top of page
Writer's pictureNikkii Riley

Understanding Contemporary Dance

Updated: Aug 6, 2020

Like ballet, but it's not!



In Contemporary dance, the dancer moves through space with out being stricken with the wide range of rules classical dance asks for; but it maintains those rules in the background.   


Confused?  Well, you're not alone.


Most view contemporary dance from within the competition world. However, dancers portray a different style in the professional world. We introduce daily training in Contemporary to the teen levels because it should asks the question "can I take this beautiful line and push the limits of gravity with it"......not "look at me do this trick."   


“Contemporary dance is 80% Neo-Classical and 20% wild abandonment.” -Nikkii Peery Riley

It takes on a life of its own by allowing creative freedom when a dancer is pushing the norm. They use imagery with intricate gestures that are complex yet simplistic in their strong movements.  It frees the mind mind and loosens the body to allow stronger expression in dance training. 


Contemporary dancing creates a stillness that takes a dancer back to their heart.  It takes them back to that first time they fell in love with dancing in their backyard as a young child.  Dancers step into the role of a true artist in these short contemporary classes. 

*This will be coupled with a 'Style Variation or Character Class' every Thursday.

**This is only offered to dancers over the age of 11+ as they need to have the ballet building blocks before you add too much freedom in their alignment.



7 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page