Post-modern dance came into existence as a counter-reaction to modern dance, which had emphasized expressionism and theatricality. The newer style rejects the story-telling and symbolic aspects of dance, instead focusing on the physical components and bare technique. Its purpose is solely to emphasize form and movement. It examines the relation of the body to space and time, in different orientations and perspectives. There is no hidden message to be found or analysis to be made; movement is appreciated for its own aesthetic. Each isolated characteristic of dance–each bend, gesture, shape, and shift–is meant to be viewed simply for what it is.

Steve Paxton’s approach to movement through contact improvisation helped to shape these principles of post-modern dance. He had the idea that dance should be viewed as a demonstration of the body as a machine, working in tandem with that of another. Through direct contact, bodies produce spontaneous movement, displaying physical versatility. His work cast out all the excesses of dance, leaving simply the movement to display the utility of the apparatus of the body. Without music, props, or symbolism—Paxton’s improvisational method experimented with the concept of dance, and what could be considered an art. For Paxton, any ordinary movement was dance, and the body was (is) a vessel in itself for expression.

-Sophie