Contemporary dance
Learning Outcomes
All pupils must:
 Understand that release-based contemporary is one of many contemporary styles and some of its key
features
Most pupils should:
 Be able to make comparisons between this style and ballet
Some pupils could:
 Be applying use of breath and use of weight to work, without losing technical ability.
Since the Ballets Russes began revolutionising ballet in the early 20th century, there have been
continued attempts to break the mould of classical ballet.
Most of the early 20th century modern choreographers and dancers saw ballet in the most negative
light. Isadora Duncan thought it most ugly, nothing more than meaningless
gymnastics. Martha Graham saw it as European and Imperialistic, having
nothing to do with the modern American people. Merce Cunningham, while
using some of the foundations of the ballet technique in his teaching,
approached choreography and performance from a totally radical
standpoint compared to the traditional balletic format.
The twentieth century was indeed a period of breaking away from
everything that ballet stood for. It was a time of unprecedented creative
growth, for dancers and choreographers. It was also a time of shock,
surprise and broadening of minds for the public, in terms of their definitions
of what dance was. It was a revolution in the truest sense.
Late 20th century: growth of contemporary dance
After the explosion of modern dance in the early 20th century, the 1960s saw the growth of post
modernism. Post modernism looked towards simplicity, the beauty of
small things, the beauty of untrained bodies, and unsophisticated
movement. The famous ‘No’ manifesto rejecting all costumes, stories and
outer trappings in favour of raw and unpolished movement was perhaps
the extreme of this wave of thinking. Unfortunately lack of costumes,
stories and outer trappings do not make a good dance show, and it was
not long before sets, décor and shock value re-entered the vocabulary of
modern choreographers.
By the 1980s dance had come full circle and modern dance (or, by this
time, ‘contemporary dance') was clearly still a highly technical and political vehicle for many
practitioners. Existing alongside classical ballet, the two art-forms were by now living peacefully next
door to one another with little of the rivalry. The present time sees us still in the very competitive
artistic atmosphere where choreographers compete to produce the most shocking work, however,
there are still glimpses of beauty to be had, and much incredible dancing in an age where dance
technique has progressed further in expertise, strength and flexibility than ever before in history.
Source: www.wikipedia.com
Types of Contemporary Dance
There are 3 main types of contemporary. You will focus mainly on release based contemporary
dance but will have chance to experience the others during the course.
Graham Technique
Graham focuses on the emotion of the movement, with the idea that a person’s centre is the
emotional core. As a result the work focuses on contractions and releases. It is a very high technical
technique that requires a lot of practice.
Cunningham Technique
Merce Cunningham was a student of Martha Graham and rejected her ideas. He was interested in
movement for movements’ sake. As a result his technique is highly influenced from ballet and
focuses on the shapes of the body. There is a lot of focus on the movement of the spine and one of
his key moves is the Cunningham curve.
Release Based
Released based is a relatively new technique. It focuses on the use of breath and releasing of
tension in order to achieve full potential movement. The technique explores use of the spine and
the relationship of the dancer to gravity. Release based technique often includes partner work and
improvisation to explore the potential of the body.
Learning Outcomes
All pupils must:
 Be able to understand what is meant by head-tail connection
Most pupils should:
 Be considering how the use of breath and weight can be used in dance class
Some pupils could:
 Be able to continue the head-tail connection into the technical class without partner present
Reflecting on Contemporary
Learning Outcomes
All pupils must:
 Be able to identify the key features of contemporary dance using the components of dance as a guide
Most pupils should:
 Be able to contribute towards the creative process
Some pupils could:
 Be using a high level of technical steps within choreographic task
Components of Dance – Contemporary
Action
Spatial Awareness
Timing
Dynamics
Emotion
Technical Aspects
Homework Task
You have now been studying contemporary for a few lessons. Write a reflective entry looking at
your strengths and weaknesses of the style and what you have learnt over the last 3 lessons.
Research the name of a current contemporary dance artist
Name some of their works
Describe the style of this artist briefly