Dance comes in a wide variety of beautiful forms, including jazz, ballet, tap, and contemporary. If your child has expressed interest in taking dance lessons but hasn't decided on a style yet, consider what contemporary dance has to offer. Learn more about the style and its unique history below.

What Is Contemporary Dance? 

Contemporary dance eschews the structures and steps that other dance styles utilize. The style is typically performed with bare feet and allows dancers to express themselves due to the freedom of movement it emphasizes. Dancers combine elements from jazz, lyrical, classical ballet, and modern styles to leap, fall and recover, twirl, and jump.

The innovative genre is also known for unpredictable changes in speed, direction, and rhythm, as well as many simultaneous moves by different dancers performing together. While the style is meant to look structureless, contemporary dancers use all of their strength, fluidity, and grace to create nonnarrative performances rooted in creative freedom and raw emotion. 

History 

Contemporary dance emerged at the end of the 19th century when dancers wanted to express themselves beyond ballet steps and poses. Legendary dancers such as Isadora Duncan and Francois Delsarte were among the first people to develop informal techniques based on expression rather than form. 

In the 1920s, Martha Graham created a modern dance style, known as the Graham technique, that centered on muscle contractions and releases, movement, and breathwork. This technique is regarded as the precursor to contemporary dance. 

One of Graham’s most famous students, Merce Cunningham, began his career as an independent choreographer in 1942 and is considered the father of contemporary dance. He founded the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1953, with his students performing around the country and world. 

Cunningham stressed that dance lessons and performances could be random and abstract and that no two routines had to be identical. Contemporary dance continues to evolve, allowing dancers to express themselves using any type of music. 

If contemporary dance lessons are right for your child, register at Bender Performing Arts, the dance studio serving North Phoenix, North Scottsdale, and Cave Creek, AZ, since 1974. Both group and private dance lessons are available to suit your child’s skill level and needs. Their contemporary dance classes encourage creativity and expression for passionate kids. Call (602) 971-9170 with questions, or learn more about available options online.