Dance Work, Essay Example

Ballet is a form of dance that is artistic and requires great physical strength and conditioning. Its origins trace to European courts from 500 years ago. Dancers work for years to achieve grace and agility as they move lightly on their toes, or on pointe, as ballet personnel would call it (Royal Swedish Ballet). In its purest from, ballet has body parts turned parallel to the audience whenever possible and feet pointed when they are off the floor and, when legs are not bent, they are stretched out completely.

A handful of famous ballets include Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Coppelia. The legendary musician, Tchaikovsky, composed the ballets Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. Adolphe Adam, famous for the Christmas song, “O Holy Night,” wrote Giselle. Maurius Petipa choreographed Sleeping Beauty. Arthur Saint-Leon originally choreographed Coppelia.

Modern Dance focuses on creative self-expression rather than on the strict execution of rules, as is the case in ballet. Through this stylistic medium, abstract ideas are expressed through whole body movements. Modern dance is employed in theatrical and concert occasions. Most forms of modern dance had their origin in the United States during the 20^th century. Most modern dance attempts to mirror the aims of modern art and is experimental in design (Nash). This form tries to bring audiences into inner and well as outer realities.

Influential modern dancers include Martha Graham, who choreographed Aaron Copland’s landmark ballet, Appalachian Spring; Isadora Duncan, popularized barefoot dancing; Loie Fuller, famous for her “Serpentine Dance;” and Ruth St. Denis, whose most performed works include “Radha” and “Incense.”

The aesthetic and philosophical principles behind both classical ballet and modern dance are similar. Ballet attempts to make dancers appear to be weightless as they take flight and twirl. Modern dance is more concerned with portraying reality. Ballet is obsessed with conveying beauty while modern dance is focused on presenting truth.

Works Cited

Nash, Deborah. “What is Modern Dance?” Ridance. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://www.ridance.com/riwhatmd.html

Royal Swedish Ballet. “A History of the Art.” The Stanislavsky Ballet. Retrieved May 10, 2010 from http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/ballet/history.html