Cultural Foundations and Basic Techniques of Contemporary Dance

The purpose of the article is to study the fundamental principles of contemporary dance through a cultural prism and to systematise its main techniques. The research methodology is based on the analysis of scientific sources related to the topic, the application of cultural optics when considering the basic principles of contemporary dance, and the systematisation of features of contemporary dance techniques. Scientific novelty. For the first time, attention is focused on the cultural features of contemporary dance, its main techniques are systematised and characterised. Conclusions. The application of a cultural approach to the examination of contemporary dance made it possible to assert that its bodily research character can be considered in the coordinates of corporeality as a unity of intellectual, spiritual and physical sources. Contemporary dance combines techniques that develop not only physical characteristics but also purposefully affect mental and psycho-emotional abilities. From a conceptual point of view, contemporary dance, as well as its techniques, is aimed at understanding the body as a phenomenon in the categories of phenomenology. Contemporary dance forms a new quality of movement, and teaches to keep the centre of attention in the body, to be conscious, efficient, and coordinated in dance, using the body’s natural resources. Such skills are important not only in dance but also in everyday life, as they are necessary for a person to harmonise the inner world and form a creative attitude to the environment, which are important guidelines of modern culture. Among the techniques used in contemporary dance, exploratory and experimental practices that contribute to the acquisition of physical and emotional self-regulation skills prevail. Today’s choreographers successfully use contemporary dance techniques not only for the multi-vector development of artists’ abilities but also for understanding the cultural context of their activities.