Jacking, Jackin’, or the jack is a freestyle

dance move Dance moves or dance steps (more complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures, dance movements, or dance variations) are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each ...

in which the dancer ripples their

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck, limbs, tail and other appendages extend. The tetrapod torso — including that of a human � ...

back and forth in an undulating motion. It emerged within the context of

Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the first ever house music productions, which were by Chicago-based artists in the 1980s. History and origins Disco ...

music in the 1980s.

Origins and interpretations

The style is said to have developed in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

nightclubs like the

Warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...

and the Power Plant, where house pioneer

Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...

was resident DJ, and Ron Hardy's Music Box, during the early 1980s.Tim Lawrence: Acid ⎯ Can You Jack?
(2005). Music journalist

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...

has argued that just as

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

evolved from

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

music (among other influences – see

House music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

), jacking evolved from the expressiveness of disco dancing. Even more than disco, house music endorsed an “abandonment of subjectivity and self-will”, promoting the “ecstasy of being en''thrall''ed by the beat”. He sees jacking as a reflection of this abandonment of subjectivity: A similar account on the sexual content of jacking was suggested by Barry Walters in his 1986 article on house music in SPIN magazine: DJ and record producer

Chip E. Irwin Larry Eberhart II, better known by his stage name Chip E. (born 1966), is an American DJ and record producer. Life and career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chip E. attended St. Ignatius College Prep, Kenwood Academy, Columbia College and D ...

also explains the body movements in jacking with a reference to sexuality:

"Jackin' house" as a style of music

The terms "jacking", "jackin'", or "jack" found their way into numerous titles of early house music records, such as the ''Jack Trax'' EP by

(1985), "Jack'n the House" (1985) by

Farley "Jackmaster" Funk Farley "Jackmaster" Funk (born Farley Keith Williams; January 25, 1962) is an American musician, DJ and record producer of Chicago house and acid house music. He is notable for writing and producing a number of highly influential tracks in th ...

(1985), "

Jack Your Body "Jack Your Body" is a house music song by Steve "Silk" Hurley, originally released as a single in 1986. It was featured on the album ''Hold on to Your Dream'', released in 1987, under the alias J.M. Silk. History One of the landmark records in ...

" by

Steve "Silk" Hurley Steve W. "Silk" Hurley (born November 9, 1962), also known as J. M. Silk (for "Jack Master Silk"), is an American club DJ, house music producer, and songwriter. From 1985 to 1988, he had four top-10 singles on the US Dance chart, including the ...

(1986), "

The Jack That House Built "The Jack That House Built" is a song by British house music act under the name of Jack 'N' Chill consisting of band members Edward "Ed" Stratton and Vlad Naslas. It was first released in June 1987 but failed to reach Top 40. It was re-released in ...

" by Jack 'n' Chill (1987), or "Jack to the Sound of the Underground" by Fast Eddie (1988). The term is also transferred to certain styles of house music called "Jackin' House".What is Jackin House? History and meaning of Jackin House
Pressure Radio.

References

External links

Sally R. Sommer: "C'mon to My House: Underground-House Dancing"
in: Dance Research Journal, Vol. 33, No. 2, 2001, pp. 72–86.
Czarina Mirani: Spin Slide and Jack: A History of House Dancing
on

5 Magazine ''#5 Magazine'' is an online magazine founded and edited by Rio Ferdinand. History Ferdinand considered naming #5 ''Rio'', but felt it not a tangible option over time. The first issue was published in April 2009. #5 has featured celebrities su ...

, 2005.
Barry Walters: Burning Down the House
SPIN magazine, November 1986.
Tim Lawrence: Acid ⎯ Can You Jack?
Liner Notes to an acid house compilation, 2005
Makkada B. Selah: Powder Burns – Essay on house dance
in

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

, 2007 {{Street dance 1980s fads and trends 1980s neologisms Culture of Chicago Dance moves Dances of the United States

Origins and interpretations

"Jackin' house" as a style of music

See also

References

External links