From what I know, concert dance is very much performance based, and focuses more on ballet and contemporary. By making a simple google search, Wikipedia tells me that concert dance is “performed for an audience,” and is “frequently performed in a theatre setting.” (Concert Dance by Wikipedia). From this definition alone, I don’t see much of a difference between concert dance and regular dance. However, by removing the competitive aspect, concert dance has an entirely different vibe. Instead of focusing on tricks and advanced skills, concert dance focuses more on artistry and creativity. I have never really partaken in concert dance, but I know quite a bit about the styles that are commonly associated with concert dance. Today, I’m going to break down two of the elements of concert dance, setting, and styles.

Setting:

As I mentioned above, concert dance is typically performed in a theatre. When talking specifically about ballet, dancers will often dance to live music performed by an orchestra. This is very different to competition dance, where backstage staff will play your music for you. Instead of describing theatre settings and dance, I am going to include two videos below of some concert dance performances. The first example is from the Nutcracker, which I’m sure we’ve all heard of. The Nutcracker is an example of concert dance. Dancers do not compete this choreography, it is performed in a theatre, and an orchestra often accompanies dancers. As you’ll see, this theatre is decorated with elaborate props that enhance the performance. The most important thing to notice in this example is how performance based it is. The choreography for the Nutcracker is almost always the same or very similar, and focuses on artistry and classic technique, instead of doing the most elaborate tricks.

The next example is a modern/contemporary performance from the Martha Graham Dance Company. The most important thing to focus on in this example is how the dancers use the choreography as a form of expression. Also notice how this example is devoid of flashy tricks and stays true to creativity and movement.

Styles:

Lots of dance styles can be performed as concert dance, but the main styles are ballet, modern, and contemporary. This can be confusing, because these styles are also competed at dance competitions. However, the stylistic choices in choreography are different, and the intent is different.

Ballet: Ballet has been around for centuries. Originating in Europe in the 15th century, choreographers and dancers from that era laid down the structure for what is still practiced today. Many ballerinas created specific techniques for dancing ballet, and their techniques are still taught to this day. Ballerina’s like Agrippina Vaganova, Enrico Cecchetti, and George Balanchine, all created their own techniques and named them after themselves. In a way, ballet is history. Original choreography from certain ballets were created centuries ago, and are still being taught in similar ways to this day. This is something that I find very interesting about ballet.

Modern: Similar to ballet, modern also has specific techniques that can be followed. In the second video I listed above, the technique being followed is the Graham technique, created by Martha Graham. Some other techniques include the Horton technique created by Lester Horton, and the Limón technique created by José Limón. Modern dance takes inspiration from ballet, as well as some ethnic styles of dance. Modern dance is sort of a rejection to traditional ballet, which is interesting because it draws from ballet. At the time of the creation of modern dance, dancers wanted to move away from traditional, classical ballet and created a new style which was less restrictive.

Contemporary: Contemporary and modern can often be seen as the same or blended together. This is because not only does contemporary draw from ballet, but also modern and other styles of dance. Contemporary is newer than modern and ballet, but can be very similar. However, contemporary can be anything. Contemporary is a free style of dance, where artistry and expression are most important. Contemporary can look like ballet, jazz, even hiphop. Contemporary is defined by the choreographer. But, contemporary should not solely focus on tricks and skills, and should instead be focused on creativity. This is the problem with competitive contemporary, it turns into a showing-off contest where dancers will put excessive tricks and skills into what should be a style focused on artistry.

Conclusion:

I wish I could have been a concert dancer when I grew up dancing. While I do enjoy competitive dance, there is something so special about concert dance that cannot be replicated. Concert dance embodies what dance should be about. It focuses on the love of dance, and dance as an art instead of as a sport. If you have the chance, there are lots of concert dance performances that can be found in Victoria. Many ballet companies travel to perform all across Canada, and make stops in Victoria. Contemporary and modern are harder to find, and I’m not sure what companies come here. But if you’re interested, try searching up “Concert Dance in Victoria BC.”

Sources:

Wikipedia (2024, December 19). Concert Dance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_dance