Contemporary
Variable (60–140 BPM)· IntermediatePhrasing, accents, dynamics. Internalise the music.
Mid-20th century, building on Graham, Cunningham, and Limón technique
What makes Contemporary special
Contemporary dance lives in the relationship between the body and the music. There's no fixed tempo, no set pattern of steps. What there is — always — is phrasing: the way the music swells, accents land, and dynamics shift. Internalising those phrases is the entire practice.
Why looping helps for contemporary
- 01Loop a 16-count phrase to memorise its accent points before adding choreography.
- 02Slow a section to 70% to feel a release or fall in your body before performing it at tempo.
- 03Drill a single transition (floor work to standing, suspension to fall) on repeat without losing context.
- 04Practice musicality by looping a contrasting section — for instance, a quiet verse vs. an explosive chorus.
Drills to try
Phrase mapping
Pick a contemporary track. Loop a 32-count section. Without dancing, listen 4 times and mark the accent points (where the music swells or breaks). Then add movement that matches.
Slow release drill
Loop a section at 75% speed. Drill a single fall-and-recover pattern on repeat. Build the body memory at slow tempo, then take it to full speed.
Dynamic contrast
Loop a transition between a quiet verse and a loud chorus. Drill changing your dynamic (small contained → expansive) at the exact moment the music shifts.
Songs to practice with
- · Ólafur Arnalds — Near Light
- · Max Richter — On the Nature of Daylight
- · Bon Iver — Holocene
- · Sigur Rós — Hoppípolla
These are suggestions, not endorsements. Use your own audio files or stream from supported sources via BeatLoop.
Practice contemporary with BeatLoop
Loop any section. Slow it down without changing pitch. Record yourself. Available on iOS and Android.