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Modern dance is a type of dance that began to take shape at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, it has taken the form of a very dynamically developing dance, which has assimilated many other dance techniques. The steps of modern dance are dynamic, spontaneous and require great skill from dancers, but they can be successfully learned by anyone. Find out about modern dance, learn about its history and learn more about it.

Modern danceis extremely spectacular and more and more popular. We can watch him at dance tournaments and during a talent show on TV, when groups of dancers show their skills on stage. What makes this type of dance so popular?

This is largely due to thesteps and figures of modern dance , which have been derived from many other types of dance. Thanks to this, this dance is extremely universal, diverse and versatile.

Find out more about this energetic and dynamic dance!

Contents:

  1. Modern dance - definition
  2. Modern dance - history
  3. Modern dance - types
  4. Modern dance - steps
  5. Modern vs. contemporary dance - differences

Modern dance - definition

Modern danceis a combination of various dance styles such as hip-hop, jazz, funky jazz, disco dance, dancehall, breakdance. There is actually no unequivocal definition of modern dance as it is both a group of different dance styles and a separate dance that combines these styles into one.

Modern dance, as a separate dance style, is usually chosen by the youngest in schools and kindergartens, because classes in this type of dance are very universal and diverse. This makes modern dance a great beginning of an adventure with this physical activity - learning this style, we have the opportunity to associate with several or even a dozen different types of modern dance.

Check which type of dance suits you! [QUIZ]

Modern dance - history

The history of modern dance dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1915, the American marriage Ruth Saint Denis and Ted Shawn founded the firstmodern dance school "Denishawn". The dance styles that they propagated in their classes at that time were derived from Eastern and African-American dances, and there were also modern dance techniques derived from ballet and artistic gymnastics.

The dance shows with which the Denishawn school traveled all over the United States were performed in many different dance styles, including Chinese, Greek, Indian, Indian, and even a rare Persian dance style.

In 1942, Ted Shawn, after separating from his wife, founded the Dance Academy and his theater in Jacob's Pillow, in which he further developed modern dance and expanded its definition to include more techniques, connections and types of movement. From Ted Shawn's eye, three of the most famous and respected modern dance dancers have emerged: Mathy Graham, Charles Weidman and Doris Humphrey.

Other famous modern dance dancers include Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis.

Modern dance - types

Modern dance has its roots in classical dance, but in the 21st century it has developed so much that it is now divided into many types and consists of many varieties of movement coming from the countries of America, Africa, Europe and Asia. In the last century, the following types of modern dance developed:

  • breakdance: characterized by acrobatic dance elements
  • dancehall: Jamaican dance with soft movements mainly bent legs
  • hip-hop: having its roots in street dance, it is characterized by a lively and dynamic movement
  • new style: which is one of the varieties of hip-hop dance
  • funky jazz: with a lot of freedom in movement and a fun, joyful dance character
  • disco dance: energetic dance danced to disco music

Modern dance - steps

The steps in modern dance are extremely varied and require good coordination and flexibility. Due to the fact that modern dance is divided into many different types, in order to deepen its technique, you need to be a very versatile dancer.

The steps of modern dance relate to many, often completely different, dance styles. In modern dance choreographies, there will be steps derived, among others, from:

  • hip hopu, e.g. power moves, baby swipes, bicykle pumps, air baby
  • dancehallu, e.g. log on, urkle, jiggy, gogo wine, defense
  • breakdance, e.g. footwork, drop, toprock, freeze
Worth knowing

Modern dance acontemporary - differences

Nowadays, modern dance is often confused with contemporary dance, but these are two completely different dance styles. These ambiguities result from the fact that little information is available about modern dance, and many of us are not even aware that we may have de alt with it more than once.

Contemporary dance, unlike modern dance, is much more related to ballet. There are the same elements as in classical dance, e.g. plié, grand plié, pique, fouetté, but they are less formal and the dancer has more freedom in terms of movement expression. Contemporary dance is also more lyrical, emotional and is most often performed to moving pieces of piano or string music.

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Dance