GROUP 2

PRINCIPLES OF

CONTEMPORARY

DANCE
 DISCARDING THE
ARTIFICIALITY
As with any modern art form, Contemporary Dance emerged as a revolt against the
accepted art form of the day – Classical Ballet. The early pioneers rejected
• the restrictions of a stylized technique 
• the decorative aspects of ballet 
• the static poses and artificial gestures 
• the corsets, tight clothing,
• the lavish costumes and décor 2 
• the reality-escaping Pointe shoes in favour of feeling the feet in contact with the
lifecharged earth 
• the polished, glib, decorative and the superficial style or subject matter.
 MOVEMENT QUALITY
Fundamentally the difference between Contemporary Dance and other forms of dance lies in the
movement quality. The movement quality depends on the attitude towards movement and towards
the body in space. These statements were made about Contemporary Dance by leading pioneers at
various times:
• An art should be constantly changing; it must not remain static. It cannot have fixed rules 
• It should be non-conformist and should not try to create a tradition 
• It is experimental, eclectic and inclusive 
• It is not representational (it does not try to copy life), it is imaginative 
• It should stretch the personal vocabulary 
• Movement needs to be significant not decorative
•  The essence of movement lies in the transitions not in the position (Said by Isadora Duncan
in Cohen,1986) 
• Movement quality is everything
 EVER-CHANGING STYLE
In Contemporary Dance, each choreographer forms a movement
style tailor made for their own choreographic intentions. The
technique is eclectic (a mixture borrowing from many influences)
and involves a constant process of discovery and development
with dancers encouraged to explore their own approaches to style.
This expression of individuality is an essential ingredient of
Contemporary Dance.
TRAINING BASED ON
LOGIC AND SAFETY
• few inhibiting rules in the dance training
other than basic, logical ones about
placement, safety and injury prevention.
COMMON INJURIES IN

DANCING
• HIP INJURIES
• FOOT AND ANKLE INJURIES
• STRESS FRACTURES
 GENDER
EQUALITY
• Contemporary Dance generally supports
equality between male and female
dancers.
CENTERING
• very essence of contemporary dance
is kinesiological truth - that human
movement starts in the spine and
pelvis and not in the extremities -
the legs and arms.
ALIGNMENT
• Part of centering has to do with posture,
which is the key to balance and reveals
and produces feelings. Posture has to do
with alignment, which is the placement of
all parts of the body in relationship to one
another.
GRAVITY
• One of the natural forces which
influnces movement. Gravity is
the force that holds you down on
the earth.
 BREATH
• Dancers with strong respiratory muscles
will be able to dance for longer periods of
time and stay alert and focused.
• Controlled breathing also helps to relieve
tension dancers may be carrying. This can
relax muscles and loosen movements.
BREATH
• Doris Humphrey was
fascinated by the ebb and
flow of breath and how it
affects movement.
CONTRACTION
AND RELEASE
• Martha Graham focused on the
physiological effects of the act of breath -
the ebb and flow of breathing and its effect
on the torso as it expands and contracts and
on the function of contraction and release of
muscles.
 FALL AND
RECOVERY
The principle of fall and recovery combines breath, suspension and gravity

“Fall” is the complete release of the muscles as the body gives in to gravity.
A fall releases a vast amount of kinetic energy which can be harnessed by
catching it in a recovery or a rebound which is then suspended.
Recovery is the rebound of the energy passing though the bottom of the fall
and continuing on the same path like a pendulum swing. Rebound uses
elastic reaction of the muscles at the limit of their stretch to naturally spring
back. The energy continues along the lines of centrifugal force.
 SUSPENSION
Suspension is a prolonged high point It is created at the
peak of the movement by continuing the movement and
delaying the takeover of gravity. The combination of the
weight of the head in the fall, the elasticity of the spine and
the release in the knees creates the feeling of rebound
throughout the body.
 BALANCE AND
OFF-BALANCE
Inner balance relies upon an awareness of weight and pressure. In
order to stand upright we have to have our weight over our feet
otherwise gravity will cause us to topple over. The part of the
body where the weight is centered is called the “centre of gravity”
which is inside the body at hip height (the pelvis). When
displacing the pelvis the body will go off-balance as in a tilt or in
fall and recovery. Using off-balance movements gives a sense of
urgency, vitality or danger
 TENSION AND
RELAXATION
Muscles tense and relax to enable us to stand and move.
Tension and relaxation also express how we feel. All
movement exists between the two opposite poles - absolute
tension – so tense you cannot move - to absolute relaxation
– so relaxed you cannot move.
 OPPOSITION
Opposition implies two things working one against the other.
These things may be forces, parts of the body or people.
Opposition is a way of using the entire body to create the feeling
of length and stretch in a movement, without tensing or gripping
(shortening) the 6 muscles. The human body has 5 points of
opposition: the head, left and right hand left and right leg. Each
can oppose the other to get stretch and length in the arms and
legs and to feel the connection of the one to the other
 SUCCESION
Succession is the opposite of opposition. It is
a sequential path of movement through parts
of the body – a wave-like reaction i.e. body
parts go in the same direction rather than in
opposite directions.
 SPIRAL
This is the turn of the body on
its axis (around the spine). It is
used for balance, control and
turning.
 SWINGS AND
MOMENTUM
Swinging movements, like a pendulum, depend on
the force of gravity. The down swing gives in to
gravity but the momentum gained as it falls causes
it to swing up again. There is a moment of
suspension at the end of the swing before gravity
causes it to fall again.
QUIZ !
1. Few inhibiting rules In The dance training
other than basic, logic ones about placement,
safety and injury prevention

A. Training based on logic and safety

B. Contraction and release
C. Centering
D. Alignment
2. One of The natural forces which influences
movement

A. Alignment
B. Centering
C. Gravity
D. Breath
3. She was fascinated by The ebb and flow
of breath and how it affects movement.

A. Dorris Humprey
B. Doris Humphrey
C. Dora the explorer
D. Kimmy Dora
4. Very essence of contemporary dance is
kinesiological truth - that human movement
starts In the spine and pelvis and not in the
extremities.

A. Alignment
B. Breath
C. Gravity
D. Centering
5. This has to do with posture, which is the key
to balance and reveals and produces
feelings.

A. Alignment
B. Centering
C. Breath
D. Gravity
6. She focused on the physiological effects on the act
of breath - the ebb and flow of breathing and its
effect on the torso as it expands and contracts and
on the function of contraction and release of
muscles

A. Marhta Graham
B. Martha Graham
C. Marha Grayham
D. Maria Graham
7. The ebb and flow of breathing and its effect
on the torso as it expands and contracts

A. Contraction and Release

B. Breathing
C. Centering
D. Alignment
8. It is the flow of breath and how it affects
movement

A. Contraction and Release

B. Breathing
C. Centering
D. Alignment
9. Is a style of expressive Dance that combines
elements of severely Dance genres including
modern, jazz, lyrical, and classical ballet.

A. Hiphop
B. Ballroom
C. Contemporary
D. Folk Dance
10. What are the three common
injuries in dancing?