History of Jazz Dance

Importance of Jazz Dance

• Jazz dance is as important as ballet in understanding modern and contemporary dance styles.

"Jazz dance is as important as ballet in understanding modern and contemporary dance styles."

Jazz Dance and Diversity

• The varieties of jazz dance reflect the diversity of American culture.

• Jazz dance mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influence, historic events, and cultural changes.

• Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by social dance and popular music.

"The varieties of jazz dance reflect the diversity of American culture."

"Jazz dance mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influence, historic events, and cultural changes."

"Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by social dance and popular music."

Origins in African Dance

• Jazz music and dance originated from the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves.

• African dance was characterized by earthy, low knee movements, emphasizing body isolations and hand clapping.

• African slaves from different cultures were cut off from their families, languages, and tribal traditions, resulting in an intermingling of African cultures in America.

"Jazz music and dance originated from the rhythms and movements brought to America by African slaves."

"African dance was characterized by earthy, low knee movements, emphasizing body isolations and hand clapping."

"African slaves from different cultures were cut off from their families, languages, and tribal traditions, resulting in an intermingling of African cultures in America."

Impact of Minstrel Shows

• In the 19th century, white performers in minstrel shows appropriated and popularized the African style of dance and music created by slaves.

• Black dancers faced challenges in gaining stature in these shows, leading many African-American performers to migrate to Europe where they introduced newly emerging forms of jazz music and dance.

"In the 19th century, white performers in minstrel shows appropriated and popularized the African style of dance and music created by slaves."

"Black dancers faced challenges in gaining stature in these shows, leading many African-American performers to migrate to Europe where they introduced newly emerging forms of jazz music and dance."

Influence on Tap Dance and Swing Dance

• The rhythms and movements of African dance, such as foot stomping, hand clapping, and vocal sounds, were woven into jazz dance.

• Tap dance evolved from the Irish jig and was influenced by the percussive style of black tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.

• The African-American bands of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong gave birth to swing dance, which focused on the percussive element and drew people in through rhythm.

"The rhythms and movements of African dance, such as foot stomping, hand clapping, and vocal sounds, were woven into jazz dance."

"Tap dance evolved from the Irish jig and was influenced by the percussive style of black tap dancer Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson."

"The African-American bands of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong gave birth to swing dance, which focused on the percussive element and drew people in through rhythm."

Evolution of Jazz Dance

• Jazz and jazz dance emerged slowly over time, following the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South to the North for industrial jobs.

• Dixieland jazz music with its fast ragtime beat spread from New Orleans to Chicago, New York, and elsewhere, directly influencing the growth of jazz dance.

• The Charleston, introduced in 1923, incorporated body isolation and African-inspired hand clapping and foot stomping.

• Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fred Astaire played significant roles in the development of tap and jazz dance through their unique styles and influences.

"Jazz and jazz dance emerged slowly over time, following the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South to the North for industrial jobs."

"Dixieland jazz music with its fast ragtime beat spread from New Orleans to Chicago, New York, and elsewhere, directly influencing the growth of jazz dance."

"The Charleston, introduced in 1923, incorporated body isolation and African-inspired hand clapping and foot stomping."

"Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and Fred Astaire played significant roles in the development of tap and jazz dance through their unique styles and influences."

Changes during World War II

• World War II brought changes to jazz dance, as many men were off fighting and social dancing lost popularity.

• The sound of jazz music started to change due to the symphonic jazz of Paul Whiteman, which added full orchestration and syncopation to each song.

• African-American bands like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong continued to contribute to jazz music during this period.

"World War II brought changes to jazz dance, as many men were off fighting and social dancing lost popularity."

"The sound of jazz music started to change due to the symphonic jazz of Paul Whiteman, which added full orchestration and syncopation to each song."

"African-American bands like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong continued to contribute to jazz music during this period."

Evolution of Jazz Dance

• Modern jazz music introduced intricate rhythmic patterns that were too complex for social dancing, resulting in the closing of dance halls and ballrooms.

• The decline of social dance led to the growth of jazz dance as a professional form in the 1940s.

• Ballet and modern dance heavily influenced jazz dance during the 1940s, resulting in a sophisticated artistic quality.

"Jazz dance becomes very, very complicated, not something that your average person can keep up with, and so we see the growth and development of professionals."

• Jazz dance developed as a professional form by blending classical ballet technique with the natural bodily expression of modern dance.

• Professionals in jazz dance were trained in ballet and modern dance as there were no established training programs specifically for jazz dance at that time.

• Jack Cole, known as the "father of theatrical jazz dance," played a significant role in developing jazz dance technique.

"Now, Jack Cole had studied modern dance, ballet, and ethnic dance, and he had done choreographic work in the nightclub scene. ... There was serious demand for groups of trained dancers for film work, and Jack Cole was the one who started developing those trained jazz dancers for the Hollywood movie musicals."

• Gene Kelly, influenced by Fred Astaire and Robinson, made his mark as a dancer in Hollywood musicals, adding an athletic element to jazz dance.

• In the 1950s, rock and roll music became incredibly popular, leading to the creation of new social dances.

• Latin American music and dance had a significant impact on jazz dance during the 1950s, as seen in the landmark Broadway production of "West Side Story" choreographed by Jerome Robbins.

• Matt Mattox, a dancer of the Jack Cole style, developed his own teaching and performing style, blending ballet, modern, and tap.

"He was another dancer who had studied ballet, modern, and tap and then found his love of jazz dance in his late 20s."

• During the 1960s, jazz dance experienced revolutions mirroring the cultural changes of the time.

• The emergence of the twist dance in the early 1960s coincided with the popularity of Motown music.

"The twist is this new dance that's coming out of the early 1960s as we see here. Motown becomes the major musical craze, and we're going to see major changes once again."

• Break dancing, including freestyle, electric boogie, popping, and floating, emerged as a dance phenomenon in the 1970s, influenced by West African cultures.

"Break dancing is going to be an umbrella term for all the forms of modern street dance that we see developing in the 1970s. These can all trace their roots to West African cultures of Mali, Gambia, and Senegal."

"Jazz dance becomes very, very complicated, not something that your average person can keep up with."

History of Jazz Dance in the South

• The South was a crucial region for the development of jazz dance.

• A critical mass of West African dancers who came to the United States incorporated their roots into what they witnessed, leading to the emergence of break dancing.

• Break dancing served as both an entertainment form and a competition, providing an alternative to gang warfare.

• Jazz dance in the South became popularized and spread through street corner fraternities.

"What you get is this situation where you have sort of a critical mass, you have a lot of these West African dancers who have come to the United States and they're going to incorporate their roots into what they see in their environment thus creating break dancing."

Jazz Dance in the 1980s

• In the 1980s, break dancing exploded from the streets into mainstream culture.

• Jazz dance expanded its horizons by combining with physical fitness classes, resulting in the creation of aerobic dance classes.

• Prominent figures in 1980s musical theater, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, influenced the direction of jazz dance.

• Movies and television played a significant role in popularizing jazz dance during this period.

• Attendance in jazz dance classes skyrocketed, and American businesses quickly capitalized on the craze through commercials.

"The 1980s saw the introduction of aerobic dance classes, which combined jazz dance with physical fitness classes to make exercise more fun and sociable."

Influence of Music Videos and Pop Culture

• The introduction of MTV in the 1980s provided a new medium for dance and professional dancers.

• MTV music videos showcased high-energy jazz, ballet, street dance, and social dance in innovative ways.

• Major choreographers, including Michael Peters, Jeffrey Hornaday, Lester Wilson, Madonna, Paula Abdul, and Janet Jackson, greatly influenced the direction of jazz dance.

• Jazz dance received a significant boost from prominent movies of the decade, such as "Fame," "Flashdance," "Footloose," "Staying Alive," "Breaking," and "Dirty Dancing."

"These music videos combined high-energy jazz, ballet, street dance, and social dance in striking and innovative ways."

Prominent Instructors and Styles in Jazz Dance

• Frank Hatchet and Joe Tremaine are influential figures in jazz dance instruction.

• Frank Hatchet's style is a blend of strength, funk, and individual interpretation, with an emphasis on selling performances.

• Joe Tremaine's teaching style is fast, flashy, and funky, often referred to as West Coast jazz or LA jazz.

• Hatchet and Tremaine attracted entertainers, students, and dance teachers from all over the world to study under their unique styles.

"Frank Hatchet's style is a blend of strength, funk, and individual interpretation, with an emphasis on selling your performance."

Jazz Dance in the 1990s and Beyond

• In the 1990s, jazz dance continued to evolve with the emergence of street dance, street funk, and hip-hop influences.

• Street dance incorporated moves directly from the street corners, using boom boxes as accompaniment.

• Rosie Perez, the choreographer of the Fly Girls on the hit show "In Living Color," played a significant role in the development of this style of jazz dance.

• Jazz dance in the new century continues to draw inspiration from the classics while pushing boundaries with new performances.

• Jazz dance, hip hop, ballet, and modern dance often intersect, paving the way for new and fusion dance styles.

"Street dance is an inner city dance taken directly from the street corners, with performers using boom boxes as their accompaniment."

"Jazz dance in the new century continues to both look back to the classics for inspiration and move forward to create new dance performances."

Jazz Dance as a Unique American Art Form

• Jazz dance is recognized as an American contribution to the art of dance.

• Its origins can be traced back to the influence of slave culture, the development of various dance forms, and the fusion of different styles.

• Jazz dance represents the blending of cultures and embraces self-expression rather than strict codification.

"Jazz dance in the new century continues to both look back to the classics for inspiration and move forward to create new dance performances."