Contemporary Dance Homework.....helpp?

Is there a difference between a contemporary dance company and a contemporary dance theatre?

• Hey Just look at dance on youtube and google.. I watched difference dance theater dances and really enjoyed them. I want a career in dance but my teacher said to look at what type of career. On tuesday i went to see nederlands dans theater and loved the style that was done. Is there a difference between going to do contemporary dance to try and get into a contemporary dance company/ going to do contemporary dance and then try and get into a contemporary dance theatre company. It looks fabulous. please help thanks :D

• Answer:

  I was a little curious about this myself as some groups tend to use the terms interchangeably. So, here's what I found in a nutshell: Dance Theater comes from the German Tantztheater which utilizes the body to project the theatrical (emotions, drama, etc.). Rather than using narrative stories (i.e. The Nutcracker) Tantztheater uses dramatics to portray real life emotions and experiences. This isn't to say that dance companies cannot perform dramatic pieces but that the concentration of a dance theater is going to be the dramatic requiring dancers who can also act. Good question and I even learned something here. Good luck to you and happy dancing!