modern dance

American  

noun

1. a form of contemporary theatrical and concert dance employing a special technique for developing the use of the entire body in movements expressive of abstract ideas.

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modern dance British  

noun

1. a style of free and expressive theatrical dancing not bound by the classical rules of ballet

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Etymology

Origin of modern dance

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Her technique, with its fierce movements and angular shapes, became a mainstay of American modern dance and remains part of the curriculum at many dance academies worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

She put a lot of modern dance into the classical ballet.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

We’ve now had a century of modern dance, led by the likes of Merce Cunningham, George Balanchine and many others whose modernism delved into the very essence of the body’s ability to express the ineffable.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025

Like Michael Flatley, they mix traditional and modern dance steps and often to perform to contemporary music.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2024

Without hesitation, Sosie launched into her sequence, a modern dance full of grace and power and vulnerability.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray