Dance Style Resource

Check here for brief overviews and definitions of everything from acro to zumba!

Graham Technique

American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (1894-1991) devised her training method during the late 1920s. The main characteristic of her method is the principle of contraction and release. It aims to ensure that the body is always ready for action, even if resting. A complex breath pattern is an important element of the training, as it allows the dancer to achieve various states of contraction in the spine. The movements were thus initiated with the breath, through the center of the torso, while the rest of the body, the limbs and the neck would react to continue the motion. The dancer’s body did not surrender to gravity, rather it used the floor as a springboard, and the dancer was trained to bounce from it.
Graham technique evolved along with Graham’s choreography and style through the decades. Her later style reflected her interest in classical Greek themes and dramatic narratives.
Sources: Deborah Jowitt (1998) Martha Graham in The International Encyclopedia of Dance. Selma Jeanne Cohen (ed.). Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press

Gu Dian Wu Dao

Gu Dian Wu Dao is classical Chinese dance. It incorporates classical dance movements with the graceful flow of acrobactics.

Greek Dance

The best known Greek dance is syrtós, or syrtaki – a rhythmic, accelerating stepping dance to the music of bouzouki. In group form, the dancers connect by holding onto each other’s shoulder, traveling in an open line.

General

General