Dance's Evolution

This article will discuss how dance has evolved throughout time.

There is no longer the shock of revelation at a contemporary dance performance. We expect ballerinas to look a certain way, the concept of "serious dancing" is commonplace, and modern forms of dance training are now commonplace across many fields.

Dance as performance art

The visual spectacle of dance-theatre was developed in the Baroque era.

In this era, as seen in London's Royal Academy of Music in 1677, dance and theatre were merged. A dancer would appear with a suit of armour, costume, and a musical instrument, and would typically be accompanied by a musical score.

The Dutch painter Paulus Potter is known for his Baroque dance portraits of male performers in Amsterdam in the 1720s.

These portraits focus on the action, with the dancer in front of a backcloth with their arms raised and closed fists. The composition is unusual, as it draws attention to the gesture of the arms, and the front of the body.

During the 18th century, ballet was also a popular performing art. The ballet dancer's ballet costume would have been heavy and impractical.

The dancer would wear tights, thigh-high stockings, a tutu, a jacket, and top hat. Some artists took this idea one step further with fully nude dancers.

As with other performing arts, styles of dance have evolved throughout history.

What is modern dance?

Dance is still a performing art, and dance is still widely practiced. In many parts of the world, and especially in the United States and Australia, dance performances have continued to evolve.

In 1845, the English choreographer-dancer John Cranko founded the School of English Dancing. His aim was to create contemporary ballet, and his students soon adopted their modern style.

Maurice Béjart and his company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, formed in 1946, were the first modern ballet company. They were noted for their use of music in their performances, their costumes and their dance style.

In 1951, Jerome Robbins became a ballet master for the New York City Ballet. He helped create the Robbins Company Ballet, the first professional company to use pointe shoes in their dancing.

In the 1970s, the Australian-born dancer, choreographer and director Judith Elwes created the Elwes International Modern Ballet Competition. Her aim was to develop dancers from across the globe, with an emphasis on the ability to translate different styles of dance.

Today, modern dance is danced in many countries, and is increasingly integrated into classical dance forms.

Why have dancing styles changed?

The reasons behind how modern styles of dance developed are diverse.

In Western society, dance was seen as a recreational and entertainment activity, or even as a "secret" that could be learnt by women.

Women who followed classical dance styles would perform in costumes of long, flowing skirts, dresses, and corsets. Western choreographers incorporated very slow movements that emphasised long leg and torso stretches, and subtle posture.

Mixed dance forms were used to incorporate both men and women in the same performance. The European ballroom dance tradition contains many different types of dance steps that can be danced by both men and women.

Women took on roles that were traditionally performed by men. For example, the Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova combined classical ballet techniques with a pointe shoe.

The creation of new dance styles and the blending of classical and modern dance styles have occurred in many countries.

For example, the introduction of Western style dance styles into Eastern culture has been popular in China and Japan, where many dancing styles have fused elements of classical dance and popular music.

In India, contemporary dance has become a popular form of dance performance. This has been linked to the influence of post-independence Indian politics.

In the 1990s, New York City became known as the dance capital of the world, with a wide range of styles of dance, including modern and ballet.

Many of the world's leading classical dance companies are now working with modern dance choreographers. For example, the New York City Ballet's ballet master and co-founder George Balanchine and his choreographer Jerome Robbins worked closely with the modern choreographer-dancer Alvin Ailey.

In fact, many classical ballet dancers have begun to explore contemporary dance, and are exploring a wide range of contemporary dance styles, from contemporary jazz to hip hop.

Why is contemporary dance growing in popularity?

The Australian dance scene is popular with both professional dancers and people who want to take up dance. In particular, contemporary dance has been developed to explore issues of global concern.

Recent years have seen the rise of hip hop, urban dance and contemporary Latin dance.

In the UK, artists such as Marina Muggleton have pioneered contemporary dance in order to engage with issues of peace, and social justice.

However, not all styles of contemporary dance are created for performing in front of an audience. Some dancers dance for themselves.

Bharatanatyam is an ancient Indian art form performed using music and prayer. The audience can watch as the dancers move through complex patterns of motion, and move them as if they were objects.

Research shows that doing so helps the dancer think more about movement. Other research has also found that these dance forms can improve motor skills in areas such as joint mobility and balance.

Beyond health benefits, performing in the contemporary style has also become popular with the youth, and the urban classes have become more hip hop influenced.

The history of modern dance:

Modern dance is characterised by two forms. Early forms include mime, and an early form of ballet.

The work of American choreographer George Balanchine made ballet accessible to wider audiences and helped to launch the careers of dancers such as Jerome Robbins and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Balanchine developed new methods to make ballet more accessible, which brought it to more popular audiences.

Mikhail Baryshnikov moved away from classical ballet to create a style of ballet that was filled with free movement.By the 1980s, Baryshnikov's work in hip hop, jazz and other contemporary dance styles, combined with other styles of modern dance, had become popular, with artists such as Christina Aguilera and Kanye West using his dances in their music videos.