Modern dance

Modern dance is a broad genre of Western concert and theatrical dance. It includes many styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing. This art form primarily emerged in Europe and the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It developed largely as a rebellion against the strict rules of classical ballet. Dancers sought to express social concerns like cultural and socioeconomic factors. This movement allowed artists to use their bodies to address the world around them.

To understand how modern dance works, one must look at the rejection of ballet's movement vocabulary. This term refers to the specific, limited set of movements considered proper in ballet. Early pioneers disregarded these rules to find greater freedom of movement.

They stopped wearing restrictive corsets and pointe shoes. Instead, they focused on natural movements and the relationship between the body and the floor. Some artists used improvisation, which is creating movement in the moment, to explore new possibilities.

American modern dance is generally divided into three distinct historical eras. The Early Modern period lasted from 1880 to 1923. During this time, artists like Isadora Duncan and Loie Fuller pioneered new practices, though distinct training techniques had not yet emerged.

The Central Modern period occurred between 1923 and 1946. In this era, choreographers like Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey developed recognizable training systems. Finally, the Late Modern period spanned from 1946 to 1957. This stage saw the rise of abstractionism and avant-garde movements led by artists like Merce Cunningham.

The history of this dance is tied to major social changes. In America, increasing industrialization and the rise of a middle class changed how people spent their time.

A decline in Victorian social strictures also led to a new interest in physical fitness. Gymnastic exercises even served as technical starting points for young women. By the end of the 1880s, women's colleges began offering courses in aesthetic dance. These shifts helped create an atmosphere where a "new dance" could grow.

Many specific techniques and figures define the significance of the art. Martha Graham is often called the founding mother of 20th-century concert dance. She developed the Graham technique, which focuses on the concept of contraction and release.

This method emphasizes the center of the body and the coordination of breathing with movement. Other influential figures include José Limón, who established his own company in 1946. His signature work, "The Moor's Pavane," was created in 1949. These systems of training are still taught to dancers all over the world today.

Notable examples show the incredible variety within the genre. Loie Fuller experimented with gas lighting and translucent silk costumes to create visual effects.

Ruth St. Denis used her research of Asian culture to create dances based on Indian mythology. In Europe, Mary Wigman and Rudolf Laban developed theories of human movement and spatial dynamics.

Later, Alwin Nikolais used multimedia, including complicated sound and sets, to investigate physical space. He viewed the dancer as a talent investigating movement rather than just an artist of self-expression.

Modern dance connects to many broader fields and systems. It relates to sociopolitical history, as radical dancers used their art to dramatize economic and political crises.

It also connects to science through the study of kinesiology. For example, Erick Hawkins opened a school based on his interest in this field. Furthermore, the art form links to technology and media. Hanya Holm's work was the first modern dance composition to be televised on NBC. Even the legal system is connected, as Holm's score for "Kiss Me, Kate" was the first choreography to be copyrighted in the United States.