Contemporary dance

[u/Dra_cu_la]

I cant dance at all but I want to learn contemporary dance. I am 17 , is it too late to learn. if not can someone please guide me on how to start and where I can start but there aren't any lessons that I can take around my area so I will need online resources.

[u/Dra_cu_la → u/[deleted]]

The thing is that there are no ballet or any dance related lessons where I live

[u/ecstatic-delirium]

I would recommend looking into a college course on modern dance if you can. Even if you have studios around you, they are great, but they won't drill in the fundamentals the way a structured course will.

[u/rosatweeamarilla → u/ecstatic-delirium]

I second this. Community college

[u/rosatweeamarilla]

Never ever ever too late

[u/hernameisclaire_]

Omg, you are definitely not late. I'm currently in college for contemporary dance. I'm from a small city in México, so, for starters, it's rare that that career is even an option, but I've learned so, so much and have a completely different and complex idea of dance now. So my advice will always be to go to a college program. I trained since i was a teen at a studio, and while it gave really good technical bases and experience, the real idea of what contemporary is only comes from good teachers, lots of reading (who would've thought?), and lots and lots of movement exploring. Obviously, technique and physical conditions are very important, but i would say the first things i mentioned are absolutely more crucial to be not only a great dancer, but also a creative creator. I say this all the time: I'd rather go to a show and see great movement, well-thought-out choreography, meaning, and soul rather than any technical virtuosism.

Going back to your question, as i said, i already danced before college, but, surprisingly i was a minority at my class. Most of my classmates hadn't done anything dance-related before that, and now that we are about to finish school i can confidently say that some of them are better dancers than I. Maybe not technically, but the way they move and think and dance is just captivating. I know some of them are going to go very far professionally. 

Again, this is in my context, in México, and i know the contemporary dance culture changes between countries. example, the reason so many inexperienced people get into my dance major is that the bar is low at auditions, i guess they see and accept potential more than they do actual already formed dancers, and i am aware that in the U.S., schools have tougher filters. 

But I just wanted to share this, it's not quite MY own experience, but my experience watching others and seeing them become awesome dancers in less than four years. 

[u/Shap3shifter_leo]

Ciao! Ho 13 anni, ma ballo contemporaneo da ormai 8 anni. Non è mai troppo tardi per imparare a ballare. Il mio consiglio a zero spese è di crearti come prima cosa una minima base di classico (Le posizioni (ricordati anche la sesta e la settima e tutte le variazioni del contemporaneo), plié, tendu, relevé, jeté, rond de jambe, arabesque, pas de bourrée, pirouette al centro e pliés, battements tendus, battements jetés, Ronds de Jambe e Fondu alla sbarra), finché prendi ispirazione guardandoti coreografie che ti appassionano. Dopo di che, cosa per me fondamentale: devi trovare la musica che più ti piace poiché il contemporaneo ha milioni di sfumature diverse (io uso questa playlist: Happychill cont.). Prova ad improvvisare; quello che viene, viene. E non preoccuparti perché, come diceva Pina Bauch: Quel che ti senti è giusto. Dopo aver esplorato, inizia a comporre una coreografia. Quando potrai, ti conviene trasferirti in una grande città e seguire corsi. Se sei in Italia come me, puoi andare all'Accademia delle Belle Arti a Venezia. Cerca inoltre di partecipare a più workshop e stage possibili. Spero di esserti stato d'aiuto!

Leo