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Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in the mid 20th century. Jazz dance may allude to vernacular
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
about to Broadway or dramatic jazz. The two types expand on
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
vernacular styles of dance that arose with jazz music. Vernacular jazz dance incorporates
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...
moves, Charleston,
Lindy hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...
and
mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particula ...
. Popular vernacular jazz dance performers include The Whitman Sisters,
Florence Mills Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1896 – November 1, 1927), billed as the "Queen of Happiness", was an American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian. Life and career Florence Mills (Florence Winfrey) was born a daughter of for ...
,
Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
,
Al Minns Al Minns (1 January 1920 – 24 April 1985), was a prominent American Lindy Hop and jazz dancer. Most famous for his film and stage performances in the 1930s and 1940s with the Harlem-based Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Minns worked throughout his lif ...
and Leon James, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton, and
Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for m ...
. Dramatic jazz dance performed on the show stage was promoted by Jack Cole,
Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...
, Eugene Louis Faccuito, and
Gus Giordano Gus Giordano (July 10, 1923 – March 9, 2008
''New York Times'', March 13, 2008
), born August Thomas Gi ...
. The term 'jazz dance' has been used in ways that have little or nothing to do with jazz music. Since the 1940s, Hollywood movies and Broadway shows have used the term to describe the choreographies of Bob Fosse and
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
. In the 1990s, colleges and universities applied to the term to classes offered by physical education departments in which students dance to various forms of
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
, rarely jazz.


Origin

Jazz dance is a social dance style that emerged at the turn of the 20th century when African American dancers began blending traditional African steps with European styles of movement. Though Jazz dance was born through intimate religious and social gatherings, it has always had a performative feel. And like Jazz music, Jazz dance was centered around improvisation and a call and response format that allowed dancers to create a conversation between the musicians, the instruments, and their bodies. When Black dancers began pairing these eye-catching steps with the more structured movements seen in European dances, iconic moves like the Charleston and the Cakewalk were born.


Swing dancing

In 1917, jazz pianist Spencer Williams wrote a song called "Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble" which inspired a jazz dance called the shimmy. The shimmy is done by holding the body still "except for the shoulders, which are quickly alternated back and forth". The dances that emerged during this period were the Charleston and the
Lindy hop The Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the Black communities of Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then. It was very popular during the swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy is a fusion of many danc ...
.The Charleston is "characterized by its toes-in, heels-out twisting steps". It can be done as a solo or with any number of people. The Lindy hop was a wild and spontaneous partner dance that was extremely rhythmically conscious. When the Great Depression began in October 1929, many people turned to dance. Because of this, the Aubrielle and the Lindy hop are now considered to be under the umbrella term "swing dance stylized, continuously flowing movements that developed the technique and style for the combinations that followed". Cole's style has been called hip, hard, and cool". Fosse combined "vaudeville, striptease, magic shows, nightclubs, film and Broadway musicals".


Pop music and television

Contemporary jazz became well known because of its television shows unlike '' So You Think You Can Dance''.
Mia Michaels Mia Michaels Melchiona (known professionally as Mia Michaels; born February 22, 1966) is an American choreographer and judge on the television show '' So You Think You Can Dance''. She has worked with Tom Cruise, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, M ...
's earlier work exemplifies this style. Some other companies and choreographers that create contemporary jazz dance are Sonya Tayeh,
Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...
, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Commercial jazz, which has been popular since the 1980s, combines aspects of hip hop and jazz and is often done to pop music. This style can be seen in the music videos of
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
and
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographe ...
. Commercial jazz often includes more "tricks." Commercial jazz and contemporary jazz are both seen at dance competitions. Another variety of jazz is Latin jazz. "Maria Torres developed and popularized the fusion at Broadway Dance Center". Latin jazz has an emphasis on the movement of hips and isolations. It can be seen in the films ''El Cantante'' and ''Dance with Me'', as well as on TV dance shows.


Dancers, directors, choreographers

* Jack Cole influenced Matt Mattox, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and Gwen Verdon, and is credited with popularizing the theatrical form of jazz dance with his great number of choreographic works on television and Broadway. *
Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for m ...
is an anthropologist, choreographer, and pioneer in black theatrical dance who introduced isolations jazz dance. * Eugene Louis Faccuito also known as Luigi, was an American jazz dancer, teacher, choreographer, and creator of the first codified jazz technique, the Luigi Technique. * Bob Fosse, choreographer and film director, revolutionized jazz dance with his sexually suggestive movements. His choreography is very recognizable and can be found in the musicals and films that he has choreographed, such as ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...
'' and ''
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
''. * Gus Giordano was a jazz dancer and choreographer in Chicago known for his clean, precise movement. *
Patsy Swayze Yvonne Helen "Patsy" Swayze (née Karnes; February 7, 1927 – September 16, 2013) was an American film choreographer, dancer, and dance instructor, and the mother of actor Patrick Swayze. Her credits include choreography for '' Urban Cowboy'', ...
, choreographer and dance instructor, combined jazz and ballet, founded the Houston Jazz Ballet Company, and served as its director.


See also

* Jazz-funk dance * Jitterbug *
Swing (dance) Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s–1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular "swing era". Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed; those that hav ...
*
Tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perf ...
*
Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...


References


Bibliography

* Bailey, A. Peter. ''Revelations: The Autobiography of Alvin Ailey''. Carol Publishing Group, 1995. * Carter, Curtis. "Improvisation in Dance". ''The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism''. 58, No. 2, p. 181–90. jstor.org * Cohan, Robert. ''The Dance Workshop''. Gaia Books, 1989. * Crease, Robert. ''Divine Frivolity: Hollywood Representations of the Lindy Hop, 1937–1942''. In ''Representing Jazz''. Durham: Duke University Press, 1995. * Dunning, Jennifer. ''Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance''. Da Capo Press, 1998. * Reid, Molly. ''New Orleans: A Haven for Swing Dance Beginners, Professionals''. ''The Times-Picayune''. 21 January 2010 * Seguin, Eliane ''Histoire de la danse jazz''. Editions Chiron, 2003. * Torbert, Margot L. ''Teaching Dance Jazz''. Margot Torbert, 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jazz Dance Jazz dance Contemporary dance Music of New Orleans Dance in Louisiana