Bound and Unbound, Ballet and Modern
As I stood at the ballet bar doing limitless plies and tendus while getting counts screamed at me as well as being poked and prodded by my ballet instructor who was trying to correct my alignment, I began to realize how much I disliked Ballet. Through my years of dancing I have come to see that Modern dance and ballet dance seem to be directed towards two different groups of people. I myself, a more creative, unbound and outgoing type of person have found that I enjoy modern dance much more than Ballet. Concentrating on that observation, I noticed that my friends that share the same type of personality as me also enjoy modern dance. however, my friends that are more conservative, structured and controlled enjoy ballet. “Why is this?” I began to wonder, I knew there had to be a direct reason. Somewhere between the countless warm-ups done in class, the techniques we were taught and the attire permitted for each style I would find my answer.
Ballet and modern dance, those are the two styles of dance that you will find yourself learning while attending a prestigious dance school or workshop. These two styles can be compared and contrasted in various ways. Ballet and Modern are both taught nationally and have been for many years, allowing the respective styles to grow and refine themselves. Ballet though, predates Modern by at least a couple hundred years. Ballet originated in Paris in 1581 with the first ballet ever choreographed called Ballet Comique de la Reine. Ballet stood the test of time and made its way through the Renaissance period, even all the way to the Baroque period in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Although ballet had strong roots in France, its principles and grace traveled to distant, far off countries like Russia, Germany, Britain, and eventually America.
The Term Paper on Compare and Contrast of Classical Ballet and Modern Dance
Dance is one of the most beautiful, expressive forms of art known to mankind. It expresses joy, love, sorrow, anger, and the list truly goes on for all the possible emotions that it can convey. Dance not only can express how one feels, but it can tell a story or even be used to praise a higher power. Dance has intricately played an important role to every culture over the course of time. Two forms ...
Ballet was sparking curiosity and interest in the arts worldwide, but while ballet was arriving in America and being enjoyed by many, others found it very restricting. Modern dance sprung up in the 20th centuries in both the United States and Europe simultaneously. One woman by the name of Isadora Duncan became a pioneer of Modern by stepping out of the set ballet ways. She soon became known as the grandmother of that new form of artistic enlightenment. Quickly following in her footsteps was Martha Graham, the proclaimed “mother” of Modern and others such as Jose Limon and Marry Wigman, both respective pioneers themselves. The dancers of the early 1900s now had two very prominent styles of dance to choose from.
Attire in dance is of more importance than most may realize. Both ballet and Modern dance attire consist of clothing the dancer can easily move in, such as: leotards, skirts, and tops made of fabrics that allow the dancer to become more graceful or agile. Having the appropriate outfit on is sometimes the key to a dance piece and naturally allows the dancer to move with little to no restrictions.
Ballet attire, in a matter of specifics, includes leather, or canvas ballet slippers or point shoes, pink tights, black leotard and a ballet skirt. A dancer’s hair is to be pulled out of their face into a high or low bun and slicked backed to a certain perfection. As you can see, even the attire worn to a ballet class is strict. If you do not meet the proper requirements your teacher will most likely shun you. Then send you back to the changing room to redress correctly. Ballet instructors will inspect your clothing and hair just as much as they inspect the degree of your turn out.
The Term Paper on Psychological View On Modern Dance
Psychological View on Modern Dance Modern dance was developed at the beginning of the 20th century. The modern dance pioneers refused to obey the rigid constraints of the Classical Ballet. They also rebelled against classical ballet technique, shoes and costumes. The new era of modern dance was followed by the appearance of various branches of modernism in art, literature, sculpture. The ...
Modern dance attire, you will find is much different. One main principle behind Modern is to disassociate yourself from the strict rules of Ballet and move how you want to. Modern attire includes bare feet, any leotard, shorts, a skirt, or nothing, any tights or none at all and your hair may be worn in any fashion you would like. Costumes for performances follow the same guidelines. In a Ballet piece you will almost always see what you see in a ballet class just done up a bit more. In a Modern piece you never know what you are going to see. It can be anywhere from a pure white unitard to mismatching colors and pieces. These differences in attire are to show, that in Ballet you come across as dexterous and professional, and in Modern you show off your self expression.
Ballet and Modern are rather similar when it comes to warmups. In any style of dance it is important to warm your body parts, which are: the neck, the arms, the torso, the hips, the back, the legs, the knees, and the feet. In both Ballet and Modern you do exercises such as degages, tendus and plies. You will also find yourself leaping or jumping across the floor. In Ballet though you are attached to a ballet barre for the first half of class which is where you will do your tendus and plies. Only after completing barre work will you move to center floor. In Modern you are at the center of the floor the entire time. Where you rely on the strength of your core and position of your pelvis completely. The warmups of Ballet are very structured, where as the warmups of modern are more freeing. You learn to relax your mind and body in Modern where as Ballet keeps your mind and body awake and focused.
Modern dance is expressing yourself anyway you want through abstract movements. No boundaries, beautiful, strange, soft, strong, right wrong, no matter what you do it is always correct. Ballet dance is moving with grace through a structured pattern of counts and movements. It has boundaries, beautiful, strict, soft, only one way to do it. Ballet no matter if you like it or not is however, important to know. Ballet will teach you all you need to know about your body placement and strengths that you may have. Modern lets you take those things that you have learned from Ballet and turn them into your own. It also allows you to go further with your movements and because of this you learn your limits. Which are sometimes further than first thought.
The Term Paper on Modern Medicine Holistic Body One
Openings: In this paper I will be discussing the two most prevalent models of health. These two models of health are not, of course, total opposites. Similar to terms such as gay and straight they are two definitive labels placed upon a broad spectrum that is hardly definitive. There exists in this case as well a large clouded middle between the two limiting labels. These are collections of ...
Both styles contain different techniques. Each style has the basic way of doing it, but the techniques take the styles in different directions. A popular method in Ballet is the Chechetti Method. A popular style in Modern is the Graham Technique. Ballet focuses on moving through the floor, clear transitions, proper alignment, poise, elegance, and structure. Where Modern focuses on fall and recovery, weight, time, potential and kinetic energy, isolations, suspensions, symmetry and asymmetry. The major difference between the two styles is that Ballet will always be one way and Modern has the ability to change.
The choice between styles gives dancers more of an advantage in what fits their persona. Just by the clothing that is worn, the warm ups done and the techniques and focuses used, it is clear why an unbound person would choose Modern and why a more structured person would choose Ballet. If you gave a group of dancers the choice between either style, they might find themselves with people of similar personalities. If a dancer is, say, forced into a class not suited to their style, they might feel uncomfortable and become more distracted than usual due to the difference in people. The two styles might not seem like that big of an influence to the untrained eye, but there is a world of difference between them that gives dancers various options to go about their complex method of self-expression.
