Modern Dance is said to be a dance style that rejects the strict rules of classical ballet. However, ask everyone what this dance form reminds them of and almost all would make comparisons to Ballet. Having learnt ballet for 10 years, I decided to sit in one of their classes just to see what was so different from what I had learnt.

Upon entering the dance studio, I am greeted by dancers all over the floor and barre (a ballet term for the mirror handrails) in odd positions. I immediately recognise this as pre-class warming up, just like ballet. A tall and lean male gets up from the floor and switches on the music as the dancers take their positions. Elle, one of the senior dancers introduces him as Marcus, an instructor who comes in weekly to help the dancers brush up in their technique. Zaini, their advisor comes in on another day to train them and also choreograph dances for school concerts, which is usually a combination of their trained techniques.

As Marcus leads them in a synchronised warm up, I observe how each dancer looked like they were dancing more than warming up. 

“I enjoy warming up because it provides versatility and improves technique,” says Elle, who ironically, does Ballet outside school. Asking if all the modern dancers have prior dance experience like her, she explains that most of modern dancers were in their secondary school’s dance troupe or are currently doing ballet, gymnastics and even hip hop. They are mainly here to improve their technique. “For me, the difference between the two is that Modern Dance has more jazz techniques,” she adds.

The dancers were then led to the corner and practised different dance techniques across the room. However, most of them were the exact same techniques I learnt in Ballet, like pirouettes (A controlled turn on one leg) and Jetés (jump from one foot to the other). 

“More expression!” Marcus exclaims as the dancers do a short choreographed dance. If the move was vigorous, they would portray a sense of anger along through deliberate falls on the floor. I then realized why in the 1900s a group of European Ballet dancers had decided to rebel against Ballet, remove those satin pink shoes and head for bare feet and long wavy costume. As a whole, the dance seemed to be telling a story through these emotions. Upon further observation, I discovered another difference between Ballet and Modern Dance; the latter uses body weight to enhance movement, which explained why most of their dance steps did not involve standing on their toes, like in Ballet.

Looks like the rebellion against the strict rules of ballet created something extremely beautiful and emotionally gripping. Go watch the Modern Dance group perform and you would know what I mean.