In-person or online classes are a great place to start, as you can learn the basic techniques, step-by-step. To get a well-rounded and authentic learning experience, it's important to honor each stage in the story of Jazz dance. “Being able to be sharp, rhythmic, and filled with personality all at the same time… that skill is needed for so many different dance styles! If you’re able to train in each era of Jazz dance –– traditional Jazz, the technical skills from Broadway, the showmanship and passion from Jazz-influenced music videos… you’ll really have a great foundation as a dancer.” –– Laura Ann Smyth, STEEZY Jazz InstructorĪnd with new iterations of Jazz music like Electro-Swing, and dance venues across the country revisiting the original Jazz music of the 1920s, Jazz dance is finding a new place in social spaces. Now, dance scholars around the world are bringing attention to the importance of Jazz in dance education. Though Jazz dance is recognized as the #1 American dance style, in recent years, many studios stopped treating it as a foundational requirement for new dancers. Their background dancers can be seen doing Jazz Squares and Pas de Bourrees, but there’s a heavier emphasis on flashy turns, jumps, and trendy moves. Unlike most dance styles you’d watch on stage, professional Jazz dancers were expected to effortlessly balance uniformity and personality.Īfter all, personality and individual style were a vital part of Jazz’s initial culture, but you couldn’t have an entire theater company executing different moves!Ĭhoreographed productions would usually involve a set of background dancers who executed very similar, precise Jazz moves, while a few couples or solo performers would lead the company, executing acrobatics, stylized steps, and showy, playful acting sequences. They added more Ballet-inspired steps and brought the newly codified moves to Hollywood and Broadway, just as the Golden Age of film began.Ĭhoreographers started using highly trained dancers who were tasked to perform more precise versions of Jazz dances, which ushered in a new era for the style. Eventually, Jazz musicians who wanted to avoid appropriation from white audiences began shifting to Bebop, which was centered around improvised singing and instrumentation that many club-goers found less danceable.Īs a result, choreographers like Jack Cole and Jerome Robbins began appropriating traditionally Black Jazz dances for purposes outside of the club.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |