Contemporary dance

Hi my lovely dancers! 

Today, I'm going to introduce you an essential part of dance: contemporary dance. This form of dance covers different modes of expression that appeared from the 1960s onwards. It is embodied notably in a generation of French choreographers who, in the 1980s, invented their own body language. 

The American influence

American choreographers such as Susan Buirge, Carolyn Carlson or Alwin Nikolais come to work in France. Alwin Nikolais directed the Centre national de danse contemporaine d'Angers, the first French contemporary dance school from 1978 onwards. Each in his own way will influence the French choreographers who will emerge in the 1980s. 

A "sponge-dance"

Receptive to other artistic disciplines, contemporary dance is nourished by multiple influences: circus, mime, comics, literature, cinema, plastic arts...video is also much used by contemporary choreographers such as Philippe Decouflé or Hervé Robbe. Others try their hand at it with more or less happiness...You don't put your steps in the footsteps of the great Merce Cunningham from one day to the next! 

"ROMEO AND JULIETTE" BY ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ, 2016 VERSION

Barefoot and everyday clothing

You will notice that contemporary dancers are often barefoot. A better way to be in direct contact with the floor. Some choreographers make their costumes minimalist. It's often inspired by the clothes we wear every day: T-shirts, loose pants, dresses, skirts, boxers and brassieres...Sometimes you'll see kneepads. Some dancers protect themselves in this way because of choreographies that favour falls and floor passages. 

PHOTO: MAXIME COTE | INTERPRETERS: MARGAUX DORSAZ, NICOLAS BOIVIN, CYNDIE FORGET-GRAVEL, MATEO CHAUCHAT | CHOREGRAPHY: MARIE CHOUINARD (2017) | MONTREAL SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE

A dancers' exposure

Some choreographers do not hesitate to stage their performers totally...naked! Shocking for some, this bias is part of an aesthetic approach. Whatever one may think, this exposing of dancing bodies is not just a gratuitous provocation. In many cases, we forget about the nudity of the dancers and concentrate on the choreography!