Although Modernism was already established as a definable movement in many art forms by the turn of the century, it did not emerge in concert art dance until the 1920s. Modern dance discarded the strict formality of classical ballet to explore... [more]

Although Modernism was already established as a definable movement in many art forms by the turn of the century, it did not emerge in concert art dance until the 1920s. Modern dance discarded the strict formality of classical ballet to explore radically different physical forms and philosophies. Isadora Duncan is credited as the first modern dancer, although Loie Fuller came even before with her novel use of theatrical lighting. The physical motions of the modern form differs greatly from ballet technique in many ways. The most obvious difference is that the modern dancer is not restricted by pointe shoes, dancing barefoot, and celebrates gravity as opposed to denying its existence. As Postmodern dance marks the next wave in innovative modern technique (60's and 70's). Postmodernism was marked by a shift in focus of both making and performing dance. That one should create predominantly for the sake of the final product of a performance was pushed aside, and artists became more interested in the different paths they could take to arrive at this product. One postmodern choreographer, Anna Halprin, was interested in what she called the “collective experimentation” of movement. She believed this intersection of “art, philosophy, and therapy” was the link between art and reality. The process of finding this link is one of the major focal points of the postmodern ethic. The search for the existential meaning of art had been an issue during modernism, and now these questions arose as postmodern dance was pushing the boundaries of what could be considered art.Postmodern dance was also marked by a shift from elitist, technical dancing bodies, to ‘everyday dancing bodies.’ Now, perhaps we shall call the next-next wave in modern dance, Contemporary Dance. For lack of a better word, contemporary dance can be used to describe dance that is happening right NOW. Dance that perhaps pushes boundaries, offers a new perspective and uses new technology. [show less]