The start of contemporary dance was with Isadora Duncan (1878-1927), American-French dancer who deserted her ballet career which she deemed as too robotic and restrictive to free herself and create dance that is inspired by the ocean. Her love of nature was shown through her organic, flowing movements, using her solar plexus (the bundle of nerves at the pit of your stomach) as the basis of all her movement. She was also inspired by Greek culture and dance, often wearing a Greek tunic and bare feet for a costume and danced femininely, using her arms and hands to freely express herself.

Example of Isadora’s dance, recreated in 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq2GgIMM060&index=2&list=LLkh-ZbiZxSrYWvbk_2oqWlg&t=0s

Pina Bausch (1940 –2009) was a German modern dancer who helped resurge the Tanztheater style which grew out of German Expressionist dance from about the 1920’s. One of her most famous choreographies was her reimagining of ‘Rite of Spring’, originally choregraphed by Vaslav Nijinksy with music by Igor Stravinsky. Her version was controversial, including the dancers performing the routine on dirt on the stage and a woman being ‘sacrificed’ to satisfy the misogyny of the surrounding men. She is very influential In the world of dance for the way that she revolutionised the way we think of modern dance: “I’m not interested in how people move; I’m interested in what makes them move,” she put a lot of emphasis on peoples emotions and inspirations rather than just the pure mechanics of dance itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VqaGkKQRCU&t=39s

 

Costume for contemporary dance

English National Ballet – Rite of Spring

 

Scottish dance theatre

Contemporary dancers tend to wear very similar outfits. This creates a sense of continuity and therefore tells the story in a more effective way. The colours they wear also are important in conveying the mood of the piece.