Modern dance is an art form that has a focus on the expression of serious inner emotions. It uses an interpretive, free flowing style as opposed to following a fixed set of rigid rules which are the characteristics of other dance disciplines such as ballet. It first came to prominence around the turn of the twentieth century and was seen as being thoroughly iconoclastic and radical. Since then it has evolved and become entwined with other disciplines such as tap dance and jazz dance.

When it first came to the attention of the masses life and society in North America and Europe was undergoing massive and dramatic shifts. It was the age of industrialisation as well as global conflict. As rules that governed peoples lives were evolving, dancers of the age started to feel that the rigidness of classical ballet that was too restrictive so they began to put together their own unique blend of free flowing dance. It took on the moniker modern dance to distinguish it from classical ballet.

If you have ever watched a modern dance performance then you will be aware that the performers often go barefoot. They move in a style which is free and improvisational. You can commonly see falls and similar movements of body weight. One of the most obvious differences between modern dance and classical ballet is that in the latter the performers can be seen leaping and kicking high whereas with the more recent discipline the artistes keep close to the ground. It is often stated that it is primarily influenced by intense emotions as well as psychology.

Important and well known figures in this interesting dance form include Isadora Duncan, Martha Graham and Ruth St Denis. All of these three stars created their own distinct styles and choreographed their dances with very personal expressions.

Today there is a lot of overlap between dance forms as opposed to the strict separation that was previously common place. Many of today's performers have been also trained in classical dance. It is now not so unusual to see the influence of modern dance in various popular stage productions as well as dramatic films.

If you have an interest in learning more about this very expressive art form then you should be able to find an institute or club in your area which you can attend. Every year more people understand just why it is this discipline has remained popular for more than a century.