| Modern dance is a style of dance that is more | | | | structured style. There are four basic principles that it |
| emotionally expressive than classical ballet. It is | | | | uses. These principles are: substance of movement, |
| actually one of the more recent inventions in the | | | | dynamism and impact, form of body, and |
| world of dance. When modern dancing first got | | | | metakinesis. |
| started, the public society did not like it at all, but it | | | | Some modern dancers that helped form this art style |
| eventually grew on them. Now, it is an integral part | | | | were Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. |
| of the dance world. | | | | Denis. Isadora Duncan and Ruth St. Denis used more |
| The early 20th century saw the beginnings of | | | | flowing movements in their dances, while Martha |
| modern dance. Its style originated in the U.S. and | | | | Graham was the pioneer in the form of angular |
| Germany, probably because the US had no ancient, | | | | dance. More modern dances of today use Martha |
| traditional dancing styles to follow, such as classical | | | | Graham's method, and it has become one of the |
| ballet. Now, many ballet school classes offer modern | | | | hallmarks of modern dancing. |
| dancing lessons. The idea behind it was that people | | | | Doris Humphrey was also a pioneer in its styles, but |
| should be allowed to express themselves and other | | | | her dancing was purely aesthetic in nature. None of |
| things through their movements. | | | | her dances were based on emotions or anything |
| A lot of classical ballet dancers frowned on this form | | | | interpretive, she just wanted to move in a way that |
| of dance because it broke the traditional rules of | | | | flowed with the music. All of these ladies were |
| structure. Some of the things that dancers have | | | | important to the evolution of modern dancing. |
| interpreted through modern dancing are the weather, | | | | Modern dance is a wonderful way of dancing to |
| animals and emotions. By the 1950s, it was an | | | | express emotions or just to break free from the old |
| established fact that modern dancing had its own | | | | structures of classical ballet. Now, it is much more |
| style. | | | | structured than it was in early years, because it is |
| Modern dance is now classified through things such as | | | | has now been established as its own form, with its |
| harsh body movements, contortions of the body | | | | own rules. |
| that were never done in the past, and a more | | | | However, it is still a beautiful and expressive form of |
| emotional dance experience. In the beginning, modern | | | | movement. Anyone interested in dance should try |
| dances were used as a freedom from the forms of | | | | and learn at least a little in the area of modern |
| classical ballet, but now it has developed into its own | | | | dancing through an alternative ballet class. |