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Beginning Modern Dance With HKPropel Access introduces undergraduate and high school students to modern dance as a performing art through participation, appreciation, and academic study in a dance technique course.
In the book, 50 photos with concise descriptions support students in learning beginning modern dance technique and in creating short choreographic or improvisational studies. For those new to modern dance, the book provides a friendly orientation on the structure of a modern dance technique class and includes information regarding class expectations, etiquette, and appropriate attire. Students also learn how to prepare mentally and physically for class, maintain proper nutrition and hydration, and avoid injury.
Beginning Modern Dance supports students in understanding modern dance as a performing art and as a medium for artistic expression. The text presents the styles of modern dance artists Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey and José Limón, Katherine Dunham, Lester Horton, and Merce Cunningham along with an introduction to eclectic modern dance style. Chapters help students begin to identify elements of modern dance as they learn, view, and respond to dance choreography and performance.
Related materials delivered online via HKPropel include 38 interactive video clips and photos of dance technique to support learning and practice. In addition, e-journal and self-reflection assignments, performance critiques, and quizzes help students develop their knowledge of modern dance as both performers and viewers.
Through modern dance, students learn new movement vocabularies and explore their unique and personal artistry in response to their world. Beginning Modern Dance supports your students in their experience of this unique and dynamic genre of dance.
Beginning Modern Dance is a part of Human Kinetics’ Interactive Dance Series. The series includes resources for ballet, modern, tap, jazz, musical theater, and hip-hop dance that support introductory dance technique courses taught through dance, physical education, and fine arts departments. Each student-friendly text has related online learning materials including video clips of dance instruction, assignments, and activities. The Interactive Dance Series offers students a collection of guides to learning, performing, and viewing dance.
Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with all new print books.
Chapter 1. Introduction to Modern Dance
Defining Modern Dance
Benefits of Studying Modern Dance
Basics of Modern Dance Class
Expectations and Etiquette for Students
Structure of Modern Dance Class
Unique Features of Modern Dance
Appreciating Modern Dance As a Performing Art
Summary
Chapter 2. Preparing for Class
Dressing for Class
Carrying Dance Gear
Preparing Yourself Mentally and Physically
Summary
Chapter 3. Safety and Health
Studio Safety
Personal Safety
Basic Anatomy
Basic Kinesiology
Preventing and Treating Common Dance Injuries
Flexibility and Stretching
Achieving Optimal Fitness
Nutrition, Hydration, and Rest
Summary
Chapter 4. Modern Dance Basics
Elements of Dance
Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Basic Positions
Stage Directions
Basic Movements
Summary
Chapter 5. Dance Composition Basics
Creative Process in Dance
Aesthetic Principles
Meaning Making
Choreographic Techniques
Choreographic Structures
Choreographic Forms
Summary
Chapter 6. Performing and Responding to Modern Dance
Learning Movement for Performance
Viewing and Responding to Modern Dance Performances
Summary
Chapter 7. History of Modern Dance
Origins of Modern Dance
Evolution of Modern Dance
Dance in Higher Education
Relevance of Modern Dance Today
Summary
Chapter 8. Five Major Styles of Modern Dance
Humphrey-Limón
Martha Graham
Merce Cunningham
Lester Horton
Katherine Dunham
Eclectic Approach
Somatic Practices
Identifying Your Instructor’s Approach
Summary
Miriam Giguere, PhD, is the dance program director in the department of performing arts at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Giguere has been teaching modern dance in higher education for 22 years. Before teaching at the university level, Giguere danced professionally with three modern dance companies. As dance program director at Drexel, she created the curriculum for the dance major to include multiple styles of modern dance. Using her experience as a dance teacher in an academic setting, she developed 11 new courses and associated teaching materials.
Giguere is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences on the topics of best practices in dance education and cognition during the creative process in dance. Her dissertation on the latter topic received the 2009 National Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association Arts and Learning Special Interest Group. She was the invited keynote speaker for Singapore’s Dance Education Conference 2010. She holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in dance from Temple University.
She is a member of the National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO) and the Congress on Research in Dance. Giguere also is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Dance Education and the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship.
In her free time, Giguere enjoys practicing yoga and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Ralph, reside in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Understand Movement Preferences in Modern Dance
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance.
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Martha Graham ' The Graham Technique
The function of dance is communication. . . . By communication is not meant to tell a story or to project an idea, but to communicate experience by means of action . . .
Now that you have a grasp of the way in which modern dance looks at movement, the next step is to understand how these movement efforts of space, time, weight, and flow are frequently used in modern dance. Each genre of dance uses the same instrument, the human body. How, then, is modern dance different from other types of dance? The answer to this question lies in the ways in which movements are put together and also in the aesthetic preferences of the art form. In this section you will learn about these preferences in modern dance that are true for all styles of the form. These preferences include centrally initiated movement, breath, integrated body, preference for flow over shape, and countertension.
These preferences in ways of moving are equal in importance in modern dance; one is not more central or more common than the others. If you listen to the directions that modern dance teachers give, and you pay close attention to the feedback or corrections that you and other dancers receive in class, you will likely hear these ideas mentioned frequently. Sometimes the application of one of these ways of moving is the difference between a well-executed movement and a passable one. Running through the space and holding your breath, for example, will not look or feel the same as running through the space using a deep exhalation. Let's look at each of these preferences individually.
Centrally Initiated Movement
Movements in modern dance frequently start from the middle of the body, using the muscles of the abdomen, often coupled with an exhalation. This is what is meant by centrally initiated movement; it begins in the center of the body. You may notice that your teacher begins class with exhaling and curving in the middle or even sitting on the floor and rounding the center of the torso. There are several reasons for this.
Modern dance began in an era when women wore corsets. They couldn't easily move their torsos or even breathe deeply in many cases. The early women who pioneered the field of modern dance removed their corsets and watched what happened as their breath moved through their upper bodies. You can try this yourself. Look in the mirror at your torso as you exaggerate your breathing, and you will see the beginnings of the movement called a contraction. This forward and backward curving of the torso is central to all forms of modern dance. Some styles contract higher in the torso and some lower, and some twist this movement to the side, but no matter how it is done, it is a central part of the vocabulary. The early modern dancers felt this movement showed a sense of freedom from the physical constraints of the corset but also from the political restrictions that it implied. The beginnings of modern dance are tied to the first wave of feminism, and the symbol of the torso moving without a corset was a way of showing the desire to shed the limitations placed on women at the time.
Another reason that so much modern dance movement begins in the center of the body may relate once again to Laban. The imaginary dimensional cross, from which Laban begins movement description, intersects at the center of the torso. It literally is the center of movement from this perspective. The early part of the 20th century, when modern dance began, was a time of scientific discovery. The popularity of a scientific, analytical way to look at movements may have been a powerful framework for the early modern dance pioneers. There is a strong possibility that Laban's way of framing movement influenced the pioneers' ways of creating modern dance.
Breath
The use of breath is one of the movement principles that unite all the various styles of modern dance. Breath is a central force of nature and a sustaining element of life. Many of the modern dance pioneers were interested in how the body in motion connected to the natural world. They wanted to know how the body was like the motion of the sea or the elements of the natural world, and this necessitated paying attention to the rhythms of the body through breathing. Perhaps because the early pioneers explored it so fully when they removed their corsets or when they were attempting to connect to nature, or perhaps because it is simply central to an athletic use of the body, breath is often discussed in modern dance class. Movements can come from exhaling or inhaling. Often you will be instructed to look at the pattern of your breathing as you move through a dance sequence. Do not be surprised if you are asked to make your breath audible with a loud exhalation! Paying attention to your breathing can make some sequences easier to execute but can also enhance your emotional and physical investment in the movements. As you tie your breathing to your actions, you are using more of yourself as you dance.
Integrated Body
All dance forms rely on moving the parts of the body in harmony. What that harmony looks like, however, varies from dance form to dance form. In modern dance, using the body as a whole is often a preference. It is impossible to make statements of absolutes in the arts. Some modern dance choreographers use isolation as part of their vocabulary, but in general, a fully integrated use of the body is a principle of modern dance. This means that as you execute even the smallest movement, your entire body is involved. As you reach upward, you involve your legs in rooting downward to the earth. When you push your arms forward, you allow your chest to respond. While dancing correctly in every form of dance requires you to pay attention to your whole body, especially where alignment is concerned, the movements of modern dance encourage you to integrate your arms, legs, spine, and torso together to create the movements of the dance form rather than isolating any one part of the body. Twentieth-century modern dance choreographer José Limón said that the body is like an orchestra. Each part of the body is one section of the group. While sometimes the violins (or let's say the arms and chest) are taking the lead, the entire orchestra is involved in the music. Keep this in mind when you are learning new movements. If you ask yourself how the whole body is responding to the instruction and which part of your body's "orchestra" is playing the loudest, you may find the movements easier and more fulfilling to execute.
Preference for Flow Over Shape
While shape is an important part of using the body to make art in modern dance, the form is not geared only to shape, line, and poses. In fact, the flow, or transition from one shape to another, is just as important in modern dance as the actual shapes themselves. In many movement combinations, shapes are used to travel through space, or one shape turns right into another. As you learn new movement sequences in modern dance class, ask yourself whether you are expected to make the shape of the body distinct or if the instructor intends for you to blend one shape into another. This quality of continuity can be a distinctive feature of the movements you are learning.
Countertension
One principle originally described by Laban that is frequently seen in modern dance is the concept of countertension, which means giving equal energy to two opposing parts of the body. If you extend your right leg behind you and your left arm in front of you and reach each in the directions they are pointing with equal energy, you are using countertension. It is a way for you to create an energetic connection, or tension, between these parts of the body. This way of approaching the movement not only strengthens the pose you are in but also gives the body a very different look than if you were only paying attention or giving energy to one of the two body parts. In some modern techniques, this countertension is used to heighten the feeling of diagonals that cross the body; in other kinds of modern dance, it is used to find a tension or energy between the dancers' upward motion while maintaining a strong connection to the floor.
Holding countertensions in the body doesn't mean that you need to always be exactly on balance. In fact, the idea of falling off balance is often considered beautiful in modern dance. This is the difference between stabile and labile. Stabile is where the body is balancing; labile is where the body is off of equilibrium. The excitement of nearly losing balance and then regaining it adds vitality and dynamics to the vocabulary of modern dance movement.
These preferences for ways of moving will be combined with the basic steps and positions of modern dance in your classes. You will need to learn the basic movement vocabulary of modern dance, made up of basic positions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and these preferences in order to be a successful modern dancer.
Activity
Countertension
Often the opposition to your energy can come from another dancer, not only from another body part. Face another dancer and hold each other's hands so that your right hand is holding your partner's left and your left is holding your partner's right. Slowly pull away from each other with equal force without letting go. The energy that is created between you is a powerful force for partnering work in modern dance. This countertension can be between any two dancers as partners, regardless of sex.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.
Learn different ways to create improvisation
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it.
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. This means that you are inventing the movement as you do it. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. Playing, letting go, acting on impulse, listening, and trusting yourself are all part of the improvisation process. Very often improvisation in dance is structured around a movement task or an idea. For example, you might be asked to improvise for a certain number of counts during the combination at the end of class, with the guidelines that you travel low to the floor or move in a circular path. This same idea of structuring improvisational exercises can be used as a very satisfying way to dance in and of itself, but it is also often used as a way to generate movement to be used in choreography. Some choreographers improvise movement for themselves and then teach the material to the dancers. Other choreographers improvise with their dancers during rehearsal. The movement you create during the rehearsal process may be shaped and used in the choreography itself. This is frequently true in modern dance where it is common for a choreographer to highlight the individuality and specific talents of the performers. Some common improvisational structures are suggested in the following section to help you with your investigations, but this is by no means a comprehensive list. Your teacher will have many other strategies to help you develop movement ideas.
Moving From Visual Images
Photographs, paintings, sculptures, and videos can inspire movement creation. Pick an image that resonates with you or with the idea you want to make a dance about. If there is a spatial pattern evident in the visual art you have selected, begin to move in the space in that same pattern. Allow yourself many repetitions of the pattern and see how the movement naturally alters or adapts as you move. Perhaps there is a central figure or object in the image. Embody the shape of that figure or object. Allow yourself to respond to the position your body is in. Unfold the position, move one body part, or try the position standing, seated, lying on the floor, or traveling through space. Make a list of emotions that the art evokes for you. Move to each of these emotional states using the patterns or shapes you found in the artwork.
Moving From Words
Language can be a powerful force in motivating dance. You can work from a list of words - perhaps ones that suggest action, such as a list of words with - ing endings - or a text such as a poem or a monologue. Listen to the language as you read the text out loud. If it contains a rhythm, begin to move to the rhythm of the words. Try putting this rhythm in just one part of your body, such as your legs. Shift the rhythm to your arms or your hips as you continue to improvise. Make a list of the images in the text. Let these images guide your movements as you did with visual art images. Find the most meaningful words in the text. Describe the quality that these words have for you in movement terms. In other words, do these words suggest moving sharply, slowly, or low to the ground? Use these as qualities or guidelines for inventing movement.
Tasks
Improvisation can also be based on a specific task or assignment. For example, move from one corner of the space to the opposite corner of the space beginning low and ending as high up from the floor as you can. Or move in a circular pattern in the space, but begin movements only with your left foot. Perhaps select a body part from which to begin traveling in the space. If you want to change direction, you must begin with a different body part. A common improvisational task requires dancers to move on a grid pattern on the floor, making only 90-degree turns in the space. Any task like this can lead you to moving in new ways that you haven't tried before and help you to develop movement ideas.
Senses
People experience life through the five senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. Pick any one of these senses as a motivation for improvisation. Eat a bit of sweet chocolate. Respond with movement to the sensation. Now eat a bitter piece of dark chocolate. See if your body responds with movement in the same way. Smell perfume wafting in the air. Let this inspire your movement. Feel an ice cube and respond to the cold using your torso. Sensory experiences are rich with the possibility of bodily response.
Responding to Someone Else
Improvisation does not need to be done solo. In fact, it is quite often a group activity. You can respond to the movement of others in the space with you. You can alternate moving with another dancer, for example, as if you are in dialogue with him. Just like a conversation with words, your movement response is shaped by how your partner moves. If he moves toward you, you can respond by coming even closer or moving away. You can learn a movement from another dancer and change it by adding to it or deleting from it. You can sculpt the shape of another dancer's body and move in the negative spaces created by your partner's position.
There are as many ways to improvise movement as there are ideas for dances. Whatever stimulates you to make movement that suits your dance is an appropriate starting point. The more time you can give to moving without judging yourself, the more original your movement will tend to be. Improvisation should be like a structured play session where your body indulges in the creative process.
Activity
Improvisation
Say your full name (first, middle, and last) out loud and clap to each syllable. Now move just your arms to this rhythm. Next, move just your legs to the same beat pattern. Move your whole body to this rhythm. Move across the space to the rhythm pattern. You have been improvising! See if there are movements you just created that you would like to repeat and teach to someone else.
Learn more about Beginning Modern Dance.