What is Contemporary Dance

Imagine what our ancestors used to do back in the old days. Try to picture this in your mind: a raging bonfire, and half-clothed men and women gathered around it. Now, can you hear the beat of the drums
? Deep, hollow sounds that reverberate through the air … Can you picture the men and women dancing around the firelight, moving to the beat they hear and to the emotions their bodies feel? Can you see the images vividly? Their bodies swaying to and fro, their feet stomping, swinging, stepping and sliding to the music.

They did not have theaters, televisions, the Internet, PSPs and Wii to entertain them. They entertained themselves with dance. But, mind you, dance was not only used for entertainment, it was used to pray to the gods for blessings, it was used for ceremonies and for plenty of other reasons. After a few thousands of years, dance has been integrated into our lives, weaved so intricately that we have dances for every occasion and celebration. In the modern times, so many dances have evolved. To name a few: ballet, ballroom, dance sport, jazz, folk for more formal disciplines. And you have hip hop, crumping, popping, tutting and contemporary dance that allows for more freedom of movement. For those of you who watch ABDC (America’s Best Dance Crew), DWTS (Dancing with the Stars) and So You Think You Can Dance, you might be more familiar with those terms. Recently developed dance disciplines usually allow for more freedom for the dancers range of movement. One such dance is contemporary dance.

But what is contemporary dance? Isadora Duncan, one of the pioneers of contemporary dance defined it best when she said, “If I could tell you that, I wouldn’t have to dance it.” But for those of you who need a more delineated definition, contemporary dance is a type of concert dance based on modern dance and classical ballet. But after that foundation, it departs from the older forms of classical dance because it integrates newer philosophies that allow more freedom of movement, if not removing all structure all together. Of course, there are steps and bases of structure like the aforementioned ballet and modern dance. Contemporary dance also bases some of its techniques on dances like the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais method, The Hawkins and Hawthorne techniques and even some bits of Pilates and Yoga. Suffice it to say that it is a compilation of modern and classical dances with fewer boundaries. One main feature of contemporary dance, though, that would rarely escape notice, is that most choreography include floor routines or floor work.
Indeed, what sets contemporary dance apart from other forms of dance is the unlimited freedom it allows (technically, only limited by the capability of the dancer and his body and the venue). It should be noted, though, that despite the freedom, contemporary dance is awe inspiring, often with dancers producing beautiful lines and aesthetically stunning movements. You could say that with this dance discipline, dancing has evolved from being just a series of steps into a fluid expression of the dancers’ emotions and thoughts.