How Well Do You Know Contemporary Dance?

Contemporary Dance: A Genre of Dance Performance

• Contemporary dance is a popular genre of dance throughout the world.
• It incorporates elements from many styles of dance, including classical, modern, and jazz.
• The technique of contemporary dance combines ballet's legwork with modern dance's emphasis on the torso.
• Contemporary dance also employs contract-release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation.
• It sometimes incorporates elements of non-western dance cultures, such as African dance and Butoh.
• Merce Cunningham is considered the first choreographer to develop an independent attitude towards modern dance.
• Other pioneers of contemporary dance include Ruth St. Denis, Doris Humphrey, and Pina Bausch.
• The role of the choreographer in contemporary dance is to make creative decisions and decide whether the piece is abstract or narrative.
• Contemporary dance techniques include Graham technique, Horton technique, and Release technique.
• Contemporary dancers train using non-dance related practices such as Pilates and Yoga.
• Some well-known choreographers have developed their own dance techniques, such as Paul Taylor's Taylor technique.
• Contemporary dance is increasingly incorporating technological elements, such as robotics.