Modern dance
Modern dance is a dynamic and expressive form of dance that emerged in the early 1900s as a reaction to the constraints of classical ballet. Unlike ballet, which emphasizes rigid technique and lightness, modern dance embraces free movements and forms, allowing dancers to interact more authentically with music and gravity. The genre has roots in the desire for personal expression and storytelling, with early pioneers like Isadora Duncan advocating for natural movement that reflects emotions.
Duncan, along with other influential figures such as Ruth St. Denis and Martha Graham, played crucial roles in shaping modern dance, emphasizing creativity and individual expression over traditional techniques. Modern dance also became a platform for social commentary, reflecting significant historical events such as the women's suffrage and civil rights movements. Notably, the genre has integrated influences from various cultures, enhancing its richness and diversity.
In its evolution, modern dance has intermingled with ballet, particularly from the 1980s onward, leading to a fusion of styles seen in contemporary performances, including popular Broadway productions. This blend illustrates modern dance's ongoing relevance and adaptability, making it a vital form of artistic expression today.
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Modern dance
Modern dance is a type of free style of dance that emerged in the early 1900s, partially as a rebellion against classical ballet. Modern dance involves free movements and form, and it strives to reflect the music and engage the audience. It also uses gravity more deliberately than ballet, in which the dancers are supposed to appear light on their feet. In modern dance, dancers often use gravity to enhance and accentuate their movements.
Brief History
Isadora Duncan was one of the earliest pioneers of modern dance in the United States, and she is sometimes referred to as the founder of the genre. She thought dance should reflect feelings and tell a story. Duncan sometimes used music when she danced and sometimes she did not. She started teaching dance in San Francisco, California, with her sister, Elizabeth, when she was about six years old. The sisters encouraged their students to improvise. Duncan danced barefoot and instead of wearing a leotard, as ballet dancers do, she wore a free-flowing tunic. She would later move to Europe to dance. Her most famous students were the Isadorables, six dancers who trained under her in Germany and made their debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1914. Duncan's emphasis was on natural movement and using the body as a tool to express feelings was part of the modern dance movement.
Ruth St. Denis was another pioneer of modern dance in the United States. She was a dancer and an actress who opened the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, Ted Shawn, in 1915. Her school embraced free movement and expression.
One of the students of the Denishawn School was Martha Graham, who was sixteen when she decided she wanted to become a dancer. Her strict Presbyterian parents forbid this career path at first, but at age nineteen, after her father died, Graham finally started taking classes under St. Denis at the Denishawn School. While there, Graham also choreographed dances that told stories, including a 1936 dance called Chronicle, which focused on events of the era, including the Great Depression
Graham eventually left the Denishawn School to start her own dance studio. The dancer had her own technique, which she taught to her pupils. The Graham technique instructed students that movement is generated from three places: the action of contraction and release, the pelvis, and one's inner emotions, which are shown on stage through movement.
In her dances, Graham attempted to show the contrast of things like good and evil and discipline and laziness. She used special lighting, costumes, and music to tell stories about these themes. President Franklin Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, admired Graham and invited her to perform at the White House. In 1976, Graham was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was the first dancer to receive this honor. Today, Graham's style still heavily influences modern dance.
Overview
The emergence of modern dance in the 1920s represented both idealism and rebellion. Dancers wanted to be able to express themselves in a way that seemed honest, open, and free. Modern dance allowed them to move their bodies freely and tell stories in ways that ballet could not. Ballet had strict rules, positions, and uniforms, while modern dance had none of this. Modern dance rebelled against traditional ballet and its tight standards. In this genre, a dancer could dance in any way he or she wanted, to any style of music, and in any costume. Modern dance also reflected some of the other reforms and events taking place in the 1920s, especially the women's suffrage movement. The genre gave women freedom as dancers and allowed many of them to tell their stories for the first time.
Modern dance connected dance to music in a new way. In modern dance, dancers' often react directly to the music. Many early modern dancers were also choreographers, and they carefully planned their movements in connection with the music, lighting, costumes, and background. Dancers not only expressed their own personal feelings and journeys through dance, but also shared stories about the events that were happening around them at the time. For example, the women's movement and the civil rights movement are two historical events that have been captured in many modern dances over the years. The movements in modern dance were also influenced by other cultures, including the Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish.
Between 1934 and 1942, Bennington College in Vermont was a training ground for modern dancers, teachers, and choreographers. Modern dancers gathered, created, learned, and performed at Bennington College during these years and helped earn the genre real recognition as a true art form. Many of these dancers and choreographers went on to start their own companies in the 1950s.
African American dancers influenced modern dance as well. This genre gave them a place to share their journeys and expose injustices. Pearl Primus was an African American modern dancer who was known for her high jumps and daring acrobatic moves. Two of her most famous dances told stories of sharecropping and lynching in America.
During the 1980s and 1990s, ballet and modern dance began to influence each other. Dancers often took a mix of ballet and modern dance classes, and they incorporated elements from both styles into many of their dance routines. For instance, hit Broadway musicals like The Lion King now use elements from both ballet and modern dance in their productions.
Bibliography
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Brown, Jean M., et al., editors. The Vision of Modern Dance: In the Words of Its Creators, 2nd ed., Princeton Book Company, 1998.
Cheney, Gay. Basic Concepts in Modern: A Creative Approach. Princeton Book Company, 1989.
Giguere, Miriam. Beginning Modern Dance. Human Kinetics, 2014.
"Martha Graham, 1894–1991: The Mother of Modern Dance." VOA News, 27 Aug. 2012, learningenglish.voanews.com/a/martha-graham-mother-of-modern-dance/1496645.html. Accessed 6 Dec. 2016.
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McDonagh, Don. The Rise and Fall and Rise of Modern Dance. A Cappella Books, 1990.
Warren, Charmaine Partricia, et al. "A Brief History of American Modern Dance." DanceMotion USA, US State Department, 2013, www.dancemotionusa.org/media/30147/28961‗dmsua‗4‗letters‗v3‗final‗modern.pdf. Accessed 6 Dec. 2016.