ModernDefinition:

There is no concise definition of what modern dance is, nor should there be, unless it is broad enough to include all the diverse approaches existing now and likely to exist in the future. Modern introduces you to a new form of dance in which you may experience the joy of movement, because it is created by and for those who are interested in the reflection of life today. It was a rebellion against classical ballet and its codified technique. Today, contemporary ballet choreographers utilize the movement concepts of the modern dancer, and many of the body placements and exercises of the ballet dancer are now used in modern technique. In fact, many choreographers now include in their work not only the elusive modern dance techniques, but combine them with the principles of jazz, ballet, and ethnic dance.

Brief History: (From The Dancer Prepares by James Penrod and Janice Plastino)“It is called ‘modern,’ because it broke from the traditions and the disciplines of the stiff formality of the ballet of the last century. At the beginning, modern dance was a way of life, an expression of the freedom of the spirit, unfettered by outdated traditions and worn out beliefs. Modern dance was in its adolescence at the time of the movement for women’s suffrage, prohibition, World War I, and new movements in art. One such movement was called expressionism. Expressionism originated in painting. It is a subjective expression of the artist’s personal reactions to events or objects through distortion, abstraction, or symbols. It was a dominating influence on modern dance.”

Isadora Duncan is considered by many to be the “mother of modern dance.” She is said to be the first to break away from the rigid structure of ballet in the early 1900’s. Her motivation for movement came from the unpretentious motions of nature. She also had a desire to express herself emotionally, whether it be that of happiness, sadness, or political beliefs. Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn were the second generation of modern dance, followed by two of their protégés, Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey, along with Charles Weidman, Mary Wigman, and Honya Holm of the third generation. Following these pioneers of modern dance were a number of dancers who were influenced by these leaders, but created a philosophy, technique, and style of their own. Other well-known names in Modern Dance history are: Alwin Nicolais, Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, Murray Louis, Jose Limon, and Erick Hawkins, to name a few.

Contemporary vs. Modern:You might think contemporary is interchangeable with modern—the words are similar—but you would be wrong. According to [Domenic Walsh Dance Theatre], contemporary is even more modern than modern. “I think of contemporary as having derived from some classical backing, but evolving into a richer, more intricate vocabulary of movement,” Walsh says. “Contemporary, for me, represents current, up-to-date ideas. Modern, to me, refers to a particular time and feels a bit dated.”

Plenty of contemporary choreographers who work in ballet and commercial dance arenas have no background in traditional forms of modern dance at all, and usually they don’t come from the college track, where they’d have taken Lester Horton or Paul Taylor classes. If you come from a competition studio, your class schedule may read only jazz, ballet, lyrical and tap. In a ballet academy, you might get an occasional dose of modern, but not on a regular basis.

(See the whole Contemporary vs. Modern article at: http://www.dancespirit.com/2010/11/the_contemporary_conundrum/)

Modern Dance Terminology:Adduction: Movement toward the midline of the body

Abduction: Movement away from the midline of the body

Arch: A curved formation of the body. Can be done to the side or with either the upper or lower back.

Basic Body Skills: Skills that every human who is not physically impaired is capable of acquiring

Agility: Nimble, ability to change movement quicklyBalance: Forces upon the body and its parts are equalCoordination: Ability to make muscles perform togetherEndurance: Ability to maintain performance over an extended period of timeFlexibility: Pliable, able to move joints easilyStrength: Ability to apply and resist force

Breath Support: Using breath to assist dance movement.

Compass turn: A turn in fondu with the leg extended out to the side, with the toes in contact with the floor. Usually executed en dedans.

Contraction: A hollowing and tightening of the muscles in the core of the body; a curving of the spine inward to create a concave space. This term is used often in modern, and is used in conjunction with the release movement, which would be the release of the contraction to an open position.

Extension: Stretching or elongating the limbs or torso.

Fundamental Movement Patterns: Basic human movement experience.Breath: Movement that occurs when the body is still and breath is the focusHead/tail: Shortening or lengthening the distance between the head and the tailbone.Core/distal: Movement from the center of the body to the periphery or vice versa.Body Half: Moving one half of the body at a time (Right/Left, Upper/Lower)Cross/Lateral: Movement that occurs across the body from one distal extreme to the other

(right foot to left hand, etc.)

Hinge: tilt of the torso with a straight line passing from the tip of the ear through the shoulder, hip, and knee. (see picture)

Inversion: A movement that places the body upside down.

Intention: Choices concerning weight, flow, space, time and purpose by the performer, in conjunction with the dance maker, which give distinction to the movement.

Muscle Memory (Kinesthetic Memory): The ability to physically remember and repeat body actions or forms. Often muscle memory comes with repeated practice with proper execution. For example, when you first learned to walk, it was hard to learn to maintain balance and the appropriate speed; now, however, you probably don’t have to think about walking much, as you have committed it to your muscle memory, and can walk at various speeds with little thought. Learning to dance with proper technique takes the same amount of practice and dedication to doing the movements correctly each

time, training your body to remember to continue to do the movements correctly when you’re not thinking about the execution.

Musicality: 1)  The ability of a dancer to move responsibly to music. 2) Independent of music, the ability of a dancer to move with nuanced coherency where all movement materials are given specific physical and dynamic expression in and of themselves and in relationship to each other.

Neutral Position of the Head - When your head is in the neutral position, it is held as an extension of the spine. It is not tilted forward (looking down) or back (looking up), but is held even between the shoulders.

Prance: The transfer of weight from one foot to the other by lifting the leg in front of the body with a bent knee, pushing off of the ground by lifting the heel, then the ball of the foot, then the toes, then switching feet, landing in reverse: toe, ball, heel.

Spiral: A twisting movement of the torso around the central axis of the spine.

Syncopation: A character of rhythm that occurs when accents occur in unexpected paces within an otherwise predictable or repetitive pattern.

Tilt: In modern dance, a movement similar to an arabesque except that the trunk leans away from the extended leg toward the floor. Recently, often performed in jazz or contemporary dances in conjunction with a pitch.

Triplet: A walking step in ¾ time in the pattern: down, up, up, where the dancer starts the first walk in a plié and then on relevé for the second two steps before repeating.

Walk: The transfer of weight form one leg to the other with one foot always on the floor. As opposed to other dance styles, generally, in Modern dance, the heel strikes the ground first, in a normal, pedestrian fashion.

Weight: The element of one’s body mass that affects movement.Center of Gravity (Center of Weight, Center): Part of the body that is most involved with

shifts of weight and necessary for producing changes of quality in the body.Center of Levity: Sternum. Activation of which promote lightness in the body.Shift of Weight: Used to describe body weight when it changes place or support.Counter Weight: Weight used to offset equal and opposing weight.