THE HISTORY OF

LYRICAL AND
CONTEMPORARY DANCE
HOW THESE STYLES DIFFERENTIATE

Both the lyrical and contemporary styles of dance have been practiced for centuries, but the
differences between the two can sometimes become muddled because of their integrated histories.
However, if one pays close enough attention, they would notice how incredibly varied the two
forms of dance are.

Olivia Peters
785267
CLC 11
Mr. Koshman
Olivia Peters

Dance can be defined as “the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a

given space, for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight

in the movement itself” (Mackrell, 2017). By this definition, one can conclude that dance is a skilled art

form. It is an art that has been performed since its inception “around the year 1500,” (A Brief History of

Ballet, n.d.) when it was practiced within the strict confinements of ballet, which is the original style that

is the known as the “foundation” (CDDA, 2015) of dance. There is such a respect for this origin’s

formality and history that it has been concluded that “[w]ithout ballet all movements in most other styles

of dance would never be preformed properly,” (CCDA, 2015). Since the time of its beginning, dance has

grown and evolved to encompass a wide range of styles and variations of ballet. These include two

modern forms of dance known as lyrical and contemporary. Both lyrical and contemporary dance

originate from the root of ballet, but each style has developed in their own unique way to differentiate

themselves and make positive contributions to the art form of dance.

Lyrical dance “fuses ballet, jazz, and modern dance techniques to create a contemporary dance style,

known for its expressiveness and musicality” (Badger, 2017). It can be challenging to pinpoint the time

when lyrical dance was discovered, but it is theorized that “[t]he performative mode came out of the

entertainment world” (Miller, n.d.). Many dancers who performed on stage considered ballet to be too

rigid, and a restriction on their art form of dance. Lyrical was the perfect “rebellion against the perceived

lack of movement freedom in the classical vocabulary and of the perceived limiting structures of classical

training and thought, and yet was also an extension of what was possible with the classical ballet

technique…” (Brown, n.d.). The dancers desired this free movement so greatly that they decided to

establish a new dance form that allowed them to occasionally stretch ballet’s rules. To achieve this goal

of breaking free of these limiting structures, a different style called jazz dance, which “is strongly

emotional and improvisational” (Bedinghaus, 2017), was merged with ballet. This fusion enabled the

dancers to be more expressive with their movements and facial expressions on stage as well as in the

studio.

1
Olivia Peters

As the style of lyrical began to be further explored, dancers began to see how it “provide[d] a much more

accessible mode of artistic communication” (Miller, n.d.) between the performers and their audience. In

the structure that was enforced previously, dancers could not connect effectively with an audience.

Instead, the purpose was to entertain the audience through impressing them. However, through lyrical, by

using their movement, emotions, choreography, and music, the dancers were able to express feelings that

the audience could relate to, even if they could not execute the same technical steps. Dancers,

choreographers, and observers all loved lyrical, and this appeal stemmed from “the concentration being

more on individual style” (User, n.d.). It is this self-expression and personalization, the reason for which

lyrical was created, which continues to make it such a popular dance style to this day.

Where lyrical pushed the limits of ballet, contemporary dance broke boundaries. Contemporary dances

“do not use fixed moves and instead try to develop totally new forms and dynamics, such as quick

oppositional moves, shifting alignments, expressions of raw emotions, systematic breathing, dancing

moves preformed in non-standing positions (for example lying on the floor), and in general trying to find

the absolute limits of our human form and physique” (Contemporary Dance - Ballet and Dance, n.d.). It

can be concluded that it evolved from modern dance, the first major variation from ballet, and it continues

to be one of the most ever-changing dance styles. The first dancers that experimented with the style of

contemporary “were rebels who took inspiration from European dancers but developed a dance form

uniquely their own” (Crawford, n.d.). The most widely appreciated for her influence on the style would

be Martha Graham, who is “often credited as the founding mother of contemporary and modern dance”

(Crawford, n.d.). Her “insistence that contemporary dance is always evolving […] encompasses the

defining characteristic of contemporary dance. Each dancer's inspiration varies according to time and

place, and to that indefinable inner voice, the music of the heart” (Crawford, n.d.).

Contemporary dance gives space for a dancer to familiarize themselves with their body and emotions, and

allows dancers to express a boldness that the style of lyrical cannot always give them. The drive to

practice contemporary dance comes from the uniqueness of these “limitless possibilities of exploring

2
Olivia Peters

creativity” (R., 2017). Rather than having ballet’s wooden box, or lyrical’s fenced yard, contemporary

has a roughly sketched outline. This wiggle-room allows dancers to “connect [their] mind with [their]

body,” which “gives [them] a sense of freedom and contentment” (R., 2017) in the studio or on the stage.

This idea is so compelling that it is rare to find a dancer that does not enjoy the art of contemporary.

It is not difficult to see the similarities between the lyrical and contemporary styles of dance. One needs

only to listen to a dancer explain what they love about both styles to see the connection that they share.

Both styles enable dancers to experiment, express genuine emotion, and calm or relax themselves. The

offer of an “ease of body movement and energy flow” (R., 2017) leads to exquisite improvisational

movement and versatility in choreography. It is through this spontaneous “expression, intimacy and the

art of being emotionally connected with one another [that] the movement starts to speak for itself”

(Santos, 2016). A dancer can rely on pleasing their own selves while dancing, because this passion will

enrapt an audience. Both this and the music’s slower pace can calm the dancer, empowering them to

convey real emotions and experiment with their movement.

However, no matter how similar these styles of dance are, there are differences that allow an observer to

differentiate lyrical and contemporary. This can be done by analyzing the way that the dancers maneuver

their bodies as well as their overall movement style, which is the method that a dancer choses to adopt in

order to tell a story. Contemporary’s movement “is highly musical and often characterized by body

isolations, pedestrian gestures, and geometric shapes” (Valiente, 2011). As Martha Graham once said (as

a part of her Graham technique), contemporary dance is all about “contraction and release” (Crawford,

n.d.). This contrasts the movement style of lyrical, which “differs from contemporary in that it is fluid,

sweeping, and graceful — a good lyrical dancer will make the routine look like one, endless piece of

movement” (Valiente, 2011). This method of lyrical was founded, more directly, from the fusion of ballet

and jazz styles of dance. However, the base of contemporary’s style is in ballet’s first variation, modern

dance, which evolved to post-modern dance before evolving into contemporary. These origins affect how

both forms of dance are executed, and make the differences between the two slightly starker.

3
Olivia Peters

Though the styles of lyrical and contemporary are both derived from the root of ballet, they have each

been uniquely developed to carve separate paths for themselves that positively contribute to the art form

of dance. The evolution of contemporary dance, from ballet to modern to post-modern, has given this

style a fantastic quality that is somehow both old-world as well as incredibly current. In comparison, the

progression of lyrical dance, from the blending of ballet and jazz, has given it an emotive value that is

widely loved and acclaimed by audiences everywhere. Both styles have increasingly grown and evolved

since they were limited to the rigid structure of ballet, and they each continue to progress every single

day. However, no matter how much both styles evolve, the beauty of contemporary and lyrical – how

they allow the body to speak and “express [itself] when words are insufficient” (Thomas, 2018) –

continues to be illustrated.

4
Olivia Peters

Bibliography

A Brief History of Ballet. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from

https://www.atlantaballet.com/resources/brief-history-of-ballet

Badger, S. (2017, November 21). Lyrical Dance History. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from

https://ourpastimes.com/lyrical-dance-history-12340857.html

Bedinghaus, T. (n.d.). What Is the Lyrical Dance Style? Retrieved April 13, 2018, from

https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-lyrical-dance-1007414

Brown, J. (n.d.). THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF LYRICAL. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from

http://mdmdance.squarespace.com/history-of-lyrical/

C. (2015, May 18). Why A Ballet Foundation Is So Important. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from

http://capitolcitydance.com/why-a-ballet-foundation-as-so-important/

Contemporary Dance - Ballet and Dance. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2018, from

http://www.dancefacts.net/dance-types/contemporary-dance/

Crawford, B. (n.d.). Origins of Contemporary Dance. Retrieved April 16, 2018, from

https://dance.lovetoknow.com/Origins_of_Contemporary_Dance

Dance. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dance?s=t

Mackrell, J. R. (2017, October 29). Dance. Retrieved April 12, 2018, from

https://www.britannica.com/art/dance

Miller, G. (n.d.). Lyrical Dancing. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from

https://dance.lovetoknow.com/Lyrical_Dancing

5
Olivia Peters

R. (2017, February 14). 6 Reasons why Contemporary Dance is good for your Mind, Body and Soul!

Retrieved April 16, 2018, from https://www.papertostone.com/q-article/6-reasons-to-learn-contemporary-

dance/

Santos, G. (2016, March 29). 6 Reasons Why You Should Appreciate Contemporary Dancing. Retrieved

April 16, 2018, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/6-reasons-appreciate-contemporary-dancing

Thomas, D. (2018, April 04). Why do people dance? Here Are Some of the Real Reasons We Dance.

Retrieved from https://dancewithmeusa.com/why-we-dance-the-reasons/

User, S. (n.d.). What is Lyrical Dance and Why Is It Becoming So Popular? Retrieved April 13, 2018,

from http://www.jadeharrisonschoolofdance.co.uk/index.php/about/blog/69-what-is-lyrical-dance-and-

why-is-it-becoming-so-popular

Valiente, M. (2011, May 4). So You Think You Can Dance 101: Contemporary vs. Lyrical. Retrieved

April 17, 2018, from http://www.wetpaint.com/so-you-think-you-can-dance-101-contemporary-vs-lyrical-

634171/