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modern dance

American

noun

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.

modern dance British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of modern dance

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

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modern dance

My friend Susan Slotnick taught modern dance to incarcerated men inside New York state prisons for over 20 years.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

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

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

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2024

She does modern dance, which is like...I don't know.

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023