How much does modern benefit from ballet experience? Is it important to take ballet before or while taking modern? Thank you!

David

In my opinion a technique class (ballet or jazz)besides modern gives you some benefit. But I wouldn't say it was necesary.
I say that from my own experience. I started with jazz. Then I added hiphop and then I replaced hiphop for modern. Long after that (after 14 years of dancing) I had my first balletclass ever. During all that years I never had the feeling I was missing something or that the other girls in my class who did take ballet were so much better than I was.

Remember that ballet and modern are two completely different things. Yes, they share some thechnique (think tendu, jete, plie) and that's where you can get some benefit from the technique class. When you're just start taking modern (I saaume that you are) in a good beginner class they will teach you that technique. Off course it will be more modern based than ballet, but when that's your goal than I see no problem in just taking modern. Good luck.

Take care, Merle

You definitely need a basic knowledge of ballet to do modern. If nothing else, modern borrows much of its terminology from ballet (as does jazz). But you don't necessarily need to take separate ballet classes. A good, beginner modern class will include some basic ballet technique. That's why a lot of modern classes begin with a (usually slightly modified) ballet warmup. A lot of modern companies require their dancers to take ballet classes as well as modern.

I feel that Ballet can help every other dicipline. Core strength and proper posture....every dancer needs these!!!

When I first started dancingI started with ballet! I took ballet for many years before adding a jazz class. Then I added a modern class. I feel that if a person has a strong ballet background...modern will be easier for that person, Most type of dance Uses ballet technique .

Just my opinion!

Kev

Most type of dance Uses ballet technique .

Just my opinion!

That's not really an opinion. And it's completely wrong. If you said most types of CONCERT dance use ballet TERMINOLOGY, then I would totally agree with you. But most types of dance have absolutely nothing to do with ballet technique. Just for example, there are like 5 billion kinds of folk dance from all around the world. Most of them are WAY older than ballet, so they obviously don't use ballet technique. African, afro-caribbean, belly dance, hula and all the polynesian dances, hip-hop, recreational ballroom, irish, highland, capoira, hokey fricken pokey... None of these dance styles have any relationship to ballet AT ALL. Ballet began as a French court dance just a few hundred years ago. Concert ballet (which is the kind of ballet you're talking about) is even newer than that (mid 18th century). Dance is ancient. Ballet is new(ish).

I think jazz and modern would REALLY benefit from ballet, because it helps teach you the basics of pointing your feet etc. So when you are in modern you can focus more of the movement than the technique.

Hippie3 wrote:

I feel that Ballet can help every other dicipline. Core strength and proper posture....every dancer needs these!!!

Any physical therapist would disagree with you on the proper placement part. Ballet dancers stand all wrong. It's good posture for ballet, but not for anything else really. My friend is a massage therapist and she was looking at how I was holding my body - weight forward, spine elongated - and commented how horrible my posture was. My posture actually improved from taking modern, because I was taught to let my spine fall more naturally and let the curves be curves. Also instead of being up and forward over the ball of my foot, I learned how to shift my weight back to a neutral position. So no, while ballet posture is great for ballet, I wouldn't call it "good" posture.

Yes, I do believe that it does, tremendously. The grace, pointed feet, turn out, etc from ballet really helps me with modern. I sorta, kinda like modern better than ballet. I like being able to express myself. Flexibility is also helpful in modern. Actually, at my dance school you must be at least intermediate 3 in ballet to even take modern class. So yes, I'd say modern does benefit from ballet.

In the aspect of a person that in new to dance, my suggestion is to start with ballet. There is few similarities but many major differences between ballet and modern. Starting with ballet will help in the aspect of basic technique and terminology and also in the aspect of body awareness (distribution of weight, carriage, etc.) The problem of a novice dancer taking a ballet and modern class at the same time is the fact that you will learn certain techniques between each genre of dance that will differentiate greatly. This will not be in the favor of any beginners. I've seen many people who attempt this and they progress slower than a person who strictly started in one field.