Modern Dance Overview and Examples

Modern Dance Overview

• Originated to express emotions and create innovative styles and techniques.
• Focuses on free interpretations, emerging in the 20th century to break away from ballet's restrictions.

Examples of Modern Dance

• Ballet: A theatrical art form integrating dance, music, and scenery, characterized by its demand for grace and precision.
• Burlesque: An entertaining form that aims to induce laughter, often presenting elements of joke or mockery.
• Ballroom: A partner dance with two main categories:
  • Latin American Dance: Includes lively styles like Jive, Cha-cha, Samba, Rumba, and Paso Doble.
  • Modern Standard Dance: Features elegant dances such as waltz, foxtrot, Viennese waltz, tango, and quickstep.
• Belly Dancing: Focuses on the movement of the hips, emphasizing sensuality and rhythm.

Contemporary Dance

• Characterized as a dynamic and expressive dance form, evolving from modern dance principles.

Influential Figures in Philippine Contemporary Dance

• Alice Reyes: Recognized as the mother of contemporary dance in the Philippines; named National Dance Artist in 2014.
• Liza Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde: Founder of ballet in Manila and a prima ballerina since 1984.
• Douglas Nierras: Prominent figure in jazz dance, known for his work "Metanoia."

Contemporary Dance Styles

• Disco Dancing: Gained popularity in the 1970s, notably associated with John Travolta's performance in "Saturday Night Fever."
• Hip Hop: A street dance style that originated in America, encompassing various forms such as breaking, locking, popping, and wacking.

Popular Dance Styles in the Philippines

• Nobody Dance: From the popular South Korean group The Wonder Girls.
• The Spaghetti Song: Performed by the Sexbomb Dancers in 2003.
• The Papaya Song: Introduced by Edu Manzano during a game show.
• The Shalala Dance: A popular dance floor hit in the 1900s, made famous by the group Dream House.
• The Otso Otso Dance: Popularized in 2003 by comedian Bayani Agbayani.
• The Always Dance: Brought into fame by Wowie De Guzman and the Uninated Motion Dancers (UMD).
• The Shake Body Dance: Popularized by Maricel Soriano in the 1980s.
• The Asereie Dance: Introduced by the Spanish pop group Las Ketchup.
• The Chocolate Dance: Performed by the Soul Control Duo.
• The Macarena Dance: A global hit popularized by the duo Los Del Rio.