Task Two: Workshop/audition for a dance in a new style - stylistic features

 Stylistic features of Contemporary dance

Introduction to contemporary dance

Around the 1980s, the term "contemporary dance" was created by a wave of new dancers who did not want to adhere to rigid classical ballet and lyrical dance forms, but instead sought to explore the realm of revolutionary unusual movements drawn from all dance traditions around the world. Contemporary dances, as a result, do not use fixed moves, but rather attempt to develop completely new forms and dynamics, such as quick oppositional moves, shifting alignments, expressions of raw emotions, systematic breathing, dancing moves performed in non-standing positions (for example, lying on the floor), and, in general, attempting to discover the absolute limits of our human form and physique.

This renowned dance style may be traced back to various notable dance masters, including Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham. They were all determined to show the world that contemporary dancers should embrace freedom, reject old dance norms, and push the boundaries of the human body and visual expression of emotions. Furthermore, one of the originators to contemporary dance may be found in millennia-old traditions of Zen Buddhism and Indian Health Yoga, which integrate numerous dancing ideologies that closely reflect the principles of contemporary dance.

Dancers may utilise contemporary dance to portray characters, reenact events, or communicate personal experiences. Its practices may also convey abstract themes such as ethical principles, self-acceptance, and current social challenges. Costumes often mirror the topic or tone of the accompanying music, and dancers frequently perform barefoot. This type of dancing can be performed to a variety of musical styles, spoken word poems and songs, or silence.

Stylistic features of contemporary dance

Contemporary dance is an expressive dance style that blends elements of several dance genres such as modern, jazz, lyrical, and classical ballet.

Contractions:

Martha Graham, a modern dancer and choreographer, originated the term as one of the main parts of her own dance method. It refers to the forward curvature of the spine beginning at the pelvic region.

Dynamics:

Contemporary dynamics can change quickly, shifting from a very delicate movement to a faster sharp one, this adds more texture to the dance, allowing the dancer to relate movements to the music and fully express the intent of the choreography.  

Use of gravity and weight transference:

A feature of contemporary dance in terms of gravity is that the dancer is frequently on the point of losing the centre of gravity and balance, only to quickly regain it.

Gravity is also frequently employed in contact improvisation, a method developed in the 1970s in America by Steve Paxton that is now a part of the contemporary dance tradition, whether improvised or choreographed. 

Contact improvisation:

Contact Improvisation is a dance style in which points of physical contact serve as the beginning point for improvisation and exploration of movement. Contact Improvisation is a type of dance improvisation that is well-known and distinctive in contemporary dance.

Bibliography

Contemporary-dance.org. (n.d.). Contemporary Dance Terms. Retrieved from Contemporary-dance.org: https://www.contemporary-dance.org/dance-terms.html#:~:text=Contraction%3A%20term%20introduced%20by%20the%20modern%20dancer%20and,is%20a%20term%20used%20by%20dance%20researchers%20mainly.

Dance Facts. (2023). Contemporary Dance History and Origins. Retrieved from Dance Facts: http://www.dancefacts.net/dance-types/contemporary-dance/

World Dance Heritage. (2023, January 10 ). What is the Difference Between Jazz Dance and Contemporary Dance. Retrieved from World Dance Heritage: What is the Difference Between Jazz Dance and Contemporary Dance

Zeleman, M. (n.d.). What is contact improvisation . Retrieved from contact improvisation : https://www.contactimprov.com/whatiscontactimprov.html#:~:text=Contact%20Improvisation%20%28CI%29%20is%20a%20dance%20technique%20in,postmodern%20dance.%20Full%20wikipedia%20definition%20and%20history%20here.