Alexandra Danilova was the first of George Balanchine's lifetime of muses. Balanchine created 18 ballets for her, the first of which was 1921's "Poeme." The partially spoken-word piece was one of the first "modern ballets" -- and positioned Danilova as the first of the "modern" ballerinas. Born to

Charming, Elegant, High modernism -- ballet in america, Sensual, Serene, Soviet ballet: the bolshoi and the kirov

Eiko and Koma are a Japanese husband-and-wife team that creates sometimes-serene, sometimes-intense dances. Though their background lies in Butoh, Eiko and Koma make laconic distinctions between themselves and post-war Japan's "dance of utter darkness." With names like "Grain," "Beam," and "Land, Win

Butoh, Contemplative, Dreamy, Epic, Minimal, Serene