Ballet and Contemporary Dancers
This page looks at how anyone within the dance industry has individual values and principles.
Values and principles can change depending on people's lives, experiences, motives, beliefs, and more. Within dance, our values differ through these same ways but also through, for example, how and what we train in, techniques and roles in the industry, therefore, creating a more complicated and varied sense of value from each person.
Ballet
In classical ballet, there are foundations of very strong values and principles, in terms of the historical hierarchy and evaluation of the classical technique. There have been changes among the value system and their principles however still have some of those core ones and kept throughout.
Values:
Gender role- Gender is a very strong value within ballet, the girl was the light elegant fairy-like creature, princess, for instance, and the male would be strong, charming, and show power through his movement whilst being, the prince, the heroic one. They have many more roles in which they would play however there was always a theme of male dominance and female being the delicate one. There are similarities with roles with villains as they can be either sex however in the evolution of classical ballet tended to be played by male dancers but not all the time. As well as the roles they performed, the technique of ballet itself has, throughout most of its history, been gender appointed. The female wearing the pointe shoes would be very slim and able to do beautiful, quick and intricate footwork, turns en point, jetes, be lifted by the males, movement to show their flexibility and slow controlled movement. On the other hand, there were the males who performed extraordinary jumps, pirouettes, lifting the females, and movement to show their speed and power. Differences are to do with the expectations of gender as well as the body and ability of genders. This has changed over the years and choreographers and dancers within ballet are now open to challenging these stereotypes and allowing dancers in more contemporary ballets to be more equal with the roles, stage time, and being able to not restrict steps to genders.
The Body- Physically fit and evolution of size, shape, the ethnicity of dancers are now more accepted however historically it would be predominantly white dancers who, females who were very thin and petite, some with long legs, necks and torso's; The males were taller than the females with muscular upper bodies and legs. Through time the values and principles with the body have evolved to be a bit more equal and nondiscriminatory, although there is still a great deal of argument over this because it is still strife with inequality, racial, and body discrimination. The physique of the dancer is becoming more accepted such as Misty Copland who breaks barriers with her more naturally muscular build and being proudly Afircan American race, however, there is still a huge fight to be had in terms of bringing about the body and person in ballet.
Discipline- Classical ballet was once considered just an art form and something for just the aristocratic society, however, by the 18th century, ballet was becoming recognised as a professional discipline (Homans, 2010). It is a very strict technique and so requires commitment and effort.
Entertainment- Ballet has always been seen as a way to entertain an audience, to provide an escape from everyday life and for the dancers, it is what they want to do, bring emotion, feeling, provoke a reaction from an audience to entertain them for that time on stage.
Belief- "They felt there was a divine harmony and order that demonstrated the laws of the universe and powers of God. Meshing their own religious beliefs with these ideas, the French poets attempted to remake the Christian church through theatre and art. They felt God would be revealed through theatre and art. Music and art would also enable man to reach his fullest potential. It was out of this very set of beliefs that dance began to evolve. Those in the Academy saw ballet as a chance to take men’s passions and desires and redirect them towards a love for God (Homans p. 6). They also believed that as man danced, he would break his earthly ties and raise himself to a closeness with God." (Perry, n.d.). Early at the beginning of ballet there were strong beliefs around it bringing you closer to God however this has drifted a bit since those times, the belief as to why dancers, or anyone within ballet industry, choose to be involved can vary, depending on personal beliefs, however, they all have a deep belief that they love, trust and respect the art form and what they do within it.
Aesthetic- Aesthetic has always been significant, from the bodies of dancers, the costumes, the movement, technique, production and overall experience. The elements that create the experience are all thought through and specifically designed to create the desired effect, present itself a certain way. For instance, the ballerina body is aesthetically trained to show their lines and to look effortless as well as their technique so turning out or pointing the feet fully; the design of the stage is created to support and provide an environment for the piece, to transport the audience to that world.
Technique- The technique is what makes ballet what it is. It has evolved throughout the year going from quite basic five positions to the technique we have now. The technical elements have developed to bring new and challenging steps for the dancers as well as their phrasing and execution. The execution of the steps and the evolution of the dancer's abilities, their strength, bodies, flexibility, commitment and more, have meant that the technical elements have had to develop to make sure it continues to challenge the dancers and excite an audience.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance is a variation of different styles and techniques that come under the umbrella of contemporary; "movement styles are determined by many factors: historical time frames, personality, body type, cultural values." (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
Style- Within contemporary, there are a variety of techniques and styles "(1) personal movement style- and individuals movement personality, his movement signature; (2) choreographic style- the composite of personal and artistic preferences that characterize the mode, manner, and content of one's choreography; (3) codified technique- a personal style that becomes refined and classified to the point where a movement vocabulary builds up around it (as Graham, Humphrey- Weidman, or Hawkins technique), sometimes the result of coupling personal movement style with a theory of movement; (4) theories of movement- an identified theory or model that uses one basic phenomenon as the source and propelling force for movement; (5) cultural style- movement patterns that embody the attitudes and values of a given age or culture; (6) great periods in art- stylistic approaches epitomized by certain historical periods in the evolution of the fine arts." (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
The historical period of which the style comes from would be influenced by the cultural values at that time and would continue to some extent develop or continue to style. (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
The Body- Contemporary dance has a wider range of what is thought of as 'the dancer's body' depending on what style of contemporary you are doing, then the body type might be specific to that and what is needed for instance Graham technique that requires a strong core, upper and lower body strength whereas Klein technique may require more of a strong core and lower body strength but does not focus as much on the muscles but the bones and so the body type is not as crucial to the style.
There is a point to be made that whilst doing the chosen technique or style, the body changes through the individual's training and discipline, forming the body that the exercises, the movement builds on naturally.
Discipline- The different techniques within contemporary dance require different levels of discipline, stricter styles such as Graham or Cunningham which have set structures and movement, this displays how they have been narrowed down to be precise and whilst having creativity within it still asks for discipline. On the other hand, you have some techniques within contemporary that are more relaxed in how they go about their training such as release, it has structure but is freer to explore options and creativity within it, whilst having discipline in commitment, exploration and practice of the style.
Beliefs- Beliefs within contemporary dance are dependant on the individual and their religious, cultural, social beliefs as well as their beliefs on equality, roles, gender, and more. Specific values or beliefs can encourage, change, support, inspire an individual's beliefs and values, in terms of contemporary, there is a more accepting and understanding element for equality, who can do it, why they do it, how they go about it, as well as a discipline to specific styles.
Intentions- The intentions are something within contemporary dance that can lead the creative process, there is a broader range of topics, themes, narratives, stories, and explorations that can go from political, social, community-led pieces or projects, some are more explicit, sexual, provocative, intimate, dangerous, controversial, fun, comical, explorative, romantic and abstract. Contemporary is considered to be abstract most of the time if the intentions are not clear but with the intentions being clear it brings clarity to the work.
Choreography- Choreography comes from the exploration of the choreographer's intentions and themes that they are working with. Choreography is also dependant on the dancers involved and what they offer, how much they are asked to be involved in the creative process, their skills and technique, what the choreographer asks of them, the companies style, their range of repertoire, intentions, amount of dancers and what the choreographers want them to do.
Dancers
Sabrina: Space, dynamics, breathe, groundedness, size.
Kirbie: Groundedness, knowledge of technique, instinct.
Emily: Imagery
George: Do things as much as you can, as fully as you can, articulation.
Owen: Technique, creativity, gender, leaving the audience with a reaction and provoking thought or feelings, being motivated by others, taking inspiration.
Tom:
A question to dancers, dance practitioners, teachers, choreographers, anyone involved in the industry:
Mandy Rogerson: Contemporary teacher, dancer, choreographer
Matthew Paluch: Ballet teacher, dancer
I'd say context is key so I'll divide my answer somewhat.
Courtney Clifford: Dancer, Contemporary
empathise through movement, identifying no right or wrong within art, freedom to be different, going against what is considered normal, to create to receive a reaction.
Jamieson Dryburgh: Release, release teacher, dancer
In response to your questions, I would say that my values are underpinned by critical feminist practices (empowerment, transformation, liberation, relatedness), care ethics (trust, respect, safety, engrossment) and queer theory (disruption, pleasure, social justice).
Angela Reay: Ballet, ballet teacher, dancer
Professional Competence
Having a positive impact on people and the community. Being human (treating others as you wish to be treated) Equality & embracing diversity. Help people to grow & develop; creating meaning in the world. Motivate Develop creativity, artistry and technique. Health and safety.
Values and principles can change depending on people's lives, experiences, motives, beliefs, and more. Within dance, our values differ through these same ways but also through, for example, how and what we train in, techniques and roles in the industry, therefore, creating a more complicated and varied sense of value from each person.
Ballet
In classical ballet, there are foundations of very strong values and principles, in terms of the historical hierarchy and evaluation of the classical technique. There have been changes among the value system and their principles however still have some of those core ones and kept throughout.
Values:
Gender role- Gender is a very strong value within ballet, the girl was the light elegant fairy-like creature, princess, for instance, and the male would be strong, charming, and show power through his movement whilst being, the prince, the heroic one. They have many more roles in which they would play however there was always a theme of male dominance and female being the delicate one. There are similarities with roles with villains as they can be either sex however in the evolution of classical ballet tended to be played by male dancers but not all the time. As well as the roles they performed, the technique of ballet itself has, throughout most of its history, been gender appointed. The female wearing the pointe shoes would be very slim and able to do beautiful, quick and intricate footwork, turns en point, jetes, be lifted by the males, movement to show their flexibility and slow controlled movement. On the other hand, there were the males who performed extraordinary jumps, pirouettes, lifting the females, and movement to show their speed and power. Differences are to do with the expectations of gender as well as the body and ability of genders. This has changed over the years and choreographers and dancers within ballet are now open to challenging these stereotypes and allowing dancers in more contemporary ballets to be more equal with the roles, stage time, and being able to not restrict steps to genders.
The Body- Physically fit and evolution of size, shape, the ethnicity of dancers are now more accepted however historically it would be predominantly white dancers who, females who were very thin and petite, some with long legs, necks and torso's; The males were taller than the females with muscular upper bodies and legs. Through time the values and principles with the body have evolved to be a bit more equal and nondiscriminatory, although there is still a great deal of argument over this because it is still strife with inequality, racial, and body discrimination. The physique of the dancer is becoming more accepted such as Misty Copland who breaks barriers with her more naturally muscular build and being proudly Afircan American race, however, there is still a huge fight to be had in terms of bringing about the body and person in ballet.
Discipline- Classical ballet was once considered just an art form and something for just the aristocratic society, however, by the 18th century, ballet was becoming recognised as a professional discipline (Homans, 2010). It is a very strict technique and so requires commitment and effort.
Entertainment- Ballet has always been seen as a way to entertain an audience, to provide an escape from everyday life and for the dancers, it is what they want to do, bring emotion, feeling, provoke a reaction from an audience to entertain them for that time on stage.
Belief- "They felt there was a divine harmony and order that demonstrated the laws of the universe and powers of God. Meshing their own religious beliefs with these ideas, the French poets attempted to remake the Christian church through theatre and art. They felt God would be revealed through theatre and art. Music and art would also enable man to reach his fullest potential. It was out of this very set of beliefs that dance began to evolve. Those in the Academy saw ballet as a chance to take men’s passions and desires and redirect them towards a love for God (Homans p. 6). They also believed that as man danced, he would break his earthly ties and raise himself to a closeness with God." (Perry, n.d.). Early at the beginning of ballet there were strong beliefs around it bringing you closer to God however this has drifted a bit since those times, the belief as to why dancers, or anyone within ballet industry, choose to be involved can vary, depending on personal beliefs, however, they all have a deep belief that they love, trust and respect the art form and what they do within it.
Aesthetic- Aesthetic has always been significant, from the bodies of dancers, the costumes, the movement, technique, production and overall experience. The elements that create the experience are all thought through and specifically designed to create the desired effect, present itself a certain way. For instance, the ballerina body is aesthetically trained to show their lines and to look effortless as well as their technique so turning out or pointing the feet fully; the design of the stage is created to support and provide an environment for the piece, to transport the audience to that world.
Technique- The technique is what makes ballet what it is. It has evolved throughout the year going from quite basic five positions to the technique we have now. The technical elements have developed to bring new and challenging steps for the dancers as well as their phrasing and execution. The execution of the steps and the evolution of the dancer's abilities, their strength, bodies, flexibility, commitment and more, have meant that the technical elements have had to develop to make sure it continues to challenge the dancers and excite an audience.
Contemporary
Contemporary dance is a variation of different styles and techniques that come under the umbrella of contemporary; "movement styles are determined by many factors: historical time frames, personality, body type, cultural values." (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
Style- Within contemporary, there are a variety of techniques and styles "(1) personal movement style- and individuals movement personality, his movement signature; (2) choreographic style- the composite of personal and artistic preferences that characterize the mode, manner, and content of one's choreography; (3) codified technique- a personal style that becomes refined and classified to the point where a movement vocabulary builds up around it (as Graham, Humphrey- Weidman, or Hawkins technique), sometimes the result of coupling personal movement style with a theory of movement; (4) theories of movement- an identified theory or model that uses one basic phenomenon as the source and propelling force for movement; (5) cultural style- movement patterns that embody the attitudes and values of a given age or culture; (6) great periods in art- stylistic approaches epitomized by certain historical periods in the evolution of the fine arts." (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
The historical period of which the style comes from would be influenced by the cultural values at that time and would continue to some extent develop or continue to style. (Blom & Chaplin, 1989)
The Body- Contemporary dance has a wider range of what is thought of as 'the dancer's body' depending on what style of contemporary you are doing, then the body type might be specific to that and what is needed for instance Graham technique that requires a strong core, upper and lower body strength whereas Klein technique may require more of a strong core and lower body strength but does not focus as much on the muscles but the bones and so the body type is not as crucial to the style.
There is a point to be made that whilst doing the chosen technique or style, the body changes through the individual's training and discipline, forming the body that the exercises, the movement builds on naturally.
Discipline- The different techniques within contemporary dance require different levels of discipline, stricter styles such as Graham or Cunningham which have set structures and movement, this displays how they have been narrowed down to be precise and whilst having creativity within it still asks for discipline. On the other hand, you have some techniques within contemporary that are more relaxed in how they go about their training such as release, it has structure but is freer to explore options and creativity within it, whilst having discipline in commitment, exploration and practice of the style.
Beliefs- Beliefs within contemporary dance are dependant on the individual and their religious, cultural, social beliefs as well as their beliefs on equality, roles, gender, and more. Specific values or beliefs can encourage, change, support, inspire an individual's beliefs and values, in terms of contemporary, there is a more accepting and understanding element for equality, who can do it, why they do it, how they go about it, as well as a discipline to specific styles.
Intentions- The intentions are something within contemporary dance that can lead the creative process, there is a broader range of topics, themes, narratives, stories, and explorations that can go from political, social, community-led pieces or projects, some are more explicit, sexual, provocative, intimate, dangerous, controversial, fun, comical, explorative, romantic and abstract. Contemporary is considered to be abstract most of the time if the intentions are not clear but with the intentions being clear it brings clarity to the work.
Choreography- Choreography comes from the exploration of the choreographer's intentions and themes that they are working with. Choreography is also dependant on the dancers involved and what they offer, how much they are asked to be involved in the creative process, their skills and technique, what the choreographer asks of them, the companies style, their range of repertoire, intentions, amount of dancers and what the choreographers want them to do.
Dancers
Sabrina: Space, dynamics, breathe, groundedness, size.
Kirbie: Groundedness, knowledge of technique, instinct.
Emily: Imagery
George: Do things as much as you can, as fully as you can, articulation.
Owen: Technique, creativity, gender, leaving the audience with a reaction and provoking thought or feelings, being motivated by others, taking inspiration.
Tom:
A question to dancers, dance practitioners, teachers, choreographers, anyone involved in the industry:
'Within my research, I am looking at ‘Values and principles’ from a dance perspective. In doing so I am trying to gather a bit of a broader idea of what other dancers, dance practitioners and anyone involved in the dance world considers as their values and principles in their work, practice, and life as a dancer.
The definition of values could be described as the importance of something, standards of behavior, beliefs, morals, rules and restrictions, the worth of something as a few examples.
My question to you is what within Dance do you consider as your values and principles?
As an example, my chosen values that I am looking into are space, time, gender roles, the importance of clarity, the body, equality and roles, expression, technique, creativity, restrictions, and methods. After asking my dancers, who are taking part in my project, they came out with their own and why they have them which showed some similarities and differences. This led me to wonder how this might be with dancers of different techniques, experiences, backgrounds, dancers, and as teachers.'
Mandy Rogerson: Contemporary teacher, dancer, choreographer
For myself I would consider my values and principles as a teacher to be – honesty, empathy, leadership, clarity of communication, patience (but I don’t always have this)
As a dancer I would consider my values and principles to be - expressive honesty – giving everything, precision and clarity, tenacity, strength and physicality
As a choreographer I would consider my values and principles to be – creativity, being encouraging, risk-taking, honesty, exploratory
I'd say context is key so I'll divide my answer somewhat.
As an observer I look for:
Excellence, Embodiment, Intention, Awareness, Abandon, Freedom, Expression, Sensitivity, Technique, Panache, Individuality, Accessibility.
In relation to technique I look for:
Alignment, Direction, Dynamics/Quality, Musicality, Coordination, Line, Travel.
As a teacher I consider the process more important than the end product. That said I believe structure and rigour are imperative in allowing people to learn. I aim to make the genre valuable for everyone - regardless of experience or physical capabilities. Though safe practice is also paramount.
Dance above all should be about agency. Whether or not a teacher is working with a historical technique, a choreographer is creating original work or a student is experimenting with both. The dance should belong to the dancer. That's what makes one want to watch. A mixture of embodiment, expression and communication.
Courtney Clifford: Dancer, Contemporary
empathise through movement, identifying no right or wrong within art, freedom to be different, going against what is considered normal, to create to receive a reaction.
Jamieson Dryburgh: Release, release teacher, dancer
In response to your questions, I would say that my values are underpinned by critical feminist practices (empowerment, transformation, liberation, relatedness), care ethics (trust, respect, safety, engrossment) and queer theory (disruption, pleasure, social justice).
Angela Reay: Ballet, ballet teacher, dancer
Professional Competence
Having a positive impact on people and the community. Being human (treating others as you wish to be treated) Equality & embracing diversity. Help people to grow & develop; creating meaning in the world. Motivate Develop creativity, artistry and technique. Health and safety.
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