Expressive modes of contemporary dance

Abstract

Many dances, be it traditional, modern, hip-hop, jazz and the like have modes of expression which the audience can identify with and describe. The reason why these dances are accessible to the audience is that the dances have become part and parcel of their existence. Unfortunately, this is not so with contemporary dance as a whole. The expectation here is that audience are expected to give the dance more attention to understand the dance philosophy. The researcher made use of content analysis by examining the modes through which contemporary dance is expressed. The researcher made reference to the performance styles adopted by some early avant-garde artists such as Merce Cunningham, John Cage, and observations of scholars like Sally Banes in addition to general contemporary dance perception. Semiotics in Performance Theory is applied to appreciate the significance light, costume, properties, music, décor and so on which are used as symbols to aid proper communication of the dance. The deployment of expressive modes of dance such as the body, costume, props, music, set and the like do not lead to an evolution of an agreeable form as it is the case with traditional and other known dances. The structure of contemporary dance fluctuates; from being somewhat accessible to observers, to a state of ambiguity and uncertainty. In other words, a contemporary dance piece may have something the audience can identify with and also become strange and uncertain. The bottom-line is that contemporary dance is not as certain as traditional dance, and so, should be given more attention for it to be appreciated.