East dance - West dance

Modern Dance was introduced into Western civilization around the thirties. What happened in the East? This article ponders the present situation of choreographic modernity in East Asia, tracing its historical and social evolution. An individual approach to each East Asian country is made, trying to find some common denominators for the whole region. The concepts of Asian time, space and body are, as well, analysed, so as to elucidate if globalisation will make modern dance to become a global cultural product in which East and West can have a balanced, creative participation. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.