Increase in dance market trend for contemporary dance

by Rachael
(New Zealand)

Is there an increase in demand for contemporary dance in the last few years and now? If so, how do we know this and why is it becoming such a trend?

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Jun 12, 2011

Answer from Maria
by: Maria

Dear Rachael,

Dance history records will let you notice that contemporary dance has grown and spread progressively since it emerged (around the 1950s).

Almost every dance school in the world includes nowadays contemporary dance education (both professional high schools and amateur academies) and there are abundant new dance schools that are especially devoted to this type of concert dance.

If you look at the work of the important ballet companies (with good funding), you will see that the tendency is to invite contemporary dance choreographers to enrich their repertoires or create new pieces.

In the countries where traditional dance forms have evolved into concert dance forms, there's also a tendency to search for fusions or new alternatives through experimentations with contemporary dance technical styles, methods or ideas.

Being strict, an accurate answer to your question could only come from a serious research on contemporary dance social trends or marketing. Though, for what I'm telling you above, we can suppose that yes, there is indeed an increase in demand for contemporary dance in the last few years and now.

Contemporary dance might be spreading because current audiences are demanding in terms of innovation. People want new experiences that reflect the evolution of society and humanity. And that is something that contemporary dance offers.

Also, one of contemporary dance's main characteristics is creativity. Contemporary dance is constantly in a search for new artistic possibilities and that makes it a perfect tool for originality among other types of dance.

There's also the fact that contemporary dance is open to a wider range of people because its aesthetical features do not strictly demand to be young, beautiful or highly acrobatic. As it is an art form that accepts a much wider image of the human body in movement, it includes a lot of people that are excluded from other types of dance (ballet, in particular).

When you approach contemporary dance, you discover that it is supported by an ideology that proclaims equality and acceptance between people, friendship, healthy development of different skills (including physical, intellectual and emotional), mental freedom, self judgment and more constructive values like those. At the same time it creates ways of expression that are attractive and full of force. This inclusive, peaceful and clever ideological background might be another reason why people are increasingly joining it, as performers or followers. It is just an activity that is full of sense.

Write me back with more specific questions, if this is not enough as an answer. Let me know, for example, what specific locality are you referring to? Are you starting a graduating project? Are you working for a public project?

Specifications like those might orient me to help you find authors and books that can be useful on your research.

Wishing you the best,

Maria

Jun 13, 2011

thankyou
by: rachael

Thankyou so much!!! thats excellent feedback :)

Feb 06, 2012

M.A. Choreographer & Founder Bulgarian Folk Music and Dance Association
by: Maria Drazheva

Dear Colleague,
These questions are very important for all choreographers, which work in this field...
According to me and my experience this is challenge in now days.
We should find new ways through dance language and composition to give traditional knowledge to new generation. This make us to search interesting contemporary decision.
I would be glad to share with you questions that are connecting to contemporary choreography.

Warm,
Maria Drazheva

Feb 07, 2012

Reply to Maria Drazheva
by: Maria Naranjo

Hey Maria Drazheva! Maria Naranjo here. Great having you around.

We have many threads to read and share. Here are some related ones that might interest you:

How does contemporary dance help me ?

Interesting facts about contemporary dance

There are also related readings within our main pages and in our e-zine archive. Here are some examples:

The art of choreography

What does a contemporary dance choreographer expect from dancers?

And there's more... Just browse around. I will also be glad to share thoughts with you.

Warm regards,

Maria

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