Modern On The Rise

By Nancy Galeota-Wozny

Once eclipsed by generic dance categories like lyrical and contemporary, classic modern dance technique is making a rebound.  

I’m a modern dancer. Although at 51 I do most of my dancing around the house to annoy my teenage sons, I find myself defined by my background in modern technique. Recently, while working on a guide to the Houston dance scene, I noticed that there was little if any modern dance being taught in the suburban studios. I put on my detective hat and set out to discover why not.

I suppose the fact that the sensational television show So You Think You Can Dance hardly mentioned the “M” word helped fuel my inquiry, while a glimpse of authentic modern dance class in the Hollywood dance flick Step Up warmed my heart. When I questioned studio owners about their lack of modern classes, I was met with the “I sneak it in” response. Modern on the sneak is not good enough. I want young dancers to know that modern dance is not the same as lyrical, that it has a rich and diverse history, and that it’s thrilling to dance. The catchall “contemporary” category (which, by the way, is a style of furniture, not dance) doesn’t do it for me either. When I see a dance called “modern,” it means the dancers, and its choreographer, have actually studied one or more modern techniques.

So what about modern dance education outside of major urban areas? Why do so few modern dancers open studios? Who are these few missionary teachers who are bringing modern to the hinterland? Which modern techniques are popular? Which parts of the country excel in modern? What about modern dance choreography at competitions? These are the questions that swam in my modern dance brain.

I wasn’t always a modern dancer. In the late ’60s the only modern dance class to be found in my hometown was at University of Buffalo, with the Zodiaque dance company (still going strong). It wasn’t a likely place to find a seventh grader. My ballet teacher did her best to imitate modern, but I doubt that she had ever even seen any. We did a dance dressed like robots and I came away thinking that modern is something we might find on The Jetsons.

It wasn’t until I saw Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in my senior year of high school (1973) that modern dance came fully on my radar. When I arrived in Boston for college, Ailey-like technique (Lester Horton’s) was all the rage. Although the flat backs of Horton technique were hard on my short-hamstringed legs, I welcomed the change in challenge and my growing strength. When I arrived at graduate school at American University, the José Limón Company was in residency. All the flat backs in the world were not going to help me with the fall-and-recovery suspensions of the Limón technique. I got the falling part all right, but the recovery looked more like a stumble.

Although being off balance was new to me, I enjoyed getting to know this unique world of modern dance. As the years went on I studied Hawkins technique but found it terrifically difficult not to point my feet. I studied with Pola Nirenska, who danced in Mary Wigman’s original company, and finally found a home in the Cunningham technique, which was very popular during the 1980s in Washington, DC. For 15 years or so I taught a hybrid modern dance class based on various techniques that had crossed my path. Such classes, along with generic ones, are not an unusual find in colleges and studios.

So now it’s probably obvious why I have such a soft spot for modern dance. I got my center from ballet class, but modern taught me how to move through space, to rise and fall, to tilt off center and catch myself. What’s not to like? Face it, modern dance is fun.

In speaking to modern dance teachers from across the United States, I found that they share my concerns. Students need to be educated about the differences between various traditions of modern dance. Each teacher mentioned including a bit of modern dance history as part of their teaching strategy, and all urged their students to see more modern dance companies. And they mentioned how much their students enjoyed this kind of training, commenting on how although they might be reluctant at first, many became hooked after giving it a try.

I started my search for modern dance training in my own backyard. Although Houston is home to a slew of companies, I was able to find only one suburban studio that offered modern dance—North Harris Performing Arts (NHPA)—and it was in the form of a weekly, mandatory class for its competition team. Randall Flinn, the artistic director of Ad Deum Dance Company, travels to Spring, a northeast suburb of Houston, to teach classes at NHPA. Flinn studied with Steve Rooks, a former principal dancer with Martha Graham, and Jan Simonds, formerly of the Limón company. “I find it rare for a dance center that has excelled in dance competitions to offer modern dance,” says Flinn. “Even the youngest of the students seems to have great zeal and passion for learning new ways of moving.” Flinn also trains the dancers of Houston Ballet II in modern technique. His classes at NHPA and Houston Ballet Academy are taught with a fusion of Graham, Limón, and Horton techniques and principles, making versatile dancers.

My path crossed with Amber Perkins, a pioneer in bringing modern dance to the studio world, while I was researching trends in choreography for competitions. Perkins, a modern dancer, set up shop—the Amber Perkins School of the Arts—in Norwich, NY. She offers several modern dance classes, and her students compete at the American Dance Awards. “I am very excited to see that modern dance is becoming a stronger influence in the primary level schools,” says Perkins. “I have struggled for the past 10 years to push modern dance, and finally people are starting to listen.” She choreographs pure modern works, often to classical music, and when she became a studio owner she decided not to change what she does to conform to the current competition style. Many of her peers say that she put modern on the competition map.

Perkins trains her students to be fully prepared for a college dance education. The dance-training landscape has changed drastically over the years. Universities are filling the ranks of modern companies now more than ever. So what will happen to dancers who are trained entirely in jazz, tap, and lyrical? They will end up feeling like a fish out of water at college, where they won’t find any classes labeled “contemporary” or “lyrical.”

Diane Kelley, owner of Diane Kelley Dance Studios in West Boylston, MA, has been offering modern dance for 10 years. A once-a -week modern class is mandatory for her competition team. “We feel that modern requires a certain amount of maturity in order for a dancer to fully appreciate and understand the art form. Therefore, it is a subject we reserve for our advanced levels of the competition team. They love it,” says Kelley. “If dancers are interested in making a successful transition from their dance studio to a college dance program, modern dance is crucial to their training. We train dancers to successfully audition; we don’t want them to return from one asking, ‘What’s modern?’ ” The school’s modern dance teacher, Karen Tremblay, trained in Horton and Ailey techniques at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and choreographs modern pieces for the competition team.

Kelley agrees that the modern category on the competition scene is still a gray area but feels that modern training is on the upswing, especially in New England. The proximity to New York and Boston may be a factor. Kelley takes her students to performances at Jacob’s Pillow and by companies such as Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey. “If you are serious about training dancers, you have to offer modern,” she says. “It’s the future.” According to Kelley, ballet gives you a foundation but modern teaches you how to move.

Nailah Bellinger, an assistant professor at Dean College in Franklin, MA and faculty member of The Gold School in Brockton, MA, has been holding the modern torch for some time now. Her studies include Horton, Limón, and Katherine Dunham techniques. She has choreographed numerous works for The Gold School and Kelley’s studio. “The exposure to modern in the small dance studios is growing; everyone is dancing barefoot and tights-less now,” says Bellinger. “The concept of modern varies greatly. Pure, traditional technique training in modern is still needed to clarify the shape and feeling of this genre of dance.” Bellinger is concerned that modern technique is not fully understood by many teachers, and she urges studio owners to hire trained modern dance teachers.

Sandi Duncan, a New Hampshire-based freelance teacher, choreographer, and adjudicator, is on staff at the Melissa Hoffman Dance Center, where she directs the resident youth dance ensemble and choreographs modern pieces for the competitive team. “I was surprised at the amount of real modern—not people imitating modern—at nationals this year,” says Duncan, who is trained in Horton and Limón techniques. “Most seem to have Horton backgrounds.” According to Duncan, modern training is a must for students wishing to pursue a career in dance. She sees a big difference in the strength of her students after Horton training. My students call it ‘Sandi modern,’ ” she says. “I like to add in my own flair.”

Duncan finds it interesting that modern dance has been around for so long but is just now coming of age in the competition world. She believes that the infiltration of modern dance will raise the artistic level of choreography at competitions. “I find people taking risks and wanting to do more with modern,” she says. “We are educating our audiences about just how difficult modern can be.” One of her team’s goals is see more performances. “I was inspired when they asked to see more dance,” says Duncan.

Modern is indeed on the rise on the competition circuit. I found 85 companies that list “modern” as a category. But how many of them have at least one judge who has been trained in modern dance? Steve Wappel, owner of StarQuest International Performing Arts Competitions, who trained in modern dance, ballet, and musical theater at Catholic University, admits that “competitors are still on a learning curve when it comes to presenting and judging modern dance at competitions. Many students are simply newer to modern and frankly not that familiar with it. So sometimes their routine might score lower and they may decide to compete less in the modern category. Other times they may get a higher score because of originality. It’s simply harder to evaluate at this time.” All of StarQuest’s judges must have some training in modern dance, along with experience in ballet and other dance forms. Wappel is convinced that modern dances at competitions are here to stay and growing in number.

I’m encouraged by what I’ve heard from teachers but I still have some questions. Is once-a-week training enough? Will So You Think You Can Dance ever have a judge with a modern dance background? Will modern dance’s pedestrian costumes become the norm? Will I ever stop whining about modern dance? Probably not. I was hooked from my first contraction.

Modern dance has continued to evolve into postmodern and post-postmodern, and I look forward to seeing those forms seep into the broad dance landscape. In the meantime, there are a few things that I feel confident about announcing from my soapbox: Modern dance training makes for a well-rounded dancer; the competition world is opening its heart to modern dance; and once your students try it, they just might like it.   

Photo Captions (from top to bottom):

Top two photos: “Redemption,” choreographed by Nailah Bellinger. Performed at the GOLD School MOVES concert. Photos by Jason Greenleaf    

Studio 5D in “The Garden” at the 2006 StarQuest International Virginia Beach Finals. Photos by King Shots Photographers