Influential Choreographers of the 20th Century

Why This Matters

The 20th century represents the most radical transformation in Western dance history, and understanding why these choreographers broke from tradition is central to exam success. You're being tested on more than names and dates—you need to grasp the underlying principles: rejection of classical constraints, the relationship between movement and meaning, cultural representation, and the integration of dance with other art forms. Each choreographer on this list represents a distinct philosophical approach to what dance can be and do.

These artists didn't work in isolation; they responded to each other, borrowed techniques, and sometimes directly opposed one another's visions. When you study them, look for the threads connecting rebellion against ballet formalism, the embrace of personal expression, and the democratization of dance as an art form. Don't just memorize who created what—know what conceptual shift each choreographer represents and how their innovations built upon or challenged what came before.

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Pioneers of Modern Dance: Breaking from Ballet

These choreographers rejected the rigid vocabulary of classical ballet, arguing that dance should emerge from natural human movement and emotional truth. Their fundamental innovation was prioritizing internal experience over external form.

Isadora Duncan

• "Mother of modern dance"—rejected pointe shoes, corsets, and codified ballet positions in favor of bare feet and flowing tunics
• Natural movement philosophy drew from ancient Greek art, ocean waves, and the organic rhythms of music rather than imposed technique
• Dance as social expression—advocated for dance as a vehicle for personal liberation and political change, influencing all modern dance that followed

Martha Graham

• Graham Technique revolutionized modern dance training through the principle of contraction and release—breath-based movement originating from the pelvis and solar plexus
• Psychological exploration defined her choreography; works like Lamentation and Appalachian Spring externalized internal emotional states
• Angular, percussive vocabulary stood in direct contrast to ballet's flowing lines, establishing modern dance as a legitimate parallel tradition

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Neoclassical and Avant-Garde Ballet: Reinventing Tradition

Rather than abandoning ballet entirely, these choreographers transformed it from within, stripping away 19th-century theatrical conventions or integrating radical new ideas about structure and meaning.

George Balanchine

• Neoclassical ballet stripped away elaborate narratives, mime, and heavy costumes to emphasize pure movement and musicality
• Co-founded New York City Ballet (1948), establishing America as a major center for ballet and training generations of dancers in his aesthetic
• "See the music, hear the dance"—his choreography visualized musical structure, making the score and movement inseparable partners

Vaslav Nijinsky

• Ballets Russes star whose choreography for The Rite of Spring (1913) caused a riot with its turned-in feet, hunched postures, and primitive angularity
• Radical use of two-dimensionality in The Afternoon of a Faun rejected ballet's depth and turnout for flat, frieze-like movement
• Brief but seismic career—his few choreographic works fundamentally challenged what ballet bodies could look like and do

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Chance, Collaboration, and Conceptual Dance

These choreographers questioned the fundamental assumptions about how dance should be created, structured, and experienced—often through radical collaboration with other art forms.

Merce Cunningham

• Chance operations determined choreographic structure—dice rolls and coin flips decided movement sequences, rejecting the choreographer's ego
• Independence of elements—dance, music (often by collaborator John Cage), and design existed as separate, simultaneous events rather than unified expression
• Any movement is dance—democratized the body's vocabulary, treating everyday gestures as equally valid as virtuosic technique

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Dance as Cultural Identity and Social Commentary

These choreographers used dance explicitly as a vehicle for representing specific communities, addressing social issues, and centering marginalized experiences.

Alvin Ailey

• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (founded 1958) became the foremost company celebrating African American cultural heritage through modern dance
• Revelations (1960)—his signature work exploring spirituality, sorrow, and joy through African American religious music—remains the most-performed modern dance work
• Diversity advocacy extended beyond his own company; he insisted dance institutions reflect America's multicultural reality

Pina Bausch

• Tanztheater (dance theater) blended movement, spoken text, and theatrical staging to explore psychological and social realities
• Repetition and everyday gesture—dancers walked, fell, dressed, undressed, and repeated actions obsessively, exposing vulnerability and human patterns
• Provocative staging addressed gender relations, violence, and loneliness through visually striking, often disturbing imagery

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Broadway and Popular Dance: Theatrical Innovation

These choreographers bridged concert dance and commercial entertainment, bringing sophisticated movement vocabulary to mass audiences while elevating the artistic status of musical theater.

Jerome Robbins

• Ballet-Broadway crossover—worked simultaneously with New York City Ballet and on shows like West Side Story, bringing balletic technique to popular stages
• Character-driven choreography used dance to reveal psychology and advance plot, not merely decorate scenes
• Integration of street movement with classical vocabulary made his work feel contemporary and accessible while maintaining technical rigor

Bob Fosse

• Signature style defined by turned-in knees, rolled shoulders, jazz hands, bowler hats, and isolated body parts moving in sharp, syncopated rhythms
• Chicago, Cabaret, All That Jazz—his work for stage and film created an instantly recognizable aesthetic that defined Broadway dance for decades
• Sensuality and cynicism pervaded his choreography, using dance to explore darker themes of ambition, corruption, and desire

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Fusion and Postmodern Synthesis

This choreographer exemplifies late-20th-century eclecticism, refusing to choose between traditions and instead synthesizing multiple vocabularies into something new.

Twyla Tharp

• Genre fusion combined classical ballet, modern dance, jazz, and social dance into works that defied categorization
• Crossover success—choreographed for both elite ballet companies (In the Upper Room for ABT) and popular entertainment (Hair, Movin' Out)
• Collaborative ethos and improvisational process emphasized dancer individuality, producing work that felt spontaneous despite rigorous structure

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two choreographers both rejected classical ballet but developed opposing philosophies about whether dance requires codified technique? What distinguished their approaches?

2. Identify the choreographers most associated with pure movement divorced from narrative or emotional expression. How did their methods for achieving this differ?

3. Compare and contrast how Ailey and Bausch used dance as social commentary. What communities or issues did each address, and what was their emotional tone?

4. If an FRQ asked you to trace the evolution of American ballet in the 20th century, which choreographers would you discuss and in what order? What was each one's key contribution?

5. Which choreographers successfully bridged "high art" concert dance and popular entertainment? What techniques or philosophies allowed them to work across these worlds?