance that is free form and stems from the core, or torso,
of the body and uses elements like contact-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and
improvisation. Just like a Picasso is different than a Monet, modern dance is different than
ballet. Contemporary Dance is a collaborative style that includes modern, jazz, ballet, and hip
hop elements.
Modern dance
Modern dance is a style completely devoid of all the restrictions imposed by classical
ballet, the body moves with free interpretations originating from the inner emotions of the
dancer.
Born at the beginning of the 20th century, it represents the rebellion of those artists who did
not accept only classic performances, costumes and footwear.
In fact, if we talk about modern dance costumes we see a real revolution: both the clothes of
modern and contemporary dance, are much more relaxed but above all produced with original
techniques and a lot of color, so as to perfectly adapt to the representation to be staged.
Initially, modern dance was based on myths and legends, but later, it was an expression of the
social, ethnic, political and economic climate of that time, then, in the following years, there
was the influence of dances from other countries, including the Caribbean, African and Latin.
Today, much more is spoken of technique, the modern dance steps also include techniques
of classical dance, modern and postmodern, without depriving the dancers of being able to use
their artistic and creative skills to express themselves and convey emotions.
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance dating back to the 20th century, it can be
defined an evolution of modern dance and ballet, the latter strictly non-classical.
This kind of dance includes different techniques such as floorwork, fall, recovery, improvisation
and even the integration of disciplines such as yoga, Pilates and martial arts.
It is part of the new contemporary performing arts and its goal is to distance itself from the
formality and rigidity of the classical canons of ballet in order to return to its essential function,
that is, to communicate and express.
Expressive communication takes place through a dance free from constraints and coding.
Contemporary dance is based on the universal concepts of space, time, lines and curves and
its language of expression are the signals launched by the body.
Through the latter it is possible to give voice to emotions and feelings that are being
experienced, using gestures, movements and figures, for this reason, for this type of dance,
the choreographer performs above all an inner search.
The dancer gives vent to improvisation, an indispensable tool for the creation of the
choreography, based on listening to his own body and the environment around him.
Differences
Although they are two seemingly very similar dance styles, in these forms of modern
dance there are very obvious differences.
Modern dance is a style deprived of the restrictions of classical ballet that focuses on free
interpretations derived from inner emotions. Contemporary dance is a specific genre of concert
dance that concerns non-choreographic movements influenced by compositional philosophy.
Modern dance was born before contemporary dance and focuses mainly on the emotions of
dancers, while the second, focuses on creating new techniques and styles.
The choreography of the various styles of modern dances is aimed mainly at the use of
gravity, which is probably due to the greater influence of ballet and jazz, while contemporary
dance has much more fluid and light elements that further emphasize the connection between
the body and the mind.
PERFORMANCE TASK 1
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11/11/2020 Topic: DICUSSION 4 ( TOPIC 4: Modern and contemporary dance )

DICUSSION 4 ( TOPIC 4: Modern and contemporary dance )

Modern dance is often considered to have emerged as a rejection of, or rebellion

The Two Faces of Modern Dance

Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.

Lester Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November

Specific technique: He emphasized on body awareness to allow freedom of expression. He

Merce Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26,

Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 – September

Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25,

Gene Kelly (23 January 1906 – 2 November

good looks complemented his energetic and athletic style of dancing.

Popular Performance: His performance in Singin’ in the Rain is incredible.

What is Contemporary Dance?

Dancers love performing contemporary as it pushes against traditional boundaries and

CONTEMPORARY DANCE STYLES AND

Charles Weidman ( click the picture for additional reference )

Charles Weidman (1901–1975)

Eric Hawkins ( click the picture for additional reference )

Erick Hawkins (1909–1994)

Katherine Dunham ( click the picture for additional reference )

Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)

CONTEMPORARY VS. MODERN DANCE: WHAT’S

Search entries or author Unread    Subscribe

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