Key stylistic features of Contemporary Dance

 Contemporary dance is an expressive and emotion-led form of dance. It was pioneered by figures such as Ruth Saint Denis and Martha Graham and its aim was to break the rules at a time when only ballet was considered prestigious. The movements and routines relied on experimentation and self-expression rather than technique. 

Positions of the feet:

Rather than balletic pointed feet, contemporary dances use flexed feet (often barefoot), meaning the foot is bent at the ankle. 

In this image, the person's feet are flexed rather than pointed, giving the leap a sense of freedom.

In contemporary dance, we use parallel position. This means that the knees and feet both face the front, meaning the feet are in line with each other in a way that resembles train tacks. Again this contrasts ballet, where everything is turned out (like first position for example).

The use of gravity and the transferring of weight

Contemporary dance is very grounded and relies on the idea of falling, which allows the body to feel more connected to the movements. Rather than trying to lift lightly and defy gravity like in ballet, modern dance embraces gravity and uses it as a positive, allowing the body to experiment and play with the sensations of falling, transferring weight, and floor work. By giving in to the forces pulling us down, we can use those forces to give us more power.

The dancers are allowing their bodies to be pulled by gravity and different forces, creating interesting angles and contrasting the vertical and lifted qualities of ballet.

Contraction, release and breathing

Contractions and releases in contemporary dance were created by Martha Graham. They mimic breathing, with the chest pushing out and the spine curving backwards in a release (inhalation) and the spine curving into a c shape and the body squeezing/condensing inwards at the core in a contraction (exhalation). They are often quite sudden, impactful and, most importantly, powered from within (at the core and pelvic area of the body). They greatly differ from the external and delicate movements of ballet. They also demonstrate the way breathing affects our movements. 

this is an example of a contraction, where the movement is led from within, at the core, and travels through the entire body in an all-consuming and powerful way.

Floor work and non-vertical shapes - use of the spine.

Rather than sticking to the vertical nature of ballet, contemporary dance experiments with different angles, shapes and levels. The use of the spine is key, as it can bend, curve, rotate and twist, with its fluidity creating a sense of freedom. Asymmetrical and distorted shapes are key features of contemporary dance and allow dancers to experiment with no limits. The use of floor work and even chair work (as seen in Martha Graham's 1930 piece "Lamentation") was very rebellious to begin with. Particularly in floor work, the body navigates different levels and can also be more experimental with the body parts they use and where the weight is transferred, therefore stretching the limits of the body. 

Lamentation, 1930

Here the dancer's weight has been transferred to the hands and arms, which has allowed their body to contort in a different and experimental way, demonstrating the freedom of floor work.