Modern Dance in the 20th and 21st Centuries

                Modern Dance made its way into the world around the early 20^th century.  Modern dance was seen as a rebellion against ballet and the dance was created through the spirit, heart, soul, and mind. One of the many legends of modern dance was Lester Horton. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Horton was inspired by Indian tribal dances, paintings, and costume designs.  What captured the attention of Horton was the first dance performance by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn that he saw. The performance was “The Denishawn Dancers” which presented modernized versions of Indian, Japanese, Siamese, and Javanese dances.  Shortly afterwards, Horton began to study ballet, aesthetic dance, and modern dance. 

                In 1946, Horton established his own +school and company called Dance Theater. It was located in Hollywood, California.  He demanded much from his dancers including requiring them to study ballet, learn to read music, sew, work the light board, and assist in making scenery and props. The company spent hours without pay, running the studio, teaching classes, handling publicity, and participating in virtually all aspects of production, design, and execution.

                Many important modern dancers were trained in the Horton technique and emerged from his company. Some of them were, James Truitte, Joyce Trisler, Bella Lewitzky, and Alvin Ailey.  Lester Horton’s dancers were required to take two classes a day. His dance technique focused on to fortify, stretch, and strengthen the human body in preparation for its use as tool for communicative dance. In the technique, every muscle of the body was lengthened and each section of the body was isolated.  There were said to be exercises for the eyes, shoulders, necks, ribs, fingers, wrists, and more.

                Horton was famous for producing long, lean thigh muscles and flexible but strong lower back dancers.  The technique exploited all spatial planes and movement levels.  Lester created a technique that tested the capacity of the body to move at its extremes. The torso was what Horton considered to be the center of all motion. Other urges started from the shoulder, the sternum, the diaphragm, and the pelvic girdle; every body part was stretched and lengthened to its physical limit.

               Shortly after Lester Horton’s death on November 2, 1953 at the age of 47, the company disbanded and dancers like Alvin Ailey,  James Truitte, and Joyce Trisler went onto pursue their own interests in dance.