How to Quickly Master Contemporary Dance and Gain Experience

Contemporary dance begins with learning basic movements and then infusing your emotional state into the dance.

Before you start taking contemporary classes and choosing a school, pay attention to your health. This dance is quite energetic and emotionally demanding. If you have no physical ailments, your mental health is stable, and you haven't suffered serious injuries, then you can begin learning this impulsive style. However, keep in mind that people with a delicate psyche may struggle with this dance and fall into depression.

Before each session, it's essential to do a thorough warm-up and stretching. The dance is based on ballet elements and other figures, so to avoid strains and torn ligaments, don't skimp on stretching. You need flexibility and body plasticity to perform the moves.

To keep your motivation from fading after initial failures, create a small list of inspiring tutorial videos. Watching experienced dancers will make you want to reach the same heights, and you'll never give up learning this expressive dance.

Also choose music that stirs you. Contemporary is known for its incredible emotional depth, and the music should evoke extra feelings that you can later pour into every movement.

You'll achieve great success in contemporary if you're an emotional person by nature. If not, you'll need to work hard. The more emotions you have, the better you can craft your performance, and more importantly, you can clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts.

The technical side of contemporary includes various jumps. There are classical jumps and modernized ones that fit the contemporary style. Of course, you should start with classical jumps, focusing on proper landing. The technical part adds variety and depth to the dance.

Special attention in contemporary is given to partner dancing. If you want to try this style, you also need to learn how to interact with your partner. You must understand that your partner has their own emotions and expresses them in their own way. If you can grasp their mood communication, it becomes easier to create independent improvisations in response to their impulses.

Then your partner performance turns into a form of dialogue, creating a complete picture of a sensual story. Partner contemporary is often performed by professional dancers who have mastered their bodies and use them as instruments to create perfect forms.

In such dances, there's no time to think about yourself; focus is on the partner, and a connection is established on a mental level.

Once you've mastered the technical part, learned the basic figures, and established a connection with your body, you can move on to improvisation. Improvisation works well only when you feel comfortable in the dance and can let yourself surrender to feelings and be uninhibited. Music helps you improvise—just listen to the melodies, catch the rhythm, and relax.

Contemporary varies in the speed of executing basic elements. Sometimes figures can be performed smoothly and gently, other times sharply and distinctly. This mainly depends on the idea of the dance and the chosen music. Dancers infuse their own meaning, so each person's story is unique.

At home, you can learn a few basic elements, feel the music, and put your soul into the dance. However, if you want solid skills and a career in dance, it's better to attend a dance school where a choreographer will work out all the nuances with you and open the door to a wonderful world of competitions, festivals, and concerts.