Contemporary Ballet
Also known as: Modern ballet
History & Cultural Context
Contemporary ballet developed from the late 20th century as choreographers blended the classical vocabulary with the floorwork, weight, and rule-breaking of modern and contemporary dance. William Forsythe extended and deconstructed classical line and balance (and developed his 'improvisation technologies'); Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, and others created a continuous stream of new work for ballet companies. It overlaps with contemporary dance proper but keeps ballet technique as its foundation.
Cultural Significance
Contemporary ballet is where the classical repertory continually renews itself, commissioned by companies worldwide.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
Classical line pushed off-balance and to the floor, fused with contemporary weight, release, and partnering.
Common Misconceptions
Contemporary ballet (ballet-based) is related to but distinct from contemporary dance (modern/postmodern-based), though the two overlap heavily.
Signature Figures
- William Forsythe
- Jiří Kylián
- Wayne McGregor
Dance Lineage
Contemporary Ballet Music & Tempo
Drawn from 23 Contemporary Ballet tracks in the LODance music library.
Example tracks at practice tempo
- Pliés — J. R. Thomas
- Tango — J. R. Thomas
- Pliés in 5 — J. R. Thomas
- All of Me — Lindsey Stirling
- Waltz — J. R. Thomas
- Center Tendus — J. R. Thomas
Legends of Contemporary Ballet
Dancers, choreographers and teachers whose work shaped this style.
Contemporary Ballet on screen
Films and television where Contemporary Ballet appears, with the sequences worth watching for.
Center Stage (2000)10 sequences indexedOrchestra dress rehearsal and Erik’s injury · 01:18:46 · chor. Susan StromanCooper’s ballet: Nutcracker line and motorcycle entrance · 01:33:26 · chor. Susan StromanCooper's contemporary class · chor. Christopher Wheeldon
Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan (2016)9 sequences indexedConditional Sentences duet · chor. Joshua BeamishEgo et Tu duet · chor. Alejandro CerrudoThe Serpent and the Smoke duet · chor. Kyle Abraham
Step Up (2006)6 sequences indexedMaryland School ballet rehearsal · chor. Anne Fletcher; Rosero McCoy; Jamal Sims; Zachary WoodleeOpening cross-cut — MSA ballet phrase · chor. Anne FletcherMSA class — Nora and Andrew's counted combination · 00:14:31 · chor. Anne Fletcher
Billy Elliot (2000)5 sequences indexedBilly dances for Jackie · 01:09:50 · chor. Peter DarlingRoyal Ballet School prepared solo · 01:24:35 · chor. Peter DarlingAdult Billy's Swan Lake entrance · chor. Matthew Bourne
High Strung: Free Dance (2018)5 sequences indexedContemporary rehearsal duet · chor. Tyce Diorio; Phillip Chbeeb; Desmond Richardson; Myles Thatcher; Nakul Dev MahajanContemporary partnering round · 00:11:12 · chor. Myles ThatcherLion — Barlow's stand-in pas de deux · 00:42:23 · chor. Myles ThatcherBlanche Neige (2009)4 sequences indexedLovers’ barefoot pas de deux · chor. Angelin PreljocajSeven miners on the vertical cliff · chor. Angelin PreljocajPoison-apple assault · chor. Angelin Preljocaj
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (2009)4 sequences indexedRoméo et Juliette performance · 00:55:57 · chor. Sasha WaltzGenus rehearsal · 01:05:19 · chor. Wayne McGregorLa Maison de Bernarda performance · 02:15:38 · chor. Mats Ek
The Turning Point (1977)4 sequences indexedArnold demonstrates Emma's abstract solo · 00:29:22 · chor. Alvin AileyVortex rehearsal — Arnold recasts the solo on Emilia · 01:03:37 · chor. Alvin AileyAnniversary gala — Vortex solo · 01:24:13 · chor. Alvin Ailey
An American in Paris (1951)2 sequences indexedLove Is Here to Stay · chor. Gene KellyOur Love Is Here to Stay · 00:55:54 · chor. Gene Kelly
Flower (2023)2 sequences indexedRose’s studio warm-up and dream-stage transformation · chor. Alonzo KingRose and Sterling contemporary pas de deux · chor. Alonzo King
Save the Last Dance (2001)2 sequences indexedOpening Juilliard audition · 00:04:29 · chor. Randy DuncanSara resumes ballet and asks for free-form help · 01:04:24 · chor. Randy Duncan; Fatima Robinson
The Company (2003)2 sequences indexed“My Funny Valentine” thunderstorm pas de deux · chor. Lar Lubovitch“Blue Snake” finale · chor. Robert Desrosiers
Angel's Last Mission: Love (2019)1 sequence indexedGiselle lead-role audition · chor. Choi Soo-jin
Ballet Now (2018)1 sequence indexedIn Creases ensemble timing rehearsal · chor. Justin Peck
Breaking Pointe (2012–2013)1 sequence indexedPetite Mort company performance · chor. Jiří Kylián
Flesh and Bone (2015)1 sequence indexedDakini final ballet · chor. Ethan Stiefel
High Strung (2016)1 sequence indexedLoft violin-and-ballet rehearsal duet · 01:01:27 · chor. Dave Scott
Iberia (2005)1 sequence indexedTriana — contemporary-ballet duet
Only When I Dance (2009)1 sequence indexedPrix de Lausanne Nijinsky solo · chor. John Neumeier
Polina (2016)1 sequence indexedSnow White pas de deux · chor. Angelin Preljocaj
Shall We Dance? (2004)1 sequence indexedPaulina's solitary studio dance · chor. John O'ConnellThe Heart Dances (2018)1 sequence indexedAda and George Baines pas de deux rehearsals and performance · chor. Jiří Bubeníček
West Side Story (1961)1 sequence indexedMaria — instrumental rooftop solo · 01:47:02 · chor. Jerome Robbins
White Nights (1985)1 sequence indexedOpening “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort” · chor. Roland PetitPoster artwork from TMDB.
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Contemporary Ballet in performance
23 staged works in the Limelight catalogue contain Contemporary Ballet, 1876–2017 — 7 of them in a named act or number.
- West Side Story1957Musical theatre · Jerome Robbins · defining styleAct I · The Rumble
Act I, 'The Rumble' — Athletic, balletic staged violence choreography for the fatal knife fight, described by a contemporary critic as bodies 'flying wildly through space.' Source: "When the knives come out, and bodies begin to fly wildly through space unde…
- Swan Lake1995Ballet · Matthew Bourne · defining styleAct II
Act II, the lake scene and Swan/Prince pas de deux — Bare-chested, barefoot male dancers perform the swan corps and a sensual pas de deux with the Prince, replacing pointe-shoe/tutu vocabulary with grounded, muscular contemporary-ballet partnering. Source:…
- The Car Man2000Ballet · defining styleAct I · Scene 2
Act One, Scene Two — A named choreographic device — two characters performing separate solos simultaneously to express parallel emotional states — used to convey feeling through movement rather than mime or dialogue, consistent with contemporary narrative-b…
- After the Rain2005Ballet · Christopher Wheeldon · defining stylepas de deux
the second part of the ballet, the closing pas de deux set to Spiegel im Spiegel — An intimate duet performed off pointe in flat shoes, with Wheeldon explicitly discouraging any theatrical 'acting' of it, favoring understated, personally-interpreted partner…
- Ballet · Christopher Wheeldon · defining styleThis Bitter Earth pas de deux
The 'This Bitter Earth' pas de deux — A partnered adagio duet danced en pointe by Whelan opposite Angle, built around sustained lines and weight-sharing to the vocal mashup; the excerpt has since been staged on other ballet-trained casts. Source: "A pas de…
- Ivesiana1954Ballet · George BalanchineCentral Park in the Dark
First movement, danced to Central Park in the Dark — The principal female role is built on non-virtuosic exploratory movement — walking with eyes closed, groping and feeling for something unseen — rather than classical steps, against a corps de ballet. Sour…
- Glass Pieces1983Ballet · Jerome RobbinsRubric
"Rubric," the first movement — Dancers in ordinary bright practice clothing walk pedestrian-style across the stage, a plain, non-balletic movement inserted into an otherwise pointe-and-partnering vocabulary. Source: "features dancers in bright color practic…
- Sylvia1876Ballet · Frederick Ashton, Louis Mérante · defining style
Frederick Ashton's 1952 Royal Ballet choreography, now the basis of almost all modern stagings — blending of mime and dance with intricate footwork on a classical base, described as modernized without becoming either pastiche or fully modern in idiom Source…
- The Cage1951Ballet · defining style
The whole ballet, corps and lead roles alike — Choreography deliberately built to look non-human and unbeautiful: contorted, insect-derived corps shapes and a lead performance played as blank and animal rather than balletic. Source: "The corps de ballet too…
- Carmen Suite1967Ballet · Alberto Alonso · defining style
the ballet as a whole, as characterized in a review of a later (2011 Mariinsky) staging — Reviewer describes a drama-forward, non-classical register: characters posing emphatically for one another, and steps 'hurled flamboyantly, like stunts,' rather than b…
- Ballet · Twyla Tharp · defining style
Whole work, across all seven couples' duets — Partnered ballet vocabulary - lifts, extension, controlled line - fused throughout with ballroom holds, weight-sharing and footwork; women dance in heels rather than pointe, per Tharp's crossover technique. Sour…
- Bella Figura1995Ballet · defining style
Whole work; danced by the full cast of nine throughout — upper bodies sharply torsioned, arms cleaving space, leg-lines racily hyperextended, presented as a sequence of sharply defined images rather than continuous narrative movement Source: "The dance itse…
- Middle Duet1998Ballet · Alexei Ratmansky · defining style
The whole ten-minute one-act duet — A single pas de deux on pointe: the man uses pulsating, containing gestures while the woman moves continuously on pointe through sharp, sensual, technically dense steps, described in reviews as vocabulary equal to interna…
- Moon Water1998Ballet · Lin Hwai-min · defining style
The whole work — no scenes or numbers are given in the source — Choreography fuses Tai Chi's circular, weighted movement with balletic line and control, alternating a lightness likened to touching water with sustained calm. Source: "The choreography is comp…
- Carousel2002Ballet · Christopher Wheeldon · defining style
the whole one-act piece — A plotless structure built on a featured pas de deux for the lead couple set off against an ensemble corps de ballet, explicitly described as 'pure dance' rather than a story ballet — an abstract, music-driven treatment of a musica…
- Chroma2006Ballet · Wayne McGregor · defining style
the whole one-act work — female dancers work entirely off pointe throughout, the choreography is characterised critically as a 'tension between chaos and minimalism', signalling a contemporary extension of classical ballet vocabulary rather than classical t…
- Ballet · Justin Peck · defining style
The whole ballet, an eighteen-dancer plotless work — Structurally intricate ensemble dancing described as combining 'the stimulation of structure and detail' with 'stylized athleticism,' built to flatten hierarchy between corps and principals rather than sh…
- Blake Works I2016Ballet · William Forsythe · defining style
the whole ballet — described as Forsythe's first fully classical-idiom "ballet ballet" in fifteen years, built on speed, changing directions, and a vast classical vocabulary reworked through Forsythe's own choreographic language Source: "Blake Works I is al…
- Ballet · Crystal Pite · defining style
the whole ballet — massed blocks of movement and sculptural tableaux across a 54-dancer ensemble, punctuated by short duets, choreographed for a classical ballet company but described by critics as far from pas de deux-centric convention Source: "Pite has c…
- Flight Pattern2017Ballet · Crystal Pite · defining style
The whole ballet, from the opening ensemble through the closing pas de deux — Ensemble canon work, loose torso and grounded weight, non-narrative simultaneous vignettes, and a central duet built from realistic gesture and extreme physical states rather than…
- Ballet · Justin Peck · defining style
Whole ballet, as danced by the twenty-member NYCB cast — Classical ballet technique fused with tap, hoofing and soft-shoe footwork, performed in sneakers rather than pointe shoes or slippers, described by the choreographer as rhythm tap and hoofing meeting…
- Ballet · defining style
Whole work, particularly Plisetskaya's own performance of the title role across both acts — Choreography described as abandoning set academic ballet steps for pantomime and gesture generated by the character's inner emotional state rather than formal vocabu…
- Ballet · Holly Stone · defining style
StoneWorks' own project page states the work "uses contemporary ballet to explore magic, parenthood and leadership under pressure" — contemporary ballet is named as the movement language of the piece as a whole.
Every claim above is quoted from a cited source and names where in the work the style appears. Claims we could not place or could not quote are held back from this list and shown on the work’s own page instead. Browse the full performance catalogue →
Sources & Further Reading
Where This Dance Is Documented
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel (ed.); Jill Nunes Jensen (ed.) – The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Ballet (2021)
An editor's note on where the technique for this dance is actually written down — sometimes a named book, sometimes the fact that no such book exists. A judgement, not a count of what we hold.
Cultural & Historical Context
Contemporary Ballet emerged from Global during the 1980s—present day. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.
Formative Influences
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor
Primary Source Documents
The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.
Last reviewed: September 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
Related Dances
More in Ballet
Ballet de Cour (Court Ballet)
The aristocratic court spectacle from which ballet grew, danced by nobles (including Louis XIV) and codified into the five positions and turnout under Beauchamp at the Académie Royale de Danse (1661).
Romantic Ballet
The early-19th-century era that introduced pointe work, the ethereal 'white ballet,' and the ballerina as central figure, exemplified by La Sylphide (1832) and Giselle (1841).
Classical Ballet
The full-evening story-ballet style perfected by Marius Petipa in Imperial Russia—Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker—that defines the core ballet repertory and codified virtuoso classical technique.
Neoclassical Ballet
The 20th-century style—pioneered by George Balanchine with Apollo (1928)—that retained classical technique while stripping narrative and scenery for speed, line, extension, and pure response to music.
Pre-Ballet & Creative Movement
The early-childhood foundation class that introduces rhythm, spatial awareness and basic ballet vocabulary through imaginative, imagery-led movement rather than formal syllabus work.
Vaganova Method
A pedagogical system for training classical ballet dancers, not a choreographic style or a period repertoire. Agrippina Vaganova built it by analysing what the French, Italian and older Russian teachers of the Imperial school had each done well, and fixing the result as a progressive year-by-year course. It is the training behind the Kirov and Bolshoi companies and, in diluted or borrowed form, behind a large share of ballet teaching worldwide.
Cecchetti Method
A training method rather than a style of choreography, built on a fixed weekly cycle of set exercises so that the whole vocabulary is covered every six days and no muscle group is overworked. Enrico Cecchetti taught it to a generation that included Pavlova, Nijinsky and Karsavina; it was written down by his London pupils and admirers in the 1920s. Its concern is anatomical economy: strength built without strain, and the same effort available on the sixth day as on the first.
Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Method
A graded teaching and examination syllabus rather than a technical school descended from one master, assembled in 1920 by teachers of five different national traditions who wanted a common standard for ballet teaching in Britain. Its structure is a ladder of examined levels, each with set exercises, taken by children and by vocational students. It is now the most widely examined ballet syllabus in the world.
Balanchine Method
A way of training dancers for a specific body of choreography, developed by George Balanchine at the School of American Ballet from 1934 and refined over five decades to serve New York City Ballet. It prizes speed, clarity at high tempo, extreme range of movement and a willingness to go off the vertical and recover. Unlike the older European schools it was never written into a syllabus by its founder, and is transmitted by teachers who danced for him.
Bournonville Method
The training developed by August Bournonville for the Royal Danish Ballet, built to serve his own ballets and preserved in Copenhagen long after the French style it descends from had disappeared in Paris. It trains a jump that appears to cost nothing, intricate beaten footwork, and an upper body that stays modest while the legs do difficult things. It is the closest surviving link to early nineteenth-century French classroom practice.
Contemporary Ballet in art
Browse the gallery →Works our catalogue identifies as depicting contemporary ballet.
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