express themselves freely through movement. They were guided by music and inspired by paintings from ancient Greek vases, Oriental dances, and Native American cultures. The most basic movement in modern dance is a free natural style. One of the most important pioneers of modern dance was Isadora Duncan. An advocate of the body’s natural movement, she was inspired by movements of nature, such as winds and waves.
Modern Dance vs. Ballet As opposed to the vertical posture, which is dominant in ballet, modern dance embraced dancing close to the floor with horizontal movements. Dancing with flat feet and bent limbs, movements which were shunned in ballet, was a way of portraying emotions in modern dance. Ballet represents classical and formal narrative, while modern dance contrasts it by representing current, contemporary issues that have led to its directness and increased intensity. Modern Dance Today Some of the movements in modern dance are jetes (jumps), glissade (gliding steps), chaine tour (chain turns), tour de basque (leaps), and front-to-back and side-to-side steps. Choreography in modern dance groups creates geometric shapes with dancers’ bodies. With mostly triangular, circular, and rectangular shapes, the audience can “see” the theme of the routine in modern dance. Modern dance today is often confused with “jazz dance” which also incorporates some basic ballet movements. However, choreography in modern dance has a theme, while jazz dance uses a free form with jumps, hops, leaps accompanied by upbeat music. In modern dance, this is done with more fluidity and softness in movements. Famous Modern Dancers “If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it,” said Isadora Duncan (18771927). She would perform barefoot in thin and loose dresses, no corsets, bringing her expressive movements to impressive standards. The impact that she has had on modern dance continues far beyond her death. Widespread arms, leaps without constraints, skips, lifted head in a sort of ecstasy, and finally, each movement merging into the next one are elements that characterize Duncan’s dancing.