Contemporary Ballet Guide: 3 Elements of Contemporary Ballet

Contemporary ballet is a style of dance that meshes classical ballet with modern dance to create movements that are more expressive and less rigid in form than classical ballet. Contemporary ballet dancers often begin learning classical ballet techniques and then build up their range of movements and styles with additional training in modern dance and modern ballet techniques.

Contemporary ballet is an art form that evolved from several hundred years of ballet technique and draws on elements of classical and neoclassical ballet.

• Fifteenth to twentieth century: The dance form we know today as classical ballet began as dances among nobility in European royal courts. It became a well-established dance style as ballet schools opened up in Paris, and then later across Europe and Russia. Ballet dancers learned standardized classical techniques, which included posture, ballet positions, and exacting choreography. In the nineteenth century, barre work also became an essential part of training for ballet dancers. Professional ballet companies, such as the Bolshoi Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet, began staging productions of now well-known ballets, including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty.
• Nineteenth century: The first half of the nineteenth century saw the rise of romantic ballet. Moody style and elaborate costumes became a focal point. It was during this period that flowing tulle skirts and tutus were introduced, partly as a way to give the women a more ethereal look on stage with the illusion that they were weightless and floating. The introduction of a standard pointe shoe allowed dancers to support their body weight on the tips of their feet to further enhance the dancers’ fairy-like appearance on stage.
• Early twentieth century: In the 1920s, choreographer George Balanchine is credited with creating neoclassical ballet, a predecessor to contemporary ballet. The elements that defined neoclassical ballet were in part a rejection of the formal costumes and large stage scenery so prevalent in romantic ballet, and the style pioneered many elements that would be important to contemporary ballet. In a neoclassical ballet, dancers wear minimalist costumes, sometimes just leotards, and the focus is on the dancer’s movements, not the stage production. It was during this era that the American Ballet Theatre, a repertory ballet company based in New York City, was founded.
• Late twentieth century: In the early 1980s, Balanchine’s neoclassical ballet gave way to an even more modern form—contemporary ballet. Instead of following a strict classical style, dancers mixed classical ballet techniques with contemporary dance techniques, including modern dance. While classical ballet is characterized by fluid, graceful movements and an emphasis on the long lines of a ballerina’s body, in contemporary ballet, dancers make freer, larger movements and emphasize improvisation alongside traditional choreography.

While contemporary ballet’s definition is more ambiguous than those of the ballet styles that came before it, there are key characteristics that distinguish it from earlier forms of ballet:

1. 1. Incorporation of floorwork: An element heavily borrowed from contemporary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, floorwork involves ballet dancers performing movements on the floor instead of while standing upright.
2. 2. Lack of ballet shoes: In some contemporary ballet performances, ballerinas perform barefoot rather than in pointe shoes, allowing them a greater range of motion than when adhering to classical pointe work.
3. 3. Large upper body movements: While in classical ballet the dancer’s spine is rigid and there is little upper body movement, contemporary ballet features a wide range of upper body dance movements that more closely resemble modern dance than classical ballet.

In the twentieth century, a number of choreographers introduced contemporary work to the world of traditional ballet, ushering in the era of contemporary ballet.

1. 1. William Forsythe: Forsythe is a contemporary ballet dancer and choreographer from the United States. He danced with the Joffrey Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. In 2005, he established the Forsythe Company, where he was artistic director until 2015. His work is known for being freestyle, which lets ballet dancers have room for experimentation.
2. 2. Martha Graham: In 1926, dancer Martha Graham founded the Martha Graham Dance Company. Her method, which is still widely taught today in dance classes, combines ballet with modern dance techniques that incorporate elements of Native American dances and sprawling floor work. She introduced storylines in which female dancers became more empowered as opposed to the frail and tragic characters in romantic ballet.
3. 3. Alonzo King: King is an American ballet dancer, a choreographer, and the founder and artistic director of the Alonzo King LINES Ballet company based in San Francisco. He describes his work as thought structures that are created by dancers through the manipulation of energies.
4. 4. Dwight Rhoden: Rhoden is a US-born choreographer and the co-founder and artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, based in New York City. He incorporates multiple dance styles into his work, including classical ballet, along with modern and contemporary dance.
5. 5. Twyla Tharp: In the 1960s, Tharp, an American dancer, choreographer, and artistic director, founded her dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work merged elements of popular performing arts—such as jazz, contemporary pop music, and classical music—into dance as an art form that more prominently displays human emotion. In 1973, Tharp choreographed Deuce Coupe, set to the music of The Beach Boys, for the Joffrey Ballet. This contemporary work is considered by some in the dance world to be the first crossover ballet—a style that mixes ballet and modern dance. Her contemporary ballet company later merged with the American Ballet Theatre group.

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