Modern Dance As an American Alternative to Classical Ballet

the article analyzes the features of the American modern dance, which formed in the first half of the 20th century as an alternative to the classical ballet of the United States, which had Russian roots. In the article there were formulated both the artistic and aesthetic principles of modern dance and the historical and cultural prerequisites for the formation of the US national choreographic school. The work uses theoretical methods: visual and text analysis of choreographic works and music for performances, comparison of the means of plastic expressiveness, movements and figures of classical ballet and modern dance, the principles of stage development of artistic images of performances. The basis of the empirical study was a generalization of the practical experience of staging performances by leading American dancers of the 20th century. According to the results of the study, it is noted that the features of modern dance are opposite to the classical ballet of the United States, testify to the desire of Americans to illuminate the problems of modern time and convey the unique national features of US culture, using elements of African or Indian dances, as well as movements that are not characteristic of classical ballet, but reflect the spirit of our time. The materials of the article have theoretical and practical value for specialists dealing with the problems of culture and art of the 20th century, including modern choreography