Contemporary dance emerged in the 1950s as the dance form that is combining the modern dance elements and the classical ballet elements. It can use elements from non-western dance cultures, such as African dancing with bent knees as a characteristic trait, and Butoh, Japanese contemporary dancing that developed in the 1950s.

It used to describe also the dance which is not classical jazz nor traditional folk/cultural dance.^{[citation needed]} Sub-genres include non-dance, conceptual dance and pedestrian contemporary.^{[citation needed]}