Modern Dance

In class this week, we began discussing dance. We discussed ballet and then modern dance. I enjoyed learning about the difference and also connections between the two different dance styles.

Ballet has been around for much longer than modern dance. It involved straight lines with the dancers being as tall as possible and then using their arms for expression. The dance also involves several moves ranging from easier to to very difficult. Only a handful of dancers can perform the more difficult moves. The dances are beautiful and full of emotion.

Ballet has also changed from being very formal with restrictive costumes to very free-flowing costumes which has added to the dynamics of ballet. This change came about with the interaction of the modern dance style in the mid 1900s.

Modern dance, in its beginning, was a step in the wrong direction as most people saw back then. It was different and against was has been done for centuries. Modern dance introduced freedom of expression and innovation. It introduced a focus on the torso of the body or the solar plexus instead of the arms and straight line as in ballet. Loose-fitting or free flowing clothes were also introduced. This created a negative view on modern dance in the beginning, but it soon took hold, not only with its own style, but with others including ballet.

I like to watch dancing, especially modern dance. My wife and I have been to see BYU's Ballroom Dance Company perform two times. We are looking forward to watching the the Dance Sport competition at BYU in August.