Do I need to know any SPECIFIC dance moves to compose a contemporary dance or is it just a dance you can do on your own?

by Anonymous
(No location given)



So I do ballet. But for the school talent show, I would like to do my own contemporary once piece. I want to do it on my own, the choreography. I haven't had much experience with contemporary, but I would like to try. Do I need to know any SPECIFIC dance moves to do it or is it just a dance you can do on your own with no coach?

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Jul 10, 2012
 Answer from Maria
by: Maria

Hi there,

You know, this is an interesting question because it touches one of the unique characteristics of contemporary dance that very few people recognize:

YOU ARE FREE TO COMPOSE WITH THE MOVES OF YOUR CHOICE

That is a tricky statement because if you compose freely with just ballet vocabulary, it would rather be a ballet piece than a contemporary dance piece, don't you think?

So, to compose an original contemporary dance choreography, you can definitely try on your own but you’ll have the challenge of avoiding the choreographic vocabulary of other dance genres...

At the beginning you might feel weird, but after getting used to the new moves or movement shapes and qualities, you will be on your way to composing original contemporary dance pieces.

Now don't misunderstand me. You can use some of the moves you already know here and then. You can also combine them or use one part of a move for something else and so on. The challenge is to avoid that your piece becomes like a dance piece of any other dance genre.

Don't wait for a coach. Go for it.

We have some examples at our page for contemporary dance videos that might help you understand. Have a look at them to make your self an idea:

Contemporary Dance Videos


And we also have some readings on dance composition that may be of interest for you:

Dance composition

Movement Dramaturgy

Choreography


I wish you a lot of fun composing your piece!

Maria

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