Age Requirements Adv 1 and up
Length 1 hour
Modern is a style of dance that is not as restrictive as Classical Ballet. Modern emerged partly as a reaction to Ballet, with dancers who disagreed with the strict structure of Ballet technique. Most notable choreographers of this dance style include Martha Graham, who pioneered large sweeping movements, often with loose fabric to show the free flowing movement; José Limón, whose technique emphasizes weight and weightlessness with the natural rhythms of falling and recovery; and Lester Horton, whose technique is actually no specific technique at all. Horton’s style emphasizes free movement and improvisation, looking at the body as a whole as each movement transitions to the next.
The modern dance program at Charlotte Klein Dance Centers helps our students to become more emotionally connected and grounded in their dancing. In our modern dance class, the dancers will learn the foundations of Horton and Limón techniques to express their feeling through their movement and learn to connect with the floor.
Modern dance is a great additional class to support the training our students receive in our other programs. Creativity in movement is explored with improvisation, and it is here that our dancers begin to define their sense of style in their own technique. Students enrolled in Modern are required to take Ballet and Jazz.
