Modern dance was born in opposition to the formal conventions and elitism in classical ballet. The two main strands of modern dance stem from Germany, and the USA in the mid twentieth century. German modern dance developed as theatrical form embracing improvisation, introspection, and set design. Meanwhile, American modern dance examined the non-classical form, eastern philosophies, and choreographic explorations. Mary Wigman and Rudolph Von Laban were the pioneers of German modern dance while Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Jose Limon were developing the American version of the form. Today, modern dance is still taught at many conservatories and post secondary institutions based on one or a selection of these styles.
Contemporary Dance is a broad term describing the evolution of modern and post modern dance into several strands of dance styles developed by choreographers in the end of the 20th century. This form generally aims to democratize dance practice and allow for individual freedom of expression. It uses both floor work and aerial skills to project non-conventional expression through movement looking to express profound ideas about human experience and behaviour. While there are no definitive singular proponents of contemporary dance, some of the current choreographers known in the field include names such as Akhram Khan and William Forsythe. Contemporary dance aims to combine cultural dances, such as Native or Indian dance, with western contemporary forms of movement such as Contact Improvisation and German Dance Theater.
