What studio wouldn’t want their dancers coming out more versatile as dancers and more open-minded as people?
Whether adding an improvisation class, a creative composition course, or just exposing students to performance and video, incorporating postmodern dance principles into your studio structure and course offerings is a step in the right direction for developing more well-rounded dancers and standout dance studios.
But where is postmodern dance in studio instruction?
It is a commonly asked question in today’s growing dance world.
Most studio dancers have been exposed to the traditional course offerings of ballet, jazz, and tap dance. They are familiar with ballet terminology, tap dance sequences, different forms of hip-hop, contemporary dance techniques, and even know how to use “spirit fingers” if the opportunity presents itself.
With a wide variety of dance genres being offered at commercial dance studios around the country, there is still a noticeable absence of modern and postmodern dance techniques available for young dancers to explore.
Dance Professor Katie Langan of Marymount Manhattan in New York says “Rarely do my faculty or I see an audition solo for entry into college that is modern-based, despite the emphasis on modern dance training in undergraduate BFA/BA curriculums… This scenario repeats for any number of students who come to mind and plays out in colleges and universities across the country.” [Dancer Magazine, March 2008] She acknowledges that students auditioning for college dance departments are often coming equipped with ballet, jazz and competition dance experience. Few are coming in with a firm grasp on modern and postmodern dance principles because most commercial studios do not expose their dancers to modern dance.
Some common reasons studios might not include postmodern techniques in their course lineup:
- Commercial dance studios value a different aesthetic
- Belief that dance studio students are not interested in learning modern techniques
- An absence of studio owners or teachers with postmodern dance experience
- Belief that there is no benefit or application for professional ballet, jazz or commercial dancers
The exposure to postmodern principles and technique has so positively affected my experience with both commercial dance and concert dance that I would recommend that studios add it to their course roster. Young dancers who gain an early exposure to the world of post modern dance are only at an advantage in today’s competitive dance market. It will prepare them for careers as professional dancers or for success in a college dance department. The reality is that modern dance principles are gaining popularity throughout the dance world.
Katie Langan agrees. “Ideally, I believe modern should be in every dance curriculum no matter the final goal. Furthermore, it should be offered at all levels of training, despite the difficulty in translating some of the complex principles at a beginning level for children.”
Give your students the advantage they’ll need in their professional and academic pursuits by implementing post modern principles into your program. Here’s how…
5 Ways Postmodern Dance Principles Can Positively Impact Your Studio.
1. Creates a sense of individuality
Postmodern dance is more about discovering your own unique voice through movement than imitating an already prescribed aesthetic. While most studio class offerings ask students to replicate shapes, tricks and routines, postmodern dance asks students to explore their own movement vocabulary through dance improvisation. Having students explore movement from a “personal place” can enhance their sensitivity towards dance and help them find new meaning and joy through personalized movement.
2. Promotes creative composition
Have you ever had a student say, “I don’t know what to do next!” when choreographing? Postmodern dance principles promote a sense of creative choreography in young dancers. It leans them away from relying on familiar steps or classroom exercises to constitute choreography, asking the dancers to improvise new movement, try out new ideas, and think about choreography as an ongoing creative process versus an end result for show.
3. Focuses on process over product
While every studio wants to have their students perform at a high level, most end up putting pressure on students to deliver an impressive end product. With a postmodern approach to studio directing and classroom instruction, students can feel free to enjoy the process of rehearsing, choreographing and training as much as the final outcome. Traditional students put all of the emphasis on the performance day, the big year-end recital, or the national competition. Postmodern principles require that dancers and instructors engage in the process of creating new work, not just look forward to the end product.
4. Promotes a balance between artistry and technique
Postmodern training encourages dancers to be more than mere technicians and helps to develop living artists that have emotions and individuality on stage. Excellent virtuosic technique is great to have, but so is a sense of self and a true “identity” while performing. Most dancers can channel familiar emotions of happiness and sadness. The postmodern approach to emotion is one of discovery, requiring dancers to move from a deeper level and tap into real emotions and experiences. This approach can help set your studio dancers apart from “everyone else” in the large and rather competitive dance world.
5. Lessens the fear of competition
Speaking of competition, in case you didn’t know—the dance world is full of competition. Not every studio participates in organized competitions, yet owners have to work to get students in their studios, solo artists have to compete for grant money, and dance companies compete for funding. In fact, there are elements of competition in just about every aspect of dance. Post modern dance tells us to think of competition as a chance to share yourself with the world. Young dancers given the opportunity to show their talent, drive and passion to the world while others do the same develop a “sharing” approach to all aspects of dance competition making it seem less scary to the young dancer. With the absence of fear, students have a better shot at performing to their full potential—whether that happens to be a national competition, admission to a college dance company, or even secure funds for an artistic endeavor. Post modern dance celebrates creativity and uniqueness. If dancers can learn at a young age that it is okay to be unique, they will have less fear, anxiety and self consciousness when approaching “competitive” situations. In turn they will feel eager to share their unique gifts with the dance world. This type of confidence and sense of self is priceless for an aspiring dancer.
Do you incorporate postmodern principles or techniques into your curriculum? Why or why not?
What are other ways postmodern could benefit studios?
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Roger Lee is a professional dance writer, instructor, and studio consultant from Philadelphia, PA. His writing has been published nationally in Dance Magazine, Dance Magazine College Guide, Dance Studio Life Magazine, and The Dance Journal. Roger has taught hip-hop at The Rock School of Dance Education, Koresh School of Dance, Mid-Atlantic Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet School, and Drexel University Recreation Center. Roger also directs and choreographs Roger Lee Dance Company and provides dance studio marketing, communications, and publicity at www.rogerleedance.com
If anyone ever have an opportunity to see Rodger Lee dance, or see a Roger Lee choreography, do it!!!
Roger has mad talent, and someday, I KNOW I will be able to say “I know that guy!” when he is on TV, or broadway, or even in the movies.
Roger excels on so many levels, he has created a standard every person should try to achieve.
Not only does Roger excel as a dancer, he excels as an exceptional individual. He is quite an emissary for the dance program–positive and enthusiastic about dance. I look forward to seeing him again; this time I’ll be paying closer attention to all his moves. Roger is an enjoyable, engaging young man on and off the dance floor. I have no doubt that his energy and talent will propel him to achieve good things in the future. I should get his autograph now! If all else fails, he’s an excellent writer as well!
Thanks for these great thoughts! Really well-considered, well-argued, and spot-on!
You have big fans, Roger! So happy to have you aboard and thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important topic!
I want to disagree with this one point made in Ms. Langan’s quote above: “despite the difficulty in translating some of the complex principles at a beginning level for children.â€
I would argue that it is not really that difficult at all to translate the principles of postmodern dance for children. I just think it often goes by other names, in particular creative dance, which has been taught by dance educators in the US and elsewhere for decades. This conceptual approach to dance is at the heart of postmodern ideals and principles. There are leaders we have looked to and who are innovators in dance studio instruction, with a history of success in translating these ideas to children… Anne Green Gilbert and Virginia Tanner are some of the big names but there are many links in this chain, including my own instructor and mentor, Joan Kennedy.
I’ll reiterate what I said on another blog just the other day…
The problem as I see it is a lack of private studio teachers versed in facilitating creative movement/postmodern dance and probably because of this, it is rare that students are offered the opportunity to explore creatively.
I was a rare case – raised in a studio where creative dance was offered to all age groups, side-by-side with the traditional trio, ballet/tap/jazz. Ultimately, I would love to see more studios adopting this model but in the meantime I think creative movement concepts (for all ages – not just the little ones) have to find their way into teacher training in places beyond higher education and K-12, though these are crucially important as well.
The benefit (as Roger stated above): we’d not only see more choreographers but more dancers prepared for the postmodern/contemporary requirements of academic study of dance as well as the versatility required in professional careers. And, I’ll add another benefit… a community of dancers past and present (working as dancers or in other fields) who are more educated viewers and appreciators of dance and art, and therefore recognize dance and art-making as having a vital role in a community and who will lend support with their time, money, and vision.
Thank you so much for this post. I am a creative dance teacher in rural Australia where I suspect few people have heard the term Post Modern. I see the great value is this form of teaching in the development of flexible, open minded students who often bring tears to my eyes with their commitment in the class. I am sure many local dance teachers view what we do as so much “faffing” around but I have found that my students when introduced to technique are quick learners and follow sequences easily. Maybe constantly changing and refining pieces for our annual performance helps!
Thank you very much, Roz! I am glad that this post spoke to you. Postmodern dance is widely misunderstood. It needs to be pushed into the mainstream along with other dance forms. It takes strong technique to execute lifts, sequences and improvisational movements with the look of ease, delicacy and effortlessness. My hat goes off to post modern dancers, teachers and choreographers. Thanky ou for helping keep the tradition alive!
Thank you Nichelle! I am happy to be a part of Dance Adavantage!
I agree, the more dance artists we get in our communities, the stronger the studios and educational opportunites will be. Young dancers deserve a creative outless for free expression in movement. I hope one day this will be available to all before they hit their college years.
Hi Roger,
Great post! Your passion is contagious…
I think one of the very challenges to dance studio owners is that they are torn between their love for a particular genre or style and then the current demand and interest of what the market wants.
I also think that the general public (I’ll call them the non-dance/very little experience with dance) has had very little exposure to postmodern dance – therefore they seek dance training for their children that they ‘know’ like tap, ballet, jazz, etc.
A dance studio owner often has to lean on their ‘bread and butter’ programs to pay the bills – which when I read your post makes my heart break because I appreciate this style very much.
If we could bring more awareness to postmodern style by exposing the consumer…that would be ideal. So much of the early dance training decisions are made by the parents who are paying for and supporting their children’s dance training. Perhaps by empowering the studio owners to showcase, expose, and educate their families, students, potential students on this style and how it can benefit the dancer as they train – would be a great start.
Love your 5 points of how postmodern dance can benefit your studio. It might just be the inspiration needed for a studio owner to re-energize a creative dance program for young dancers or bring in a guest artist and get the awareness raised for the benefits.
Thanks so much!
Suzanne
Thank you very much, Suzanne! I appreciate your comments. I hope that one day studios will expand into post modern to give their young students the widest exposure possible to the world of dance. It is a large world that we often tend to confine into a small box.
Hi there!
This is brilliant information and was just wondering if you have any more blogs on the post modern dance process and how it allows/explores intimacy between performers and their audiences?
Thanks for the above information
Warm Regards
Antonia 🙂
Hi Antonia,
I’m afraid I can’t think of posts here that specifically explore the relationship between performers and audiences. That sounds like a great term paper or thesis though! It also reminds me of an interview I did with Australian choreographer, Clare Dyson when she was here in Houston. She has done study in this area, so you may be interested in her work (check the articles at her website specifically).
As for posts on Dance Advantage, the postmodern process has been mentioned in regard to the college/university experience: https://danceadvantage.net/2008/07/01/tips-for-college-part-two/
Also, I’ve talked a lot about creative dance and artistry for young dancers which (again) I feel is directly related to postmodern principles of dance-making and exploration. Many of the posts written on this subject might be applied in some form to older dancers as well – as the concepts of dance (manipulation of space, time, and energy) remain the same for inexperienced or experienced dancers.
Thanks for reading! I hope this was of some help to you.
Wow! Thank you so much Nichelle, I can check it out!
Hope you have a good Easter 🙂
Kind Regards,
Antonia
It’s so great to introduce those ideas to the young dancers. So many of us older dancers find them refreshing after years of conformity, how much better to “start fresh”!
Thank you so much for your comment, Kevin. I am glad to know that all generations of dancers are looking at these principles with a “fresh” perspective!