Top 5 Male Dancers of Contemporary Dance of the 20th Century

Charles Weidman (1901–1975)

He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and has been one of the great dancers of modern dance and also pioneered the development of this art. In 1927 next to Doris Humphrey they left Denishawn where they opened a company that would explore a new aesthetic in the dance, new principles of technique that include gravity, fall and recovery, the sustained, suspended and vibratory movement. Incorporating these innovative techniques, the two artists choreographed works like Lysistrata, School for husbands and Alcina Suite.

Erick Hawkins (1909–1994)

Dancer and choreographer born in Trinidad, Colorado. He began his studies in classical dance and soon became interested in modern dance. He was a dancer of the American Ballet and Ballet Caravan where he performed his first choreography “Show Piece”. One peculiarity of this artist was that in some of this works he didn’t put music or if he put it finished the show. The President of United States gratified him with the National Medal of Arts, a month before he died.

José Limón (1908–1972)

This dancer is a benchmark in contemporary dance. Its beginnings in the dance were late, to the 20 years, but three a hard effort managed to reach the highest. He also worked as a choreographer and created the Limón Dance Company that today is still active and where he continues teaching what Limón showed on stage.

Ted Shawn (1891–1972)

Another of the emblematic names of contemporary dance. She was born in Kansas City and entered modern dance because of recovery from illness. From there, Shawn began to study this art and was with Ruth Saint-Denis, with whom they formed artistic pair and marriage. Later they created the Denishawn school where many of the dancers who would later become great recognized artists passed.

Paul Taylor (1930–1984)

He was born in Pennsylvania and trained as a dancer. In 1995 he joined the company of the famous Martha Graham for 11 years as the first dancer. This is where he created his own academy and practice as a choreographer with daring and renewing teachings.