The History of Modern Dance
With its beginning in the early 20th century, modern dance traces its roots to a direct opposition to the technique and rigid style of ballet. Modern dance has been defined as an attitude toward dance, not a specific dictation of craft.
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Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis and Mary Wigman
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Americans Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis, and German-born Mary Wigman have long been credited with beginning the movement against classical ballet and toward the system of expressive gestures known as modern dance.
An Agent of Change
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Ballet performances had largely been a mode of entertainment. While often employing mythical stories as a structural basis, modern dance became a vehicle for making a statement on current issues.
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Late 1930s
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The late 1930s marked a decidedly new approach to modern dance, one where internal movements such as breathing were the impetuous for dance movements.
Choreographer and Dancer
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Modern dance found the performer in a dual role--choreographer and dancer. This came about in large part because of practicality as the conventions of this type of dance are constantly in a flux of ongoing creation.
Reversal of Steps
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After World War II, modern dance experienced a dramatic change. Instead of forsaking traditional technique, modern dance began to employ some ballet and social dance steps, and theory.
Ongoing Evolution
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Modern dance creates its own conventions, evolving with the era and the narrative structures of the time in which it is being performed. It is a continual agent of change.
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