Contemporary dance has continued to evolve and produce stars. Small modern companies do some of the most exciting work in all of contemporary arts, and the field is vibrant with new ideas. More traditional companies never stopped offering plenty of classic fare. In any performance art, touring is a way of building and cementing reputations, of contributing to the evolution of the art. But touring for large companies is becoming less and less possible.
Smaller companies can survive only by touring.
But that too is becoming problematic as the venues for presenting dance dwindle. Not compared to opera, which is thriving and costs even more to mount. Through the 70s and 80s dance was heavily supported by the National Endowment for the Arts dance touring program. And there have been other major funders. European and Australian governments pour large sums into supporting their national companies.