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UNIT III
MODERN DANCES

Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the
students are expected to:
a. Determine the history of
Modern Dance and the people
behind its development;
b. elaborate the development of
Jazz Dance from its birth up
to the present time;
c. manifest an appreciation of
the origin of the dance and the
role it plays in one’s culture;
d. establish rapport with others
and with oneself at the onset
of the lesson;
e. create, and performed a
choreographed Modern Dance
based from the different
dance steps; and
f. execute the different Jazz
steps with precision and
accuracy.

INTRODUCTION
Modern dance is one of the most beautiful creative talents known to the world. The
gestures in a dance from have the ability to articulate any emotions in expression possible.
This article potential could be inherent or can be acquired later in life.
Modern dance is in the most pure and simple form of movement to music you’re
likely to experience. It can be fast, slow, high impact, gentle, loud, silent, frantic and still.
Its understatement to say that Modern Dance is a mix of all dances its type of
movement, tempo and feeling you can imagine. Therefore, it is an absolutely excellent way to
get a great workout through a huge mixture of music.
It’s only for the best experience around and yet it’s also great for people who are less
able-bodied or are recovering from injury and have limited movement.

LESSON 1: MODERN DANCE (HISTORY)

THE BEGINNING OF MODERN DANCE
Developed in the 20th century, primarily in the United States and Germany, modern
dance resembles modern art and music in being experimental and iconoclastic. Modern dance
began at the turn of the century; its pioneers were Isadora Duncan, Lose Fuller, and Ruth St.
Dennis in the United States, Rudolf von Laban, and Mary Wigman in Germany. Each
rebelled against the rigid formalism, artifice, and superficiality of classical academic ballet
and against the banality of show dancing. Each sought to inspire audiences to a new
awareness of inner or outer realities, a goal shared by all subsequent modern dancers.

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The Alvin Alley American Dance Theatre commended in the year 1958 when Alvin
Alley gave a performance. The face of modern dance went through a huge transformation in
1962 through the efforts of Trisha Brown belonging to the New York’s Judson Dance
Theatre. In 1970’s this artistic expression evolved to a higher level incorporating many
radical views and gained footing across the globe.
The dance form of ballet came into limelight in the decades of 1900’s with Mark
Morris, Twyla Tharp, Ellot Feld and Karole Armitage as prominent figures. Soon after, the
scenario was ruled by the legendary star, Michael Jackson, whose name remains embedded in
the hearts of dance lovers. His exclusive movements such as the moonwalk stand as a
landmark in the history of dance industry innovations crept in, paving the way for
contemporary dance forms.

GERMAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Although often considered an American phenomenon, the evolution of modern dance
can also be traced to central Europe and Germany, where the most influential was probably
Rudolf von Laban, although there is almost no documentation to describe his choreography,
he founded a school in Munich in 1910 in which Mary Wigman was one of his students.
Exiled in 1930’s, he immigrated in England, where he established the Art of Movements
Studio in Manchester in 1946 and worked on his system of notation until he died.
Today, the development of modern dance can also be attributed to different groups
like that of the Sankai Juku, a group of Japanese dancers trained in modern and classic dance.
Their work is based on “butoh”, a form of dance theatre that avoids structured choreography
and strives to express primitive emotions by making minimal use of costume and actual
movement.
A legendary star, Michael Jackson, whose name remains embedded in the hearts of
dance lovers is always remembered to date. His exclusive movements such as moonwalk
stand as a landmark in the history of dance. Gradually innovations crept in, proving the way
for contemporary dance forms.

OTHER FORMS OF MODERN DANCES

1. HIPHOP
 Hip hop is a dance style, usually danced to hip hop music that evolved from the hip-
hop culture. The first dance associated with hip hop culture. The first dance associated
with hip hop was break dancing. While break dancing consists primarily of move
executed close to the ground. The majority of hip hop moves are don standing up.

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 It includes a wide range of styles totally breaking, locking, and popping which were
created in the 1970’s and made popular by dance crews in the United States.
2. CRAMPING
 Popularized in the United States. Cramping is characterized by free, expressive,
exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest,
and feet. The youths who started cramping saw the dance as a way of for them to
escape gang life and “to release anger, aggression and frustration positively, in a non-
violent way.
 Cramping [also known as clown dancing or clowning] is a style of dance that
originated in the African-American community of south central Los Angeles,
California. It involves elaborate face-painting and freestyle dance moves usually
performed in competition with either crew.

MODERN DANCE MOVES

 Laterals
- The arm over the supporting leg come straight next up to the ear as the torso tilts,
unbroken to the side over the supporting leg. The opposite leg lifts pointed
through the toes. The other arm swings up as the leg rises and parallels the straight
arm next to the head. The body continuous to tilt sideways from the pelvis in one
unbroken line.
 Spiral
- The spiral is a torso twist that begins in the pelvis, lower spine, mid-section,
shoulder, neck and head. The head remains in alignment with the spine. The spiral
releases in the same under pelvis up to shoulder, neck and then head.
 Stag Leap
- The Stag Leap is a very high jump in a split but, although both legs are parallel to
the floor, the front leg is bent from the knee inward. Most often the arms are either
thrust up in a “V”, palms facing out and down, or one forward, one-to-the-side in
a ninety-degree angle, palms down.
 Stag Turn
- In a Stag Turn, the supporting knee is slightly bent; the other leg is up in the air
and bent behind the body. The arm on the supporting side is thrust straight back,
palm down. The opposite arm is thrust cleanly forward, palms down as the dancer
turns around.
 Primitive Squat
- A Primitive Squat is a hop that lands in a deep second-position. The feet are
turned out heel to-heel and the knees are bent.
 Flat back
- Flat Back is actually a series of moves but the basic movement makes a “table
top” of the body. The dancer stands in second position-feet turned out heel to-
heel. The arms are down along the sides as the body bends forward from the hips
without breaking the line from the top of the head to the lower spine. The bend
continues until the entire torso is parallel to the floor. Then the arms come out
from the sides in unison, are completely forward and stretched out ahead of the
torso parallel to each other.
 Hinge
- In the Hinge, the dancer balances on the balls of the feet, keeps a straight back and
head and sends the knees forward as the torso tilts back and the arms are bend
straight out in front.

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 The Contraction
- Martha Graham loved contractions in which the mid-section is pulled back against
movement. The action begins in the pelvis, and articulated up the spine as the
breath is exhaled. The dancer aims to lengthen the space between each vertebra as
the move progresses to the neck and the head, which are always in alignment with
the spine.
 The Release
- The release occurs in the inhalation and also begins in the pelvis. The move
travels up the spine in the same order as the contraction, restoring the torso to a
straight alignment. It typically counters the contraction.
 The High Release
- A High Release, rather than ending with the spine and upper body in an upright,
neutral position, tilts the breastbone up. The shoulder blades appear to rest on a
bar or shelf. The head remains aligned with the spine and the rib cage remains
over the hips. The lower back is not bent.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MODERN DANCE

1. FLEXIBILITY
 Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great
amount of flexibility. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up
including several stretching exercises. Dancers must strive to achieve
full range of motion for all the, major muscle groups. The greater the
range of motion, the muscles can flex and extend. Most forms of dance
require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching
so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.
2. STRENGTH
 Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against
resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist
against a dancer’s body weight. Many styles of dance, including jazz
and ballet, require jumping and leaping high into the air. Jumping and
leaping require tremendous strength of the major leg muscles.
Ballroom dancing builds strength. Consider the muscle mass a male
ballroom dance develops by lifting his partner above his head.
3. ENDURANCE
 Modern dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance.
Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly
longer period of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for
improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing such as line and
ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina. Just
as in any forms of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.
4. SENSE OF WELL-BEING
 Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties
and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and positive
outlook. Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people.
Joining a dance class can increase self- confidence and build social
skills. Because physical activity reduces stress and tension, regular
dancing gives an overall sense of well-being.
5. POSTURAL ALIGNMENT

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 Constant participation in Modern Dance activities enables an

individual to develop postural alignment and proper way of carrying
oneself.
LESSON 2: JAZZ DANCE

INTRODUCTION
Jazz Dance is an African American vernacular dance form, choreographed in the
beats of a musical art form. This was developed around the beginning of the 20 th century. It
was initially popular among the African American communities in the South. It is now
flaunted the world over as an integral part of African- European music and dance traditions.
Jazz dancing involves movements that are specially choreographed to West African music
compositions.
Jazz Dance is a classification shared by a broad range of dance styles. Every
individual style of jazz dance has roots traceable to one of these two distinct origins. Moves
used in Jazz Hands Kicks Leaps Sideway Shuffling Rolled Shoulders Turned Knees. The
movements are termed as Jazz, basically an umbrella term and set to “blues”notes poly
rhythms, improvisations, the “swung” note and syncopation.

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Jazz dance itself is a combination of classical ballet moves mixed with steps from
American popular culture, including African and Celtic dance influences. While it has
become a fine art form, originally jazz dance was designed to entertain, and even the basic
steps have a showy, extreme feel to them.

HISTORY
During World War I, Jazz dance form, originates from the vernacular dance of
African when they were brought to the Americas on slave ships. This dance form developed
alongside jazz music in New Orleans in the early 1900s. Only one kind of music suited this
generation – jazz, the vehicle for dancing the fox-trot, shimmy, rag, Charleston, black,
bottom, an various other steps of the period.
The birthplace of Jazz has many origins. New Orleans, St. Louis, Memphis and
Kansas City are just a few. But New Orleans was and still remains an important jazz center.
The ethnic rainbow of people who gravitated to the bars and brothels were a major factor in
the development of jazz. The City had been under Spanish and French rule prior to the
Louisiana Purchase. In 1900, it was a blend of Spanish, French, English, German, Italian,
Slavic and countless blacks originally brought in as slaves.
From 1930 to 140, Jazz dance transformed from this vernacular form into a theatre
based performance form of dance that required a highly trained dancer. During this time,
choreography from the modern and ballet dance worlds experimented with the jazz dance
style. All of these choreographers influenced jazz by requiring highly trained dancers to
perform a specific set of movements, which different greatly from the colloquial form of New
Orleans in the 1900s.
Early experimentation with the jazz dance form is synonymous with names with as
Katherine Dunham and Jack Cole. These choreographers were key inspirations to other
exponents of the art such as Matt Mattox, Jerome Robins, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse and
Eugene Louis Facciuto . It was not until the 1950s, that these pioneers developed routines
based on the essence of traditional Caribbean dance forms and created a unique performing
art. This was also the era when other dance and music forms were developing and being
experimented with, the world over. It soon evolved on Broadway into an improvised version
referred to as “Modern Jazz”. This smooth style, that is still taught extensively, created its
own evolutionary path. The best performances included styles popularized in Broadway hits
such as Cabaret, Chicago, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees.
Today Jazz is presented in many different forms at special dance schools and
performances by dance troupes around the world. Even now, this popular dance form follows
the dictates the musical theatre choreography. This dance technique is based on the execution
of stylistic leaps and turns and correct posture.

KEY PEOPLE
1. Joe Frisco
 The first official American “jazz dancer” who performed in vaudeville around
1910
2. Michael Jackson
 Known as the “King of Pop”.
3. Katherine Dunham
 An anthropologist, choreographer, and pioneer in Black theatrical dance. She
introduced isolations jazz dance.
 Grandmaster of Jazz Dancing.
4. Jack Cole
 Considered as the father of jazz dance technique.

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 He was a key inspiration to Matt Mattos, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Gwen
Verdon, and many other choreographers.
 He is credited for popularizing the theoretical for of jazz dance with his great
number of choreographic works on television and Broadway.

5. Eugene Louis Facciuto

 (aka “Luigi”), an accomplished dancer who, after suffering a crippling
automobile accident in the 1950s, created a new style of jazz dance based on
the warm-up exercises he invented to circumvent his physical handicaps. The
exercise routine he created for his own rehabilitation became the world’s first
complete technique for learning jazz dance.
6. Bob Fosse
 A noted jazz choreographer who created a new form of jazz dance that was
inspired by Fred Astaire and the burlesque and vaudeville styles.
7. Gus Giordano
 An influential jazz dance and choreographer, known for his clean, precise
movement qualities.
8. Jerome Robbins
 Choreographer for a number of hit musicals, including Peter Pan, The King
and I, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Funny Girl, and West Side Story.
9. Gwen Verdon
 Known for her roles in Damn Yankees, Chicago and Sweet Charity.
10. David Winters
 Known for his role as A-Rab in West Side Story and as an award-winning
choreographer for movies and TV programs.

ELEMENTS OF JAZZ DANCE

1. Syncopated rhythm
 Is a common characteristic of jazz music that was adopted to jazz dance hit the
early twentieth century and has remained a significant.
2. Isolation
 Quality of movements that were introduced to jazz dance by Katherine
Dunham.
3. Improvisation
 Important element in early forms of jazz dance, as it is an important element
of jazz music.
4. Low center of gravity & High level of energy
 Other important identifying characteristics of jazz dance.

BASIC JAZZ DANCE STEPS

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Learning basic jazz dance steps is the first part of exploring jazz dance, an energetic
and exciting display of physical prowess.

A. Jazz Square
This iconic move consists of a few basic walking steps, but done as a particular order:
1) Step forward on the right or left foot.
2) Cross the other foot over the first foot.
3) Step back with the first foot.
4) Bring the foot side by side.
A jazz square is often done with some attitude in the upper body, accenting the
motion. Jazz Square can be executed in groupings of two or more, repeated on the same side.

B. Isolations
One of the key skills for any jazz dancer is to be able to move parts of the body
individually. For hands and other extremities this is pretty easy, but to master jazz you need
to be able to isolate the chest and hips as well, and this is almost always a part of any jazz
dance warm-up.
To indicate our hips at an exercise, follow these steps:
1. Loosen your knees.
2. Extend your arms out to the sides.
3. Holding your chest and your legs as still as possible, swing your hips form side to
side.
It’s the easiest to learn isolations in front of a mirror so that any movements you make
with the rest of your body can be corrected immediately as soon as you see them.

C. Chasse’
Drawing from the ballet tradition, the chasse’ is literally a “chasing “step:
1. Step one foot forward [or to the side].
2. Bring up the second foot behind the first foot.
3. As you bring up the second foot to join the first one, immediately step off the foot to
create a skipping movement across the floor.
Your chasse’ step can take on a variety of different looks based on the speed with
which you execute it. Accent the step with your arms to create artistry for this movement.

D. Jazz Layout
This is another classic move, and is often used in posters and images to convey some
of the excitement of jazz dance. This dramatic move is performed by:
1. A straight kick up in the air.
2. Simultaneously doing an extreme back bend, head arced back and arms extended.
This iconic jazz step requires excellent balance and flexibility when done in this
manner. Simpler versions involve doing a back bend without any sort of kick.

E. Jazz Walk
This step is where the improvisation element of jazz shines through. One of the
defining features of jazz, both in music and movement, is the room for individual expression.
Every dancer’s jazz walk is different. As you learn increasing numbers of jazz steps, your
technique improves. Observe how other dancers have defined their own jazz walks.
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Developing your own technique is a matter of letting your inner voice and feeling for the
music flow.

BENEFITS OF JAZZ DANCE

1. It allows you to express yourself (to be aware of and use your body’s movement
capabilities).
2. It will improve flexibility and fitness levels (it will tone the body, improve
coordination, and sharpen your musicality skills).
3. It can be intensely physical (enhancing strength and stamina).
4. It can be lyrical and calm (inspiring suppleness and fluidity).
5. It can both relax and exhilarate you.

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CHALLENGE YOUR MIND AND BODY

QUIZ 1
I will upload your quiz in our google classroom.
DEADLINE: June 11, 2021, 5:00 pm

QUIZ 2
I will upload your quiz in our google classroom.
DEADLINE: June 17, 2021, 5:00 pm

PERFORMANCE (100 points)

Direction: Encourage your family members/friends/neighbors and create a Modern
Dance using your own choice of upbeat music. Be guided with the following criteria of
evaluation.

CRITERIA PERCENTAGE
Variability and difficulty of steps 20%
Synchronization 20%
Choreography 30%
Mastery 30%
TOTAL 100%

Don’t forget to put your name and section in your video performance.
Include also this TITLE “Modern Dance”.
Submit your video presentation in our group chat.
DEADLINE: June 18, 2021, 5:00 pm.

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