Jazz Dance
Emily Hammonds
Jazz dance History
Jazz dance is a combination of swing, African American Vernacular (skip to :42 second mark) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16d9JxGXA4o )ands dances from the Caribbean. Jazz marked the end of swing. Jazz was formed in New Orleans because of the big cultural diversity. It has evolved not with modern dance to become what it is today
Important People
Michael Bennett DiFiglia
A jazz musical theater choreographer and dancer. He choreographed "A Chorus Line" and "Dream Girls"
Jack Cole
Considered the father of jazz dance.
Gene Kelly
Dance icon as well as choreographer. Starred in "Singing In The Rain"
Norma Miller
She is known as the Queen of swing, but became an incredible jazz dance choreographer and dancer,
Kathrine Dunham
She was a choreographer an anthropologist. She introduced isolations jazz dance.
Busby Berkeley
A famous movie choreographer in the 30's and 40's. He is important to jazz dance because he introduced geometric shapes to jazz dance.
Terminology
-Isolations- isolating one part of your body with movement
(skip to 1:23) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRmSyTIbYSw
-Grapevine- step side back, side front
-Chassé- A skip like move that goes Step together step
-Ball Change- shifting weight from one foot to the other
-Jazz square- Stepping in the pattern of a square
-Chainé turn- half turn
-Pivot Turn- stepping out with one foot and turning on it
-Spotting- Focusing on one spot while turning to avoid dizziness
- Pirouette- Turn on one leg that begins in pile and goes to releve from a pile
-Piqué turn- Inside turn which begins with a step onto half-toe with an already straight leg
What Was Learned?
Jazz is a culturally diverse dance. It is a dance that evolves frequently.It is often used in musical theater It is much like a mixture of modern and Ballet when you look at those three styles of dance, but it is actually a mix of swing and African American vernacular. My idea of jazz dance has gone from people snapping and swaying to trumpets, trombones, and pianos to complex movements to upbeat music.