Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Lyrical & Ballet Dance Reviewer

Comprehensive practice flashcards defining foundational dance vocabulary, key historical pioneers, technical terms, and movement elements across Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Lyrical, and Ballet styles.

Contemporary Dance

An expressive dance form influenced by modern dance, jazz, lyrical, and classical ballet that connects mind and body to convey emotions and ideas.

Freedom (Contemporary Dance)

Exploring different movement possibilities rather than adhering strictly to fixed, traditional steps.

Expression (Dance)

Communicating feelings, concepts, or narratives through the body.

Creativity (Dance)

The act of inventing and creating new movements or steps.

François Delsarte

A dance pioneer who connected bodily movement directly with emotional expression.

Loie Fuller

A dance pioneer recognized for introducing experimental movement and innovative visual effects.

Isadora Duncan

An American pioneer of modern dance who championed natural, free, expressive movement and rejected the rigid restrictions of classical ballet.

Martha Graham

A foundational modern dance figure who developed a codified technique based on contraction, release, and expressive breathing.

Merce Cunningham

A modern choreographer who experimented with shape, space, timing, direction, and chance, collaborating frequently with composer John Cage.

Rudolf von Laban

A movement theorist who opened a dance school in Munich in 1910 and developed a widely used system of movement notation.

Mary Wigman

A leading German modern dance pioneer who studied under Rudolf von Laban and emphasized expression and experimentation.

Alignment

The proper positioning of body parts in relation to one another.

Dynamics (Dance)

How movement utilizes force, space, time, texture, and weight.

Canon

A choreographic device in which the same movement is performed sequentially one after another by different dancers.

Motif

A distinct movement or sequence of movements that is repeated and developed throughout a choreographic work.

Gesture

A specific movement designed to communicate an emotion or give direction.

Flow

The manner in which movement travels continuously and freely through space.

Intention

The purpose or motivation behind a given movement.

Isolation

Moving one specific body part independently while the rest of the body remains still.

Texture (Dance)

The distinct quality of a movement, such as smooth versus sharp.

Cramping (slide title)

A street dance style associated with clown dancing/clowning originating in South-Central Los Angeles, using energetic movements of the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet to channel strong emotions.

Lateral

A sideways tilt of the body where the supporting leg remains grounded while the opposite leg lifts.

Spiral (Modern Dance)

A rotational twist of the body that initiates in the pelvis and travels upward through the spine.

Stag Leap

A high jump in which the front leg bends inward while the other leg extends outward, often with the arms positioned in a V.

Stag Turn

A turn executed with the supporting knee slightly bent while the other leg is lifted behind during body rotation.

Primitive Squat

A deep squat performed in second position with turned-out feet and bent knees.

Flat Back

A forward bend from the hips where the torso and back remain flat while arms reach forward.

Hinge

A movement in which the knees shift forward while the torso tilts backward with the arms extended forward.

Contraction

A core modern dance movement initiating in the pelvis where the spine curves inward and upward, coordinated with exhalation.

Release

An expansion of the spine returning the torso back toward alignment, coordinated with inhalation.

High Release

A lifting movement of the breastbone and head upward while maintaining the rib cage positioned over the hips.

Syncopation

The rhythmic technique of dancing to off-beat or unexpected rhythms.

Jazz Dance

A performance dance originating in the United States that blends ballet technique, African dance roots, vernacular dance, and theatrical entertainment.

Katherine Dunham

An anthropologist and choreographer who pioneered Black theatrical dance and introduced body isolations to jazz dance.

Jack Cole

A choreographer commonly credited as the father of jazz dance technique who significantly influenced theatrical jazz.

Eugene Louis "Luigi" Faccuito

A dancer who created a rehabilitative jazz dance exercise system following an automobile accident that shaped jazz education.

Axel Turn

A rotating jump originating from a turning preparation that demands precise balance and control.

Ball Change

A rapid two-step weight transfer from the ball of one foot onto the other foot.

Chassé

A traveling step, literally meaning "chasing step," where one foot follows and replaces the other.

Layout

A dramatic jazz step in which one leg kicks high upward while the torso arches or leans backward.

Lyrical Dance

A expressive dance style fusing ballet, jazz, and contemporary/modern dance, typically danced to songs with lyrics to interpret meaning and emotion.

Illusion (Dance)

A technical turn performed while balanced on one leg as the working leg lifts high and remains aloft through a full pivot before recovering upright.

The Spiral (Lyrical Step)

A continuous floor-to-standing movement sequence following the path: Stand → Rotate → Floor → Sit → Rotate → Stand.

Arabesque

A position in ballet where the dancer balances on a supporting leg while the other leg is extended straight behind.

Grand Jeté

A large traveling leap executing a full leg split mid-air.

Piqué

A movement involving stepping or turning directly onto the pointed toe or ball of a straight supporting leg.

Functional Alignment

The anatomically correct integration of muscles, bones, and joints (head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees, and feet) to optimize control and reduce injury.

Core-distal

An element of body coordination governing the physical connection between the center of the body and its extremities.

Vestibular Coordination

The coordination element of the body responsible for maintaining balance and spatial orientation.

Pointe / En Pointe

Ballet technique involving dancing directly on the tips of the toes using reinforced pointe shoes.

Turnout

The foundational outward rotation of the legs originating from the hip joints.

Pas de Deux

A classical ballet duet performed by two dancers.

Battement Tendu

A ballet exercise stretching the working foot along the floor until it reaches a fully pointed position with the toes maintaining floor contact.

Pirouette

A controlled complete turn or rotation of the body supported on one foot.

Plié

A fundamental ballet exercise bending the knees while maintaining the outward turnout of the legs.

Rond de Jambe

A circular movement or arc traced by the working leg either on the ground or in the air.

Sauté

A jump that initiates from and lands back on the feet.

Adagio

A series of slow, controlled, fluid, and sustained ballet movements.

Allegro

Brisk, fast, and energetic ballet movements characterized by lively jumps.

Shank (Pointe Shoe)

The stiff interior sole piece inside a pointe shoe providing structured support beneath the dancer's arch and foot.

Box (Pointe Shoe)

The hard front enclosure of a pointe shoe that encases and supports the dancer's toes en pointe.