Modern dance originated in the early 1900s in the United States as a rebellion against restrictive classical ballet. It uses loose, improvised movements to interpret emotions and tell stories through dance rather than rigid steps. Pioneers like Martha Graham, Ruth St. Denis, Isadora Duncan, and Loie Fuller helped establish modern dance by incorporating influences from other cultures and innovating the use of lighting, floor work, and other techniques. While initially controversial, modern dance became more widely accepted and influential over time.

1. Twentieth CenturyModern Dance“The body says what words cannot.”-Martha Graham

2. Definition of Modern DanceModern Dance: A style of theatrical dancing that is not as restricted as classical ballet; movements are expressive of feelings.It is an expressive form of art.

3. History & InfluenceOriginated in the United States In the early 1900’s Started as a rebellion against the strict style of classical balletBased on Utopian idealsFirst seen as extremely radical

4. Characteristics of Modern DanceInterpretive instead of using sets of steps and dance booksLooks improvisedLoose movement Gravity plays and important roleTells a story though the danceUse motions, props, music, and lights to show emotions Costumes were important to the overall dance

5. Modern DanceBalletDo a lot of floor work and choreography on the groundC-Shaped spineBarefoot or light shoesHeavy movementsCostumes made to show movementUpright choreography like leaps and turnsErect spinePointe shoes or ballet slippersLight on their feetElegant structured costumes to show beauty

8. The Physics of Modern DanceGravity: Use laws of gravity for falls, balancing, and elevationImportant to maintain your natural heightCenter of gravityAction & Reaction:For every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction (Newton's third law)Centrifugal & Centripetal ForcesAffect circular motion such as turns; revolve around an axisInertia and Momentum

9. The PioneersMartha GrahamRuth St. Denis & Ted ShawnIsadora DuncanLoie Fuller

10. Martha Graham(1894-1991)Mother of modern dance, not graham crackers!American dancer and choreographerLearned to dance at Denishawn Studio in NYCInspiration for the routines came from a “certain string” First to establish moving scenery and speech with dancingBroke social norms on how dance was seen Founded her own dance company, technique, and theatre

11. Ruth St. Denis & Ted Shawn(1877-1960)Founded Ruth St. Denis School of Dancing and Related Arts (Denishawn)Based movements on other world dance formsEast Asia, Egypt, Japan, India…

12. Isadora Duncan(1877-1927)American dancerAccrediting with inventing “modern dance”Barefoot, free flowing, Brought dance back to its roots from other culturesGrecian, folks, nature… while incorporating American athleticism

13. Loie Fuller(1862-1928)She was the first choreographer to incorporate lighting into her piecesMulticolored lights on silk First to use incandescent lightsHad a traveling lighting teamResponsible for multiple European toursIsadora Duncan

14. CritiquesHard to follow the storyline Not widely accepted at the timeAudiences were intrigued by the new style

15. Influence on TodayModern dance has become more widely accepted and knownInfluenced other stylesEspecially post-modern dance and contemporaryMost popular style of dance in the professional worldFeatured tours and television shows

16. “I thought I was seeing a revelation. Time stopped for me. I could not believe what I was seeing. Those works are engraved on my brain, my mind, my heart. I’ve never forgotten, never, the atmosphere on stage, the lighting… the use of props, the use of costume… the strongest, simplest, most powerful theater I think I’ve ever seen.” – Glen Tetley (critic)