What is Contemporary Dance? Check this out!

Curious to know about Contemporary Dance? Contemporary dance is a genre that developed during the mid-20th century and is still very popular today. It is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Contemporary dancers make every effort to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.

Versatility and improvisation is the rooting ground of Contemporary dance, unlike the strict, structured nature of ballet. Contemporary dancers concentrate on floor work, using gravity to pull them down to the floor. It can be performed in many different styles of music.

Merce Cunningham is often spoken of as the father of contemporary dance. Other important personalities include IsadoraDuncan, Martha Graham among others. Graham moved into what is now known as modern dance, and Duncan's style was uniquely her own. These stars broke the rules of the strict forms of ballet. They believed that dancers should have freedom of movement, allowing their bodies to liberally express their innermost feelings.

Historic Roots of Contemporary Dance

A new dance form emerged between 1900 and 1950, which was known as "modern dance." It was a formalized dance technique with a specific aesthetic. Developed by such innovators as Martha Graham, modern dance is built around breathing, movement, contraction, and release of muscles. 

Alvin Ailey was a student of Martha Graham's. He was the first to bring in African American aesthetics and ideas into contemporary dance. During the mid-1940’s, another student of Graham's, Merce Cunningham, started exploring his own form of dance. Cunningham developed an abstract form of dance, inspired by the radically unique music of John Cage. Cunningham took dance out of the formal theatrical setting and separated it from the need to express specific stories or ideas. He introduced the idea that dance movements could be random and that each performance could be exclusive.

Today's contemporary dance is an eclectic mix of styles, with choreographers drawing from ballet, modern, and post-modern forms of dance. While some contemporary dancers create characters, theatrical events, or stories, others perform entirely new creations as they improvise in their own unique style.

 Reference: Liveabout.com

Haifil Dance Academy is a studio for Dance and Fitness for all age groups, located at Kadavanthra, Kochi. We have an open approach to the study of traditional dance techniques with a strong focus on correct placement, developing strength and flexibility while paying particular attention to the movement principles.

#DanceSchoolsinErnakulam #DanceSchoolsinKochi #DanceSchoolsinKerala #DanceAcademyinErnakulam #DanceAcademyinKochi #DanceAcademyinKerala­­