What is “contemporary ballet?” What is “contemporary?”

If you don’t really know how to answer those questions, hopefully this post can help you. (And if you are absolutely sure that you can define “contemporary ballet,” then maybe this post will confuse you a little.)

Contemporary

In Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, “contemporary,” as an adjective, is defined as:

1. happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time

2. a: simultaneous

b: marked by characteristics of the present period: modern, current

Ballet

We can define “ballet” as:

1. a: a theatrical art form using dancing, music, and scenery to convey a story, theme, or atmosphere

b: dancing in which conventional poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures (as leaps and turns)

Ballet dancing is made up of certain steps and movements: plies, tendus, battements, and so on. You can learn these steps, teach them to others, and expect that ballet dancers will recognize these movements.

(You can read another definition of “classical ballet” from the American Ballet Theatre’s dictionary.)

Putting Them Together

So what do you get when you make ballet…contemporary?

You get something that isn’t easy to define. And, you get a term that means different things to different people.

Contemporary ballet is more than just the tweaking of classical ballet style and form. And, to understand what contemporary ballet is today, you should understand where it began.

Beginning With Balanchine?

Today, many choreographers and critics will name George Balanchine (1904-1983) as the father of contemporary ballet. (Then again, some won’t.)

Balanchine’s work is usually classified as either “neoclassical ballet” or “contemporary ballet.” It’s easier to understand these terms if you understand Balanchine’s history with the Ballets Russes and the work of Russian choreographers like Michel Fokine.

Fokine Alters Classical Ballet

In 1909 director Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) established the Ballets Russes. The company drew dancers from the Imperial Theatre of St. Petersburg, and these dancers had trained in classical ballet. But as the company’s choreographer, Michel Fokine (1880-1942) had plans to change classical ballet to fit his artistic vision (Ambrosio 56).

First, Fokine altered the steps of classical ballet so that the movements would express the theme of a dance. As he adapted the movements of classical ballet, he also abandoned pantomime.

Next, Fokine simplified sets and costumes. He felt that the costumes, the music, the movement, and the set of a ballet should all be somewhat equal.

Finally, Fokine created a new onstage equality by making the corps de ballet members more important (Ambrosio 56).

It’s impossible to examine Fokine without considering the work of his contemporaries, like Isadora Duncan. Duncan’s “hellenistic” style emphasized freedom of movement and emotion: she wore free-flowing costumes and danced barefoot. Her performances likely influenced the Russian “Greek” ballets (Scholl 53-54).

Is it Neoclassical or Contemporary?

As with Fokine, Duncan, and others, Balanchine altered classical ballet to develop his own style of

choreography. Classical ballet training, as well as an impulse toward change, are evident in his work.

If you classify Balanchine’s works as “neoclassical,” you focus on the fact that his works reflect the structure and movements of classical ballet. In some of his works, Balanchine maintained the grand pas de deux of classical ballet. And, he even choreographed some narrative works, including The Prodigal Son (1929, revised in 1950) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1962).

If you classify Balanchine’s work as “contemporary” you would focus on the fact that he stripped down his sets, simplified costumes, created many “plotless” works, and modified certain elements of ballet movement. His pieces stood in stark comparison to the lavish productions of classical narrative ballet. Instead of focusing on storytelling, Balanchine focused on the integration of movement and music.

Contemporary Ballet Today

In her book Learning About Dance, Nora Ambrosio outlines the the similarities and differences between classical and contemporary ballet” (Ambrosio 61):

Similarities:

-Both use a vocabulary of movement that employs the French language.

-Both utilize dancers who are highly trained in their technique and performance abilities.

-Both emphasize a strong relationship to music.

Differences:

-Classical ballet always has a storyline; most contemporary ballets focus on the movement.

-Classical ballet appears very symmetrical, with both sides of the stage equally “balanced” by having the same number of dancers on each side executing the same movements. Contemporary ballet does not focus on symmetry, and having a stage that is “unbalanced” is a characteristic of the style.

-There is always a pas de deux in classical ballet; there may or may not be one in contemporary ballet.

-Classical ballet choreography may incorporate pantomime and literal gestures; contemporary ballet never does.

-Female dancers always wear pointe shoes in a classical ballet; they may or may not wear them in contemporary ballet.

-For the most part, dancers in a classical ballet keep their spines erect; dancers in a contemporary ballet curve, twist and bend their upper bodies.

See For Yourself

Balanchine’s work remains at the forefront of contemporary ballet, even though he died in 1983. But, several choreographers and companies have now emerged in the genre of “contemporary ballet.”

For examples of contemporary ballet, check out:

• The Forsythe Company
• Trey McIntyre Project
• Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet
• Compañia Nacional de Danza

Is It Still Ballet?

Choreographers and critics debate about how to define and judge “contemporary ballet.” Can you call a piece “contemporary ballet” without turnout or pointe shoes, even if it follows the structure of a classical ballet? Also differences still exists between neoclassical ballet and contemporary ballet. It’s a tricky comparison, but it’s important.

As this debate continues, input from the dance world will continue forming our definition of “contemporary

ballet.” Your judgment will depend on your training, your exposure to both genres, and it may even depend on what country you call home.

For more on contemporary ballet, read any of our sources listed below. And, get involved in conversations about contemporary ballet. You’ll learn quite a bit by listening to, and debating with, other artists.

Sources:

• Ambrosio, Nora. Learning About Dance: Dance As an Art Form and Entertainment Kendall Hunt, 2002.

• Scholl, Tim. From Petipa to Balanchine. Routledge, 1994.

Image Sources:

• “George Balanchine rehearsing the Sadler’s Wells company” from Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
• “Mikail Fokine e Madame Fokina“
• Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet
• Trey McIntyre Project - photo by Jonas Lundqvist