How Many Types Of Contemporary Dance |LINK|
Contemporary dance[1] is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in the U.S. and Europe. Although originally informed by and borrowing from classical, modern, and jazz styles, it has come to incorporate elements from many styles of dance.[2] Due to its technical similarities, it is often perceived to be closely related to modern dance, ballet, and other classical concert dance styles.
how many types of contemporary dance
In terms of the focus of its technique, contemporary dance tends to combine the strong but controlled legwork of ballet with modern that stresses on torso. It also employs contract-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation characteristics of modern dance.[3] Unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction are often used, as well. Additionally, contemporary dance sometimes incorporates elements of non-western dance cultures, such as elements from African dance including bent knees, or movements from the Japanese contemporary dance, Butoh.[4][5]
Contemporary dance draws on both classical ballet and modern dance, whereas postmodern dance was a direct and opposite response to modern dance. Merce Cunningham is considered to be the first choreographer to "develop an independent attitude towards modern dance" and defy the ideas that were established by it.[5][6] In 1944 Cunningham accompanied his dance with music by John Cage, who observed that Cunningham's dance "no longer relies on linear elements (...) nor does it rely on a movement towards and away from climax. As in abstract painting, it is assumed that an element (a movement, a sound, a change of light) is in and of itself expressive; what it communicates is in large part determined by the observer themselves." Cunningham formed the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1953 and went on to create more than one hundred and fifty works for the company, many of which have been performed internationally by ballet and modern dance companies.
Other pioneers of contemporary dance (the offspring of modern and postmodern) include Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey, Mary Wigman, Pina Bausch, Francois Delsarte, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Paul Taylor, Rudolph von Laban, Loie Fuller, José Limón and Marie Rambert.
Dance techniques and movement philosophies employed in contemporary dance may include Contemporary ballet, Dance improvisation, Interpretive dance, Lyrical dance, Modern dance styles from United States such as Graham technique, Humphrey-Weidman technique and Horton technique, Modern dance of Europe Bartenieff Fundamentals and the dance technique of Isadora Duncan (also see Free dance).
Contemporary dancers train using contemporary dance techniques as well as non-dance related practices such as Pilates, Yoga, the acting practice of Corporeal mime - Étienne Decroux technique and somatic practices such as Alexander technique,[8] Feldenkrais Method, Sullivan Technique and Franklin-Methode, American contemporary techniques such as José Limón technique and Hawkins technique and Postmodern dance techniques such as Contact improvisation and Cunningham technique, and Release technique.
Some well-known choreographers and creators of contemporary dance created schools and techniques of their own. Paul Taylor developed a dance technique called Taylor technique, which is now taught at modern dance schools like The Ailey School in New York City.
Reflecting the situation in society at large, contemporary dance is increasingly incorporating overtly technological elements, and, in particular, robots.[9] Robotics engineer/dancer Amy LaViers, for example, has incorporated cell phones in a contemporary dance piece calling attention to the issues surrounding our ever-increasing dependence on technology.[10]
Tap is best described as "musical feet". Tap is a form of dance where dancers use their feet as percussive instruments. Tap shoes are that are specially designed with percussive metal plates on the toe and heel, called taps. There are many different styles of tap dancing however the two most noted are Rhythm Tap and Broadway Tap. Rhythm Tap is more musically driven, where Broadway Tap is more dance and movement-oriented. Tap is great for fostering rhythm in dancers, as it turns their feet into a musical instrument.
Hip Hop is an edgy, raw and intense urban dance style also known as Street Dance. The origin of popping, locking and crumping, Hip Hop is mostly danced to rap, urban and not surprisingly, hip hop music. Funky, high-top dance sneakers are normally worn by dancers. What sets Hip Hop apart from most dance genres is that its original street dance was freestyle in nature and did not follow a predefined choreography. A style of dance that is open to personal expression, Hip hop artists were free to interpret the dance in any way they could, and this lead to many innovative and exciting dance styles.
Contemporary dance embodies ballet, modern, jazz and lyrical. It uses a technique such as ballet as its fundamentals and creates many more movements that do not adhere to the strict rules of ballet and modern. There are different categories of contemporary dance such as Contemporary Ballet and Contemporary Jazz. Contemporary dance can be danced to all types of music and in non-traditional costumes. Contemporary dancers often wear lyrical dance shoes, and sometimes no shoes at all.
Highland dance was developed in the Gaelic Highlands of Scotland and should not be confused with Scottish Country Dancing. Highland dancing requires a lot of stamina, as well as arm and leg strength. Many people confuse Scottish highland dance with Irish dance but, Highland dancing is from Scotland and is traditional, whereas, Irish dance is from Ireland and is progressive. Shoes traditionally worn for both these types of dance are Ghillies and are very similar but slightly different.
Here is a list of the most popular types of dance:1. Ballet2. Ballroom3. Contemporary4. Hip Hop5. Jazz6. Tap Dance7. Folk Dance8. Irish Dance9. Modern Dance10. Swing Dance
Harlequin Floors have developed a range of specialist ballet dance floors providing enough traction to prevent injury while still allowing for fluid movements demanded by ballet dancing. Harlequin Cascade is one of our most popular ballet dance floors and can be laid over many of our sprung floors.
Some well known types of folk dance include: Bharatanatyam (India), Samba (Brazil) and Hula (Hawaii). Some cultures may even perform multiple variations of folk dances, with countries like South Korea performing individual dances for key events such as victories in war, farming, music and religion.
Popular forms of swing dance include the Lindy Charleston, the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop and the Balboa, many of which are still performed today. Swing dancing would commonly be accompanied by Big Band musicians who often played upbeat melodies which were smooth and easy to listen.
Around 1980s, the world "contemporary dance" referred to the movement of new dancers who did not want to follow strict classical ballet and lyricaldance forms, but instead wanted to explore the area of revolutionary unconventional movements that were gathered from all dance styles of the world.Contemporary dances therefore do not use fixed moves and instead try to develop totally new forms and dynamics, such as quick oppositional moves,shifting alignments, expressions of raw emotions, systematic breathing, dancing moves preformed in non-standing positions (for example lying on thefloor), and in general trying to find the absolute limits of our human form and physique.
The origins of this popular dance movement can be traced to several influential dance masters such as Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and MerceCunningham. They all wanted to show to the world that contemporary dancers should embrace freedom, ignore old dance conventions and explore the limitsof the human body and visual expression of feelings. Also, one of the precursors to the contemporary dance can be found in the millennia's oldtechniques of Zen Buddhism and Indian Health Yoga, which incorporates various dancing philosophies that closely follow the principles of contemporarydance.
Dancer who introduced and greatly popularized the contemporary dance to the worldwide audience was Martha Graham (1894 - 1991). Duringher seven decade long career, her modern dance and choreographies gathered the fame that is today compared to the life works of legendary art geniusessuch as Picasso, Stravinski and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Lester Hortonwas a very influential contemporary dance visionary, who trained many famous modern dancers and managed to incorporate the styles of Native Americandance and modern jazz into his dance techniques.
Contemporary is an important genre of dance performed in societies around the world, celebrated by people both young and old. Developed during the 20th century, contemporary dance involves incorporating aspects of movement from several other genres such as jazz, modern and ballet. While contemporary is a popular type of dance worldwide, it is most common amongst the U.S and European countries.
Unlike traditional forms of dance, contemporary is considered to be somewhat unbound by much rigidity and rules. The dancers of this genre have the ability to transform a performance based on their own interpretations. This is achieved through honing in on certain techniques, such as focusing on strong ballet-influenced leg movements, fall and recovery, floor work and further improvisational elements. More frequently than not, contemporary dance is performed barefoot to allow for more fluidity in movement and connection to the dance surface.
One of the most important aspects of contemporary dance is the element of improvisation. While some forms of dance such as ballet can be quite rigid and structured, contemporary dance relies on fluidity and improvisational movement to evoke a range of feelings in the viewer. It also offers the dancer ultimate creative freedom to perform an emotive piece that identifies with them.