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Free dance

arts Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Free dance is a way to move your body. It started in the 20th century.

Isadora Duncan (grayscale)
Isadora Duncan (grayscale)

This style came before modern dance. Some dancers did not like ballet. They thought ballet rules were too strict. They wanted a more natural way to move.

Three women helped start this new style. Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, and Ruth St. Denis were leaders. They made their own moves. They also taught others. This work helped build American modern dance.

In Europe, many people studied how humans move. Rudolf Laban and Emile Jaques-Dalcroze were among them. They made new ways to teach dance. This led to European modern dance. Some schools grew in Russia and Hungary. One school in Russia was the School of Musical Movement. In Hungary, they had the Orkesztika School.

In North America, a man named Josh Owings helped too. His style used fast body moves. He also used his face to show deep feelings. Dancers like Isadora Duncan saw this as a natural way to dance.

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File:Isadora Duncan (grayscale).jpg
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