M ODERN D ANCE

PREPARED BY:

TEFFANY JANE E. MOLEJON

COURSE COACH
0963-978-1923
ACTIVITY #1
Directions: Read and understand the following questions below. Write your answers on a piece
of paper. Please answer as honestly as possible. Avoid erasure!

1. What comes to your mind when you heard the word modern dance?
2. Why do think you need to study modern dance?
WHAT IS MODERN DANCE?

• Modern dance often referred to a “contemporary dance”; A style of theatrical dance that
rejects the limitations of classical ballet and favors movement deriving from the expression of
inner feeling.
HISTORY AND DEFINITION

• Began at the turn of the century (19th). The spirit of change was in the air and was contagious
amount people in many different areas of dance and art.
• Modern dance began with a choice to move away from the rules, structures, and ideas of the
past and to move to a more individually creative theory of dance.
• Modern dance does have rules and forms. Each modern dance artist has developed a personal
style of dancing and therefore a way of preparing their dancers.
• Modern dance is an experience in movement. Dance is movement. Movement is life, and it
surrounds you every moment.
WHY STUDY MODERN DANCE?

• Increases your body awareness and knowledge of how the body moves.
• Increase your strength, flexibility, and general fitness level.
• Introduce you to a new form in which you experience the joy of movement and compete
solely with your self.
• Heighten your appreciation of other movement forms and music.
• Expand you awareness and appreciation of your own artistry and artistry of others.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
DANCE
• Parallel first position from hips to toes
• No set curriculum
• No particular music
• Release of the neck when the head is dropped
• No particular costume
• No particular body type
• Stabilization of the pelvis
• Natural, ordinary posture of the body
• Cause & Effect/Action & Reaction
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
DANCE
• Weighted - use of gravity
• Flexibility and articulation of spine
• Contraction & release
• Softening into the floor
• Rebellion against ballet
PHASES OF
MODERN DANCE
1900-PRESENT
1900-1940

• Social, economic, and political changes raised new questions about morality, rights, freedom and
the human condition.
• This new dance was not beautiful to the accustomed patron, but the beauty had not been
defined.
• Early modern dancers looked beyond the dominant tradition of Western theatrical dance
(ballet) in order to give their dance a more communicative power. They drew on archaic or
exotic sources for inspiration.
• There was no fancy music or scenery.
FA M O U S M O D E R N
DANCE
CHOREOGRAPHER
ISADORA DUNCAN (1877-1927)

• Known as the mother of modern dance

• Thought ballet was "ugly and against nature" and wanted a style of dance that was free and
natural
• Had limited success in America.
• Founded the "New System" of interpretive dance, blending poetry, music and rhythms of
nature.
• She explored concepts through dance but most of her dances are influenced by Greek
sculptures, flowy movements and nature.
RUTH ST. DENIS (1878-1968)

• Had a vision of a new form of dance, with form as well as freedom and actually choreographed
dances that were repeated each time performed.
• She gave birth to this new form in the theatre but designed it to be a communication on a
spiritual level.
• Choreography had eastern influences from countries such as India and Egypt.
• She was particularly interested in exotic lands and the dance steps, costumes and settings
associated with them, as well as in using dance to explore spirituality.
• Married her dance partner Ted Shawn and they developed the dance company Denishawn.
• Teacher of Martha Graham, Doris Humphreys and Charles Weidman.
THE BIG FOUR (1910-1945)

• The main choreographers during this period were Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Charles
Weidman and Hanya Holm.
• The major theme for the works created was about the American spirit.
• These dancers rejected external movement sources and turned to basic human movement
experiences such as breathing and walking. They transformed these natural actions into dance
movements.
MARTHA GRAHAM (1894-1991)
(MOTHER OF AMERICAN DANCE)
• Graham developed the principle of contraction and release.
 Contraction: the action of the body at the moment of the exhalation
 Release: the action of the body at the moment inhalation
• Graham's original technique was rooted in a form of Expressionism. She linked movement to
emotional expression and developed a vocabulary to communicate emotions, exploring deep
within her own psyche.
• Famous work – Appalachian Spring
• Founded the Martha Graham Dance Co. in 1926
DORIS HUMPHREY (1895-1985)

• Humphrey was a leading soloist in Denishawn.

• Created the Humphrey - Weidman school and company with Charles Weidman.
• Created the theory of fall and recovery
 Fall-recovery: is a body technique that is done by falling and then waking up
• Themes of social organization were important
• First to use an ensemble in pieces vs. solo dancer
• Famous work - Water Study
CHARLES WIEDMAN (1904-1975)

• Performed with Denishawn.

• Co-founder of the Humphrey-Weidman school and company.
• Weidman's choreography was more humorous, punching holes in human foibles.
• Famous work - Flickers
HANYA HOLM (1893-1992)

• Trained in Germany.
• Worked in a more varied range and created humorous dances of social commentary.
• Turned her attention to Broadway and choreographed eleven (11) hits such as Kiss Me Kate
and My Fair Lady.
• Introduced the Mary Wigman technique in New York City in 1931.
THE SECOND GENERATION (1935-
1980)
• This is the time period when students of the Big Four struck out on their own.
• The Big Four used these students to develop their own techniques and then the students
broke out.
• .This resulted in more development and exploration. These techniques are still performed
today.
MERCE CUNNINGHAM

• 1919-2009
• Former performer with Martha Graham.
• Meaning of choreography was to be determined by the observer. He was not interested in
telling stories or exploring psychological states.
• Movement itself is the principal subject matter of his dances: neither narrative nor musical
form determines their structure.
ALVIN AILEY

• 1931-1989
• Born in Texas!
• Created Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
• Inspired by gospel, spirituals and the blues.
• Revelations is his most critically acclaimed work.
MODERN, POSTMODERNISM (1960-1980)
& CONTEMPORARY DANCE
• Modern dance went through a subtle but interesting change between the 40's and 60's. The genre
had been around long enough by now that the excitement of a new way to express ideas had
calmed down. Now, instead of continuing to invent new techniques people were excited about
practicing the techniques that had been created. Dancers wanted to learn the "Graham technique"
or "Limon technique" and to perfect this new dance genre.
• Dancers forgot about the ballet boycott and started taking ballet class to strengthen their modern
technique.
• "By the 1960s, technical proficiency had become an end in itself for modern dancers, rather than
the means to an end. Technique became set and strict, codified in the style of the
originator, with emphasis on greater and greater achievement. Only those teaching in the
Laban-Wigman-Holm tradition included improvisation in their classes. Aspects of ballet were
incorporated increasingly into modern dance classes, ballet barres were installed in modern dance
studios, and many modern dancers took ballet classes regularly.Thus the wide philosophical gap
between the two dance forms began to narrow." (Vision, p.137)
• The new purpose of modern dance was to take what they already had and make it better. This
meant creating "modern technique" and guidelines, the very things first and second generation
modern dancers were trying to avoid.
• The postmodernists ("after-moderns") rejected the techniques and theories of modern dance
and experimented with new movement structures. They are best known for their acrobatic
skill and for pushing the definition of dance.
• Contemporary dance draws on both modern and postmodern dance as a source of inspiration.
The social and artistic upheavals of the late 1960s and 70s provoked even more radical forms
of modern dance.
• Modern dance today is much more sophisticated in technique and technology than when
modern dance was founded. The founders Composed their dances entirely of spirit, soul, heart
and mind as opposed to today's modern which has more technical aspects. The concern with
social problems and the condition of human spirit is still expressed, but the issues that are
presented would have appalled many early modern dancers.
• Modern dance is an influential performance dance that originated as a reaction against the
classical ballet and its movement style. Shaped by many factors in late 19th and early to mid-
20th century, modern dance evolved into a popular free dance style that includes elements
of performance art, release technique, improvisation, and contact improvisation.
TECHNIQUES
There are five (5) main techniques used in Contemporary Dance:
1. Cunningham
2. Graham
3. Limon
4. Release
5. Improvisation
CUNNINGHAM TECHNIQUE
(Named after teacher and choreographer Merce Cunningham)

• This style focused on the architecture of the body in space, rhythm and
articulation.
• What does that mean?
Cunningham uses the idea of the body's own "line of energy" to promote easy,
natural movement.
GRAHAM TECHNIQUE
(Named after Martha Graham)
• This style focuses on the use of contraction, release, fall, and recovery.
• What does that mean? Graham technique is characterized by floor work
and the use of abdominal and pelvic contractions. The style is very grounded
and the technique visibly contrary to the nymph like, airborne ideals of ballet.
LIMON TECHNIQUE
• (Named after Jose Limon)
• Involves exploring the use of energy in relation to gravity and working with
weight in terms of fall, rebound, recovery and suspension.
• What does that mean? Limon technique uses the feeling of weight and
"heavy energy in the body and movement is instigated using breath to lift and
swings through the body to create and halt movement. It also feels very nice to
perform!
RELEASE TECHNIQUE

• Placing emphasis on minimizing tension in the search for clarity and fluidity and
efficient use of energy and breath.
• What does that mean? A bit like it sounds - in Release technique, we
release through the joints and muscles to create ease of movement, releasing
the breath to aid the release of the body. A great relaxation technique as well
as a dance style.
IMPROVISATION TECHNIQUE
Improvisation
• Improvisation focuses on the investigation of movement and its relation to
performance. Development of individual movement material is facilitated
through a variety of creative explorations.

Contact Improvisation
• Contact improvisation describes a duet dance form characterized by weight
exchange, fluid movement and touch. Partners improvise using the natural
movement of the body.
WHAT MAKES SOMETHING MODERN DANCE? WHERE
IS THE LINE DRAWN BETWEEN MODERN,
CONTEMPORARY, AND LYRICAL?
• Modern dance is a term that describes many types of dance techniques. It is a
category of dance styles, often referred to as a genre of dance.
• Many of the main styles in this genre are credited to specific choreographers
who pioneered new and unique ways of moving and created new movement
vocabularies based on their personal philosophies: their views of how dance
functions as an artistic tool.
• Contemporary dance usually means that it has been created recently, and is
performed to contemporary music.
• This style of dance is all about versatility and improvisation while focusing on
emotional and physical expression.
• This style of dance is a fusion of jazz, ballet, and modern styles.
• Lyrical dance is most often performed to songs with lyrics and is all about
smooth, fluid movement and expression of emotions.
• The music can be of a wide range of genres, as long as it is emotionally charged
and expressive, and the lyrics/nature of the music used will serve as inspiration
for choreography.
• This style of dance is a fusion of jazz and ballet styles
MODERN DANCES
• Advancements in music technology brought the birth of many new types of
dances. Introduction of electronic and rock music brought the era of House,
Punk, Rave and Disco dance.
• Faraway country of India did not cared much for those styles, and in
accordance to the deeply seeded religious beliefs, they incorporated dance of
their gods to everyday life and was and profitable Bollywood movie scene.
A. HOUSE DANCE

• After the years of popularity of Disco, the genre of House music and house
dance became born in New York and Chicago clubs. Built on top of subtler
rhythms, riffs of the music and influences of jazz, Latin, soul, funk, R&B, and
many other music styles, this social dance quickly found its way into homes and
clubs across the entire world.
B. PUNK DANCE

• Born as an extension of 1960s garage rock, the punk rock managed to attract
fans who enjoyed not traditional social dances of before, but more energetic
and sometimes violent dance style of moshing (sometimes called slam-dancing)
and head banging. This dance styles were characterized by the strong and full
body contact of live band audience, with frequent bumping and jostling both
alone and in groups.
C. RAVE DANCE

• Fueled by the unending focus on pulsating beats, loud volume and psychedelic music effects,
dancers of rave music are free to create their freestyle of movements, with no rules about
dance routines or synchronized moves, usually in dark and crowded venues of dance clubs,
nightclubs, and festivals. Dancers are encouraged to find inspiration in music, other people, and
their mood.
D. DISCO DANCE
• The popular disco music genre of the 1970s would not found such popularity if
it was not so easy to dance with. Fans of this music often wore extravagant and
sexy clothing while dancing free form or structured versions of various disco
dances, such as Bump, (several variations of) Hustle, Robot, Boogaloo,
Watergate, and others.
E. BOLLYWOOD DANCE
• The cultural history of India and the rest of southern Asia would not remain
the same without the strong influence of Bollywood movie industry which has
promoted Hindi dance music to the world. Created as the mix of traditional
Indian music, Hindi dance traditions of the Indian sub-continent, and Middle-
Eastern techniques, Bollywood dance is characterized by elaborate
choreographies, energetic movements, and dances that involve a large number
of participants.
ACTIVITY #2
Directions: Read and understand the questions below. Write your answers on a
piece of paper. Please answer as honestly as possible. Avoid erasure!

1. What is the purpose of modern dance?

2. Why is dance technique important for a dancer?
ACTIVITY #3 SAMPLE

DIGITAL POSTER
MAKING: INDIVIDUAL
Directions:
1. Make a creative dance poster. Simply take a
picture of YOUR BEST DANCE
MOVE/POSE. Edit pictures using photo editor,
Photoshop, paint, etc.
2. Add details or captions about the picture
example : title, dance style, signature, name, logo
and/or dance quotes.
3. Use an A4 size paper. You can save your work
as PDF form or jpeg picture.
4. Submit it via messenger in the created group
chat or print a hardcopy. Due date: May 20,2022.

Rubrics for Poster Making

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kWDp9NgXOJNRuDQxDP2yF
84Mi7dGI_tf/view?usp=sharing
ACTIVITY #4
VIDEO PRESENTATION: INDIVIDUAL
Task Description: Perform the “At My Worts Class Challenge”. Please click the
following link below to watch video tutorials.
Figure 1 : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G2LtoMBH1jTKon3eHEK8NoYypdX7V6q2/view?usp=sharing
Figure 2 : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z5V3an-yJwT4QwYocwzIb8RBHgYKJZC4/view?usp=sharing
Figure 3 : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DT_2dfJiHCf7e6T8meK-zgLgMegcndWw/view?usp=sharing
Figure 4 : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZzVh2qaU_wk_pD2pDq-ERznAqErX81wo/view?usp=sharing
At My Worst Class Challenge:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bD0b5QzKgoIckMa5oMwwaUpdNuMuVRq5/view?usp=sharing

Rubrics for Class Challenge

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-buyKrWkLWl3defQOez3EUPQz0d6B3yp/view?usp=sharing

Download Music :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17sF72zmbKbJgZqI_I7IUIZOxyXXKSXKq/view?usp=sharing
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Test I. Identification. Read each statement carefully. Write your answers on a piece of paper bold
and neat. Avoid erasure!
______1. His choreography was more humorous, punching holes in human foibles and his
famous work was Flickers.
______2. Dancers are free to create their freestyle movements, with no rules about dance
routines through unending pulsating beat.
______3. She developed the principle of contraction and release.
______4. Often referred to a contemporary dance.
______5. Often wore extravagant and sexy clothing while dancing free form of various disco
dance such as bump, hustle and boogaloo.
______6. The teacher of Martha Graham, Doris Humphreys and Charles Weidman.
______7. She was known as the mother of modern dance.
______8. This dance style were characterized by the strong and full body contact of live band
audience, with frequent bumping and jostling both alone and in groups.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
_____9. She created the theory of fall and recovery and her famous work was water study.
_____10. His choreography was inspired by gospel, spiritual, and the blues. Revelations is his
most critically acclaimed work.

Test II. Enumeration.

A. Give at least five (5) characteristics of modern dance.
B. Give five (5) techniques used in contemporary dance.
SUBMISSION
• Please submit the following written outputs on the designated boxes
prepared by your course coach.
• Please do not forget to write you name (surname, given name & middle
initial), course and year, contact number and class schedule.
• Video Presentation will be submitted via messenger in the created group
chat.
• Last submission of Lesson IV will be on May 20, 2022 (Friday). Thank
you!
STAY SAFE!