Origins of Contemporary Dance

The origins of contemporary dance are illustrious and span the globe, with beginnings in both
Europe and North America. Read on for a brief history of this genre of dance, as well as some of
the great names behind its start.

What is Contemporary Dance?

Contemporary dance is officially the name given to a series of dance styles including modern
dance. Extremely interpretive in its choreography, contemporary dance often includes an innate
focus on alignment, opposing movement, raw emotions and systematic breathing.

While many dance genres including jazz and lyrical, focus on flexibility and excellence of
various structured steps, the technique in contemporary dance is focused much more upon
unconventional choreographic moves that were devised in the first 60 years of the 20th century
by various masters of the craft. Below is some brief information on these key contributors to the
origins of contemporary dance.

The Masters of the Dance

There are several individuals who helped develop what we know as contemporary dance today.
Each has made a unique contribution in his or her own way, providing us with a rich tapestry to
reflect upon when investigating the origins of contemporary dance.

Martha Graham
Graham is often credited as the founding mother of contemporary and modern dance. As a
dancer and choreographer for over seven decades, she brought this unconventional style into the
mainstream, as the first dancer ever invited to perform at the White House and receive a medal of
freedom.

Ironically, she hated the terms "modern" and "contemporary," as she believed dance styles were
constantly evolving and changing according to the times. She didn't want her choreography or
her ideals boxed in, and this has continued to be a running mindset amongst contemporary dance
choreographers immediately after her through today.

Merce Cunningham

Born in Washington in 1919, Cunningham danced for Martha Graham's company until he
formed his own company in 1953. He and his romantic partner, John Cage, created what is
known in the contemporary dance world as "chance operations." It is based upon the Chinese
thought of casting your fortune off of the hexagram. The number 64 in music, for example, could
allow you to cast by chance to discover what sound will first appear, and then casting again to
predict the second, and so on until an entire song has been operated this way. Cunningham
applied the same principle to dance, using a chance series of movements that he wrote on pieces
of paper. He cherished this sporadic style of choreography, and it continues to be practiced in
studios across the nation today. In his contribution to the more modern version of contemporary
dance, Cunningham was instrumental in its technological, 21st century origins, serving as a
developer for a dance software program called Danceforms, which allows one to choreograph via
a computer.

Lester Horton

Horton was known for infusing elements of Native American dance and modern jazz into his
contemporary dance routines. He went on to train some dance greats, including Alvin Ailey. He
founded the Dance Theater of Los Angeles, and while this company is no longer together today,
his technique and distinctly different style of choreography that lended itself to the origins of
modern dance will forever be remembered.

Other Origins of Influence

One of the beautiful things about contemporary dance's origins is that they come from all
different directions. In contemporary movement you will not only see technical dance steps, but
also moves borrowed from pilates, yoga, and plenty of dance improvisation like none other.
Perhaps the true origins of contemporary dance are found in the hearts and creativity of all
who've dared to take it on, stretching their choreographical limits and abandoning their
inhibitions for a craft that tolerates none.
History of Salsa Dance and Music
Salsa is not easily defined. What is Salsa? A sauce, a recipe, a dance? Who invented salsa? The
Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each
played a large part in its evolution.

Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of
music. The dances share many of the same moves. In Salsa, turns have become an important
feature, so the overall look and feel are quite different form those of Mambo. Mambo moves
generally forward and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side to side feel.

A look at the origin of Salsa

By: Jaime Andrés Pretell

It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of
creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón,
which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of
African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a
mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner
dance flowered to the beat of the clave.

This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the
Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their
music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most
famous ...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more
promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there
was more investment.

New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as
nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence:
Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop,
Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these
have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa".

If you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going to find the base of són, and you are going to
hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha. You will also hear some old Merengue, built-
in the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many of the old styles somewhere within the
modern beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New York, for example, new instrumentalization
and extra percussion were added to some Colombian songs so that New Yorkers - that dance
mambo "on the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the rhythm and beat of the song, because
the original arrangement is not one they easily recognize.

This is called "finishing", to enter the local market. This "finish" does not occur because the
Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-
Cuban Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of Cuba has evolved towards another new
and equally flavorful sound.

Then, as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches, but one trunk that unites us all. The
important thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic world and has received influences
of many places within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample of our flexibility and evolution. If you
think that a single place can take the credit for the existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you
think that one style of dance is better, imagine that the best dancer of a style, without his
partner, goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a club where a different style
predominates. He wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer is accustomed to dance
his/her own style. None is better, only different. Viva la variedad, Viva la Salsa!

Jazz Oral Interview of ISRAEL LÓPEZ "CACHAO"

Highlights by FRANK M. FIGUEROA

The interviewer asked Cachao what he thought about salsa music and performers who called
themselves salseros. His answer, which is typical of most of the "old guard" musicians, was a
total repudiation of the term. As far as he is concerned it is all Cuban music and salsa is a term
that has more relation to the kitchen than to music. He jokingly said that there should be a law
against anybody calling himself a salsero.

History Of Bachata
Bachata is a form of music that emerged in the early 1960s as romantic guitar
music, which is different from dancing guitar music. With time, Bachata’s rhythm
was accelerated and a new dance step was initiated and thus, Bachata began to be
classified as dance music.

Latin American Spanish dictionaries define Bachata as fun and merriment; however, in Dominican
Republic, which is the place of its origin, Bachata refers to get-togethers that include food and music.
Since these parties played guitars, the guitar-based music of this time became to be known as
Bachata.

Bachata musicians took their inspiration from a number of music genres. Perhaps the most influential
was the Cuban bolero; others include Mexican rancheros and corridos, Dominican merengue, Cuban
son, guaracha and guajira, Colombian-Ecuadorian vals campesino and pasillo, and Puerto Rican plena
and jibaro. Meregua, which is a fast-paced Dominican Republic dance music, also influenced Bachata.

Bachata has been through a series of phases since its evolution The Bachata style of music was played
by rural musicians and this made it synonymous with low quality; the musicians and the listeners were
lowly looked upon and began to be referred as Bachatero. With time, the reputation of Bachata got
worse. The deteriorating conditions of the Bachateros further degraded Bachata’s reputation. Although
the instruments used for Bachata remained the same, the tempo accelerated and the lyrics started
including drinking and womanizing. Consequently, Bachata became associated with unacceptable
social elements like alcohol, violence, sex and the like.

The Bachata music has incorporated several changes and refined itself in its 40-plus years. Jose
Manuel Calderon has been credited with the recording of the first Bachata single - Borracho de amor.
This song is quite romantic and is closer to bolero.The advent of the electric guitar played a major role
in making Bachata easier to get to. Although bolero remains the most significant influence, the two
genres are quite distinguishable. The various phases Bachata went through are listed below:

Bachata Bolero: This phase can be characterized by slow tempo, emotional style and romantic
words.

Cabaret Bachata: Bachata musicians began to perform in cabarets and this led to its social rejection;
this kind of music was essentially rough.

Sexual Double Entendre Bachata: During the 1980s, the Bachata music began to include songs and
lyrics that implied sexual meanings. Consequently, the infamous Bachata became a further target of
criticism.

Tecno Bachata: Certain liberal middle-class musicians showed interest in Bachata and manipulated it
such that their songs reflected more of Bolero than Bachata. Juan Luis Guerra is a musician of this
time who became increasingly popular in Latin America as well as the United States and Europe.

Frontier Bachata: Luis Vargas, Anthony Santos and Raulin Rodriguez conquered Bachata in the early
1990s; they included as much Merengue as Bachata in their collection.

Romantic Bachata: Anthony Santos pioneered this form of Bachata where there began to be a
transformation into simpler and more romantic Bachata. Joe Veras was another popular Bachatero
who increased Bachata’s pace towards romanticism.

Vallenato and Bachata: In the late 1990s, Bachata began to involve more middle-class musicians
who attended school and studied other genres formally. Martires de León introduced the strategy of
recording Colombian Vallenatos as Bachatas; Luis Vargas followed this style. This made Bachata
acceptable to a wider audience.

The New York School: Aventura, a Dominican group, uses sound effects along with R&B influenced
vocals which has attracted international audiences far and wide.

Bachata dance consists of certain simple steps that create a back and forth as well as a sideway
motion. The dance starts with the right foot and similar steps are repeated with the left foot; Bachata
can be distinguished by the distinctive and sensuous body movements. Salsa and Merengue are dance
styles that have been known to be similar to Bachata but the three are quite different. Salsa is an
informal dance style from the Caribbean which requires a partner. It incorporates different steps,
patterns, timings, movement on dance floor, attitude, dress codes, preference of turns and moves etc.
Merengue originates from the Dominican Republic in which partners hold each other in a closed
position. In perfect Merengue, the hips of the two partners move in the same direction. Circular and
sideway motions are possible; and there can be variation in choreography. The dance patterns of
Salsa, Merengue and Bachata are alike but there are slight moves and patterns which differentiate the
three.