Jose Limon
The technique style developed by Limon is a very breath-based form. The dancers are encouraged to use their breath to make movement bigger and more dynamic. They also use swooping movement to really accomplish a fall and recovery feel which they are most famous for. The use of breath and swoops all require a great amount of momentum to propel them along. The classes include the normal warm-up such as plié tendu and many other ballet based exercises. Students of the Limon technique learn about weight and the effect of gravity on movement. They develop the ability to use breath in new ways and have an expressive torso.
Horton
This style has a very powerful yet graceful feel to it. The classes mainly focus on the 17 "fortification studies" which were designed by Horton himself. These include lateral flexions and leg swings. This style focuses on strength, stretch, and stamina. Many of the exercises help strengthen the large muscle groups such as the quads and abs. They counter that strength with a stretch to keep their lines long and not bulky. All of these exercises help the dancers build amazing stamina.
Graham
The Graham technique has a major impact in modern. The focus is on the passion and strength behind the dancing. Martha Graham was world famous for her use of contractions, which is a position in which the dancer hollows out the stomach and chest and rounds the pelvis under. The class begins on the floor with contractions and twists. Then center combinations include a wide variety of spirals, contractions, spins, and falls. The students then go to barre to finish the warm up. After barre, they move across the floor with variations of walks, triplets (down, up, up), prances (jogs with the legs in front and the legs are mostly straight), and a very common Graham move called the stag leap (seen above).
Cunningham
The Cunningham style requires a very clear body and mind. Cunningham liked to make his classes very challenging by demanding perfect technique, fast foot work, and many balances with your body off center. People compare this style to ballet because of the complex arms and torso work. His classes are very challenging physically, but they are equally, if not more challenging mentally. He would combine simple movements with very complicated arm motions. Several directional and focus changes would also make performing even more difficult. Cunningham is notoriously famous for training his dancers with an internal clock so they are in perfect unison even without music.