II.

Observable Characteristics

Modern dance, having begun as a reaction against ballet, is perhaps more easily defined by what it is not than by what it is, and it is often defined in contrast to ballet. Certain broad traits, however, can be observed in much of the enormously varied modern dance that has been created in the 20th century.

A.

The Choreographer-Performer

In modern dance, the tendency is for one artist to act as both choreographer (see Choreography) and performer—and frequently also as scenic, costume, and lighting designer. During the last 300 years of ballet, in contrast, choreographers have seldom continued to dance when they were at the height of their choreographic achievements. Unlike ballet choreographers, who rely on a language of codified steps, modern dancers create their own conventions, or dance language; thus, they usually find it a practical necessity to both choreograph and perform.

B.

Creation of a Dance Language

Because a dance language involves elements such as posture, use of the body’s weight, and the character of movements (sinuous, angular, and so forth)—as well as specific movements of the head, torso, hands, arms, legs, and feet—most creators of modern dance have considered it essential to examine their own style of movement and to develop theories about its sources. Such explanations may refer to the physical dynamics of dance motions, such as the role of gravity or of breathing or the spine; or the theories may refer to ethnic and other nonballet traditions.

C.

Use of Space

In keeping with the conventional language of ballet, the ballet dancer’s movements are developed from a basic orientation of facing the audience from the front of the stage. At the same time, the ballet dancer maintains an erect posture and a turned-out position—that is, legs rotated outward from the hips. Modern dancers, in contrast, usually assume a multidimensional orientation in the theater space. Their actions make use of all dimensions of space—the dancers often stand sideways to or turn their backs on the audience, and they do not always remain upright and deliberate falling motions are common. Despite the variety of modern dance styles, they generally tend to take into account the weight of the body, whereas ballet requires the dancer to create the illusion of freedom from gravity, of effortlessly jumping and soaring through the air.

D.

Relation to Music

Another aspect of much modern dance concerns the relation of movement to music. In traditional ballet the momentum and impulses of the dance movement typically parallel the rhythms of the music. Such a parallel may be present in modern dance, but it is not assumed that this must be the case. The dance may be composed first and the music written afterwards, underscoring the impulses of the dance movement, or the momentum of the dance may run counter to the rhythms of the music. Music may even be absent, the sounds of the dancers’ movements being heard against a backdrop of silence. (This independent relation of modern dance and music has, in fact, influenced some contemporary ballet.)