Modern dance is a form of dance which focuses on the serious expression of the inner emotions, using natural movements , personal style, rather than following strict rules of classical ballet. Breaking from the idea of storytelling that dominated 19th century. In modern dance, the dancer is often barefoot or wearing soft shoes. He or she moves in a free, almost improvisational style primarily to express their emotions, ideas thought dance.
When modern dance first developed in 20th century, it was considered extremely radical but at the same time beginning of revolution and creating something new . Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Dennis led the way forward in dance. They were against rules and traditions of classic ballet. These dancers wanted to introduce their audiences to both inner and outer realities and new ways to express themselfs.
Loie Fuller was named an irreplaceable dance treasure by the Dance Heritage Coalition. She created a unique form of art by using fabric, sticks, colours, light and sound. In multiple shows she experimented with a long skirt, choreographing its movements and playing with the ways it could reflect light.
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Fuller had lots of ideas that was related to her costumes and innovations in stage lighting, including the use of glass plates, large projectors, and coloured gelatines . She combined her choreography with silk costumes illuminated by multi-coloured lighting of her own design and that’s how her “Serpentine Dance” was created which she first presented in New York in February 1892.
Her dance were focused on being naturalist that broke every single classic ballet rule. Fuller’s unpredictable success in Europe led the way for the careers of later modern dancers, including Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis.
Isadora Duncan was a famous dancer who brought a new kind of dance to the world. She danced out the feelings from deep of her heart. Unlike other dancers in the late nineteenth century, Isadora Duncan danced with flowing and natural motion.
She was not a ballerina, and did not like to watch ballet dancers, she was certain that with their stiff bodies and unnatural pointe shoes dancers do not express themselves. At first she was rejected, but as time went on, Isadora Duncan became a dance revolutionist people all over the world will never forget.
She knew how to dance from all the practice she got from dancing at home , but she had not yet taken any dancing lessons. Her mother saved up enough money for her to study in a small dance school, but Isadora disliked her teacher.
He made her dance in pointe shoes, which Isadora found painful, ugly, and unnatural. In ballet, everything has a specific step , a strict rule and a traditional pose. Ballerinas dance without freedom of movement. It was against the way Isadora liked to dance and she went against the rules , combining different styles of dance into one form of dance know as ducal dance.
This was the begging of modern dance as we know it, causing a huge sensation and many reactions all over the world. Her main goal was to create dance that was naturalistic. She was inspired by music and natural movements like skipping and running and simply throwing her arms in the air. Her dance had high quality music but no set, light floaty dresses and bare feet that contradict the traditions of ballet.
Ruth St Dennis had an aim to explore other cultures thought dance. She was labeled as a classic dancer in the same category with Isadora Duncan despite the fact that they were two different dancers in the perspective of their approach to solo dance. Since she saw Egyptian goddess on the package of cigarette Ruth was fascinated with eastern oriented and spiritual themes.
She used Egyptian and Chinese fashion to create her dance costumes and during this time she created a story of a “mortal maid who was loved by the god of Krishna, Radha”. Her movements were 2D, angular gestures and shapes.
In 1914 St. Denis married Ted Shawn, her dance partner, and the next year they founded the Denishawn school and company in Los Angeles. St. Denis and Shawn separated, both professionally and maritally and she retired from public performance, founded the Society of Spiritual Arts and devoted rest of her life to promoting the use of dance in religion.
Ballets Russes, ballet company founded in Paris by Serge Diaghilev. Company was created to push the bonders, cross the lines with classic and modern ballet. Found in 1909, the Ballet Russe was successful from the very beginning.
Not only did the ballets have beautiful choreography by amazing choreographers such as Fokine, but also had willing and talented artists and musicians completing the package. Famous painters such as Picasso, Braque, Rouault, and Matisse got clear exposure to the public eye in their set designs and paintings.
Of course because Serge didn’t have ballet background, he approached this job from the musical and artistic perspective, how to make the show better. He focused his work on collaboration between different artist and developing modern art thought dance, music and paintings. Important detail was to show emotions and theme in more dramatic way. We can clearly see this is The Rite of Spring created by Nijinsky in 1913 with Picasso and Coco Chanel.
Born in the early 20th century, modern dance is a dance style that focuses on a dancer’s own interpretations, emotions, showing and expressing yourself. Modern dancers reject the rules of classical ballet and started expressing their inner feelings what made in highly expressive and individual. Dance is an expressive form to let out the feelings and ideas that people have everyday. Main idea of modern dance is to break rules and express yourself and your emotions.
