When it comes to dance, these two terms are often used interchangeably! The two art forms have been around for quite some time, but did you know there is a distinction between them?
Both were developed during the 20th century, but what’s the difference between contemporary and modern dance? What is modern dancing, and how do we define contemporary dance?
Here, we will highlight the main differences between the meanings between contemporary and modern dance styles.
Modern Dance
Modern Dance
The modern dance style was formed in the early 20th century after a group of dancers who opposed ballet’s strict conformity became pioneers in creating it. Let’s review modern dance’s history and see what led to its departure from ballet.
Beginning
Modern dance was founded in San Francisco, California, by Isadora Duncan, a pioneer in revising dance during an era where Ballet was standard practice. She disagreed with the dance, feeling it was by Isadora Duncan. She pioneered the revision of dance during an era when ballet was standard practice. She disagreed with the dance, feeling it was restrictive for human movement.
She created modern dance techniques after concluding that the dance movement does not come from the spine but the solar plexus, a region in the middle of your abdomen. She argued that you can activate this region with emotions and ideas.
Modern dance is all about creating abstract forms to convey emotions and ideas, unlike ballet, which is a strict choreography with no expression of free emotions.
With this school of thought, she also sought to incorporate social issues and the human condition into modern dance to express emotions in a new but natural way.
Growth
Duncan moved to Europe to spread modern dance. Her first start was opening a dance school in Berlin, where she developed her theories regarding modern dancing techniques and assembled a dance group. While in Europe, she also traveled with the group to Scandinavia, Russia, and Greece to perform.
During the 1920s, modern dance had completely taken over the world, with Ballet no longer at a mainstream level. There was more social acceptance of discussing issues regarding socio-political concerns, which gave modern dance the opportunity to evolve into one of the most sophisticated displays of dance the world had ever seen.
At its height, different kinds of modern dance were formed, such as tap and jazz dance, which arose popularly during the mid-20th century, especially within the African-American community. This gave them a voice within the arts to express the social injustices and economic struggles they face on a daily basis.
Decline
In the 1960s, new dancers started to rebel against modern dance. This led to a new school of thought in dance amongst the youth of that time. Dancers started to reject modernism and created a new avenue for postmodern dance.
Contemporary Dance
Contemporary dance started in the mid-20th century after the short era of postmodern dance. Unlike modern dance, which deviated from the structure of ballet, contemporary dance has incorporated many features of Western and non-Western expression. Here, we can explore and define contemporary dance and see how it departed from modern dance.
Departure From Modern Dance
During the postmodern dance era, a woman named Martha Graham felt that modern dance’s breathing cycles were too restrictive, limiting human movement. Instead, she discovered that contract and release breathing can help dancers who need more freedom of movement.
The Graham Technique
She created what’s now known as the Graham Technique, a teaching method that incorporates aspects of modern dance with ballet. One of the main principles of the Graham Technique is that it uses the opposition of contraction and release.
This departs from modern dance because the dancers create inner tension when they contract their bodies, conveying vulnerability and tension. When the dancer releases the stress, it allows their body to quickly surrender and expand, conveying a sense of freedom and release.
Modern dance has no use in contracting the body; it only involves breathing regulation.
Growth in the Present Era
Contemporary dance has grown over the years with its popularity in dance. Since the mid-20th century, it has consistently challenged the boundaries of dance.
Many dancers who incorporate contemporary dance have a lot of freedom of expression, which gives them the opportunity to be openly creative with either full-on storytelling or improvisation.
So, What Are the Differences Between Modern and Contemporary Dance?
What we’ve learned regarding the difference is that Modern dance rejects all strict rules of ballet, which allows more freedom of movement through breathing and barefoot.
On the other hand, Contemporary dance is an offshoot that combines elements of modern and other forms of dance, allowing the dancers to express themselves honestly.
FAQs
What is the difference between postmodern and modern?
Modern dance originated with Ms.Isadora Duncan and her techniques, while postmodern does not abide by all modern dance rules, even including non-performing dancers.
Who else was behind the modern dance movement?
Besides Duncan, Ruth St. Denis was one of the pioneers of the modern dance movement. She brought Eastern elements into modern dance, helping to pave the way for more women in dance.
Is the Graham Technique still in use in dance school today?
The Graham Technique is being used in all dance schools worldwide. It is considered the hallmark style for dance professors to teach their students. Many Broadway dancers have also incorporated the technique to create dramatic effects.
Is modern dance still taught?
Modern dance is still taught today in many dance studios worldwide, and like ballet, it will remain relevant to the dance world.
Is ballet still the same as it was back in the past?
Just like modern and contemporary dance, ballet has also evolved with time and has embraced other styles of dance, which it has incorporated over the years. Ballet is different from what it was during the aristocratic times when it was much more structured.
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Our experienced teachers guide dancers through modern dance and the fluidity and expression of contemporary dance, so the Miami Dance Project is the place to go if you love to dance it all.
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