My views on the contrast between Ballet and Modern Dance technique

I think that modern dance is much more abstract than ballet; ballet is very detailed and technical where as modern dance is a lot more relaxed and free. I would also say that ballet is very strict but modern dance is very much of your own interpretation - there isn't set moves that you have to learn the names of, they are just natural angles of the body.
The reason that modern dance and classical ballet are very different is because modern dance is a rebellion of ballet. Martha Graham, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Dennis etc. wanted modern dance to be a rebellious style from ballet.