Contemporary dance thrives on the balance between raw strength and effortless fluidity. For intermediate dancers, mastering this duality is where artistry truly begins. Whether you’re transitioning from ballet, modern, or hip-hop, refining your technique while embracing organic movement is key. Here’s how to bridge the gap.
1. Strength: The Silent Powerhouse
Contemporary isn’t just about flowing lines—it demands functional strength. Unlike traditional disciplines, your power must be adaptable, ready to switch from explosive jumps to controlled floor work.
- Core & Spine: Pilates-inspired exercises (like teasers or planks with shoulder taps) build stability for off-center movements.
- Eccentric Control: Lower slowly from relevés or leaps to develop shock-absorbing muscles.
- Partnerwork Drills: Weight-sharing exercises teach active resistance, crucial for lifts and counterbalances.
“Your strength should whisper, not shout—contemporary is about making the difficult look inevitable.”
2. Fluidity: The Art of Unfolding
Fluidity isn’t just being “loose.” It’s intentional momentum. Think of your body as water: it has weight, direction, and ripple effects.
- Sequencing: Practice isolating and connecting body parts (e.g., a hand initiates, followed by ribs, then spine).
- Breath as Choreography: Sync inhalations with expansions, exhalations with collapses.
- Improvisation Tasks: Try moving with “sticky energy” (imagine limbs sinking through honey) to break habitual flow.
3. The Intersection: Dynamic Tension
The magic happens when strength and fluidity collide. Exercises to try:
- Spiral Falls: Control your descent from standing into a floor roll, resisting gravity without freezing.
- Pendulum Swings: Use momentum from a grand battement to transition into a backward curve, engaging obliques to redirect energy.
4. Training Beyond the Studio
Cross-training elevates contemporary technique:
- Gyrotonic: Enhances 3D mobility and spinal articulation.
- Capoeira: Develops explosive agility and grounded flow.
- Feldenkrais: Retrains inefficient movement patterns.
Tip: Film yourself mid-combination. Analyze where strength overpowers fluidity (or vice versa).
5. Mindset Shifts
Intermediate plateau? Re-frame:
- Embrace “Unfinished” Movement: Not every gesture needs a clean end—sometimes the beauty is in the decay.
- Study Other Arts: Watch how sculptors handle clay or how jazz musicians phrase melodies. Translating concepts across mediums sparks innovation.
Contemporary dance at this level isn’t about perfection—it’s about curiosity. Strength and fluidity aren’t opposites; they’re collaborators. Now go disrupt your own habits.
