Jazz Dance
by: Ivy Diefenbach, Tyonna Russ
Jazz Walk
a walk achieved by rolling through the toes, ball of the foot, then the heel.
Pivot Turn
a step forward then turning on the balls of the feet to face opposite way.
Cross Touch
free foot moves forward and across, other foot is placed out to the side.
Cross Ball Change
free foot steps across, change of weight from ball of foot to other foot.
Ball Change
change of weight between both feet. change of weight from ball of first foot to other foot.
Saut De Chat
large leap done by first leg through passé then leaping into it.
Grapevine
series of steps to the side: side, back, side, front.
Pas De Bourreé
step back, side, front.
Single Knee Tuck
jump done with one leg in passé. the other extended to the floor.
Jack Cole (1911-1974)
He choreographed many Broadway Musicals and films such as, Man of La Mancha, There´s No Business Like Show Business and Les Girls. He worked with stars Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth and inspired Jazz dance greats Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, and many more.
Gus Giordarno (1923-2008)
He performed on and off Broadway in NYC, was the creator of the Jazz Dance World Congress and the author of Anthology of American Jazz Dance, the first book on jazz dance He opened the Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago and soon thereafter founded the Giordano Dance Company.
Lynn Simonson (1943-present)
She danced with the Radio City Ballet Corps in NYC and studied jazz dance with Luigi, Jamie Rogers and Claude Thompson. Her frequent injuries inspired her to profoundly investigate anatomy which led her to create her own method which is now taught in 16 countries.
Basic Steps - Grape Vine
This video shows how to do the Grapevine step by step.
How to Pivot Turn | Jazz Dance
This video shows how to do a Pivot Turn step by step.
History of Jazz Dance
Was made as a rebellious form of Ballet, it'sshared by a large range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred to dance styles from African American regional dance. In the 1950s, a new genre of jazz dance — modern jazz dance — came about, with roots in Caribbean traditional dance. Each style of jazz dance has roots traceable to one of these two origins. Jazz was big in the early 50's and is still a well loved style of dance all over the world.
Famous Jazz Dancers
- Mia Michaels-a daughter of a dance studio owner that began dancing at 3 and made a big impact on modern Jazz Dance. She is a powerhouse in Jazz and Contemporary dance.
- Graciela Daniele-became a choreographer and dancer on her own right in the 1980's.
- Joe Tremaine-studied with great dancer in the 1960's and became a broadway dancer on the Jackie Gleason show. Later he became a teacher of Jazz for the stars.