1. Isadora Duncan
Isadora Duncan (1877-1927)
Duncan is one of the most recognized dancers in contemporary dance history. She broke with the rules of classical dance, movements, steps, positions, and everything that had been established until then.
This dancer stood out for her innovation and for creating her style, which is why she is known as the mother of modern dance. Her works and interpretations were inspired by the Greek culture. She was based on creating natural movements, expressing from within, and not having to follow those who dictated until then.
2. Katherine Dunham
Katherine Dunham (1909-2006)
American dancer and choreographer. She created a dance academy in United States where all students were afro-americans. Dunham is known as the mother of modern afro-american dance.
She was a classical dancer, when she began to discover African culture, she added movements in both classical and modern dance.It must be said that the technique of Katherine Dunham is still standing today and is one of the most important foundations in modern dance in the United States.
3. Charles Weidman
Charles Weidman (1901–1975)
He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and has been one of the great dancers of modern dance and pioneered this art’s development. In 1927, next to Doris Humphrey, they left Denishawn, where they opened a company that would explore a new aesthetic in the dance, new principles of technique that include gravity, fall, and recovery, and sustained, suspended, and vibratory movement. Incorporating these innovative techniques, the two artists choreographed works like Lysistrata, School for husbands and Alcina Suite.
4. Eric Hawkins
Erick Hawkins (1909–1994)
Dancer and choreographer born in Trinidad, Colorado. He began his studies in classical dance and soon became interested in modern dance. He was a dancer of the American Ballet and Ballet Caravan, where he performed his first choreography, “Show Piece.” One peculiarity of this artist was that in some of his works, he didn’t put music or if he put it finished the show. The President of the United States gratified him with the National Medal of Arts a month before he died.
5. Martha Graham
Martha Graham (1894-1991)
Martha Graham is another of the most important dancers in this type of dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher, and between these different stages, she developed movements from emotion. She created a different modern dance, which involved contracting and releasing. As we have said, their movements came from emotions, sharpness, angular…
Nowadays, the United States still exists, and the Academy of the Dance of Martha Graham is the oldest in the country.
