Contemporary dance

Unlike classical ballet, contemporary ballet often utilizes ground work and dancers often perform in bare feet.

A dancer performing a contemporary dance piece

Contemporary dance is a very interpretive style of dance that focuses on unconventional movements. It was considered unconventional because it shifted away from classical ballet and lyrical dance forms. Contemporary dancers were considered revolutionary, pulling from non-western styles such as African style dancing. Unlike classical ballet, contemporary dance does not have fixed movements, instead it is a search for new forms and dynamics. It focuses on oppositional movement, alignment, raw emotion, and systematic breathing.

The term "contemporary dance" is sometimes used to describe dance that is not classical jazz or traditional folk/cultural dance^{[citation needed]}. The hallmark of contemporary dance is an awareness of the limitations of form^{[citation needed]}. Sub-genres recently defined by dance critics include non-dance, conceptual dance and pedestrian contemporary^{[citation needed]}.

History

Pioneers of contemporary dance (the offspring of modern and postmodern) include Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey, Mary Wigman, Francois Delsarte, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Rudolph von Laban, Loie Fuller, Jose Limon and Marie Rambert.

Dance technique

Two dancers performing contemporary dance

Dance techniques and movement philosophies employed in contemporary dance may include:

• Contemporary ballet
• Alexander Technique
• Bartenieff Fundamentals
• Contact Improvisation
• Dance Improvisation
• Feldenkrais method^{[citation needed]}
• Hawkins technique
• Jose Limon technique
• Horton technique
• Humphrey-Weidman technique
• Graham technique
• Cunningham technique
• Corporeal mime - Etienne Decroux technique
• Pilates
• Release Technique
• Yoga
• Sullivan Technique

Contemporary dance employs many modern dance techniques such as contact-release, fall and recovery, floor work, improvisation, and lifts in partnering.

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See also

• Contemporary ballet
• Tanztheater

External links

• Making Sense of Contemporary Dance: An Australian Investigation