What is Jazz Dance?
A rhythmic stylized American dance form. It takes its roots from the grace and elegance of the european upper body, and the intricate foot patterns and improvisation of African dance, as well as many elements of modern and American social dances.
The Six African Influences on Jazz
1. flat/barefooted2. Use of Plie with body bent at waist.3. Mimic animal dances4. individual expression and improv5. centrifugal/ exploding from center 6. propulsive swinging rhythm.
Tribal dances are for _____ and ______. Utilizing _____, ______, and _____ in all aspects of life
celebration and communication. Music, dance and Folklore.
What brought about the invention of the cake walk in the 1890's?
Slave uprisings caused white slave owners to ban drums , believing they were communicating with them. Slaves began incorporating european movements and rhythms into their dancing. The merging of African and European influences created the cakewalk . Where people would compete their dances against each other and the winning couple with the best high kick would get the cake.
Steps taken from plantation dancing
Buck Dancing : Heavy beaten, flatfooted two stepThe Jig: rapid , tight, hoppy danceThe buzzard lope: Early version of Charleston.
What was the main form of entertainment from 1800-1920's?
Opera, Ballet and variety shows.
What were minstrel shows?
combination of many acts(slapstick, humor, dancing and music) performing to cut the costs due to the great depression.
What kind of dance and music was popular in 1900?
Ballroom, vaudeville and rag time
What kind of dance and music was popular in 1910 and why?
Due to the invention of the record player blues was able to gain popularity quickly and was very appropriate for the variety shows.
What music and dance was popular in the 1920's and where?
In the ballrooms of harlem, blacks created their own dances from the Charleston, suzy-Q to the Black Bottom .
What kind of music and dance was popular in the 1930's ?What role did modern dance play?
Boogie woogie, big-bands, swing and jazz. Modern dance made people long to move in different and sometimes more primal ways. Modern pioneers such as the Denishawn school helped dancers reach new ideas. The father of American Jazz dance Jack Cole came from this school!
What caused theatrical dance to be born?
The merging of tap and ballet by Herbie and Balenchine .
Who made african and Afro Caribbean dancing popular in the 1940's ?
Pearl Primus and Katherine Dunham
What styles were popular in the 1940's?
Big bands, be bop , afro cuban and latin invasion
A new style of dance emerged combining elements of Ballet tap, modern and ethnic influence. What was it ? and what year did it take place?
Jazz.. 1940
Her "dream ballet" in the musical Oklahoma broadened the jazz dance vocabulary? in what year?
Agnes de Mille, 1943
This dancer came from the Denishawn School of Modern dance . He used ethnic ( East Indian and Oriental) motifs and is considered the father of American Jazz Dance. In what year?
Jack Cole , 1940
The 1950's were comprised of popular dances such as....
Rhythm and blues, Rock and Roll , Cool Jazz and Hard bop .
Blues was the predecessor to _____ which combined black and white rythmic styles and movement patterns.
Rock and Roll
English, Brazillian Invasion , soul and Motown were popular in what year?
1960's
People began to face eachother and dance solo or together, with improvisational elements with dances such as....
The twist, mashed potatoe
An example of Motown?
Aretha and the supremes
Brazillian music is a combination of Samba
and the Bossa Nova
Blues and rock music greatly influenced this popular 1960's band ?
The Beatles.
What musicals were created in 1960?
West Side Story ( movie) , Bye Bye Birdie, Sweet Charity, Hello Dolly and Seven Brides for seven brothers.
What music was popular in the 1970's?
Pop, computerized, Disco, regge and salsa
In the 80's this style of dance was created in the streets of the bronx by black and hispanic youth and then was made popular by music videos such as thriller and beat it...
Break Dancing.
In the technology drenched decade of the 90's what music was popular and why?
Music videos continued as a trend. Techno alternative Rap and Jazz mix, acid jazz and R&B.
What changed the face of dance in the year 2000?
Reality TV shows like SYTYCD and DWTS ( dancing with the stars) Put dance in the living rooms of thousands of americans making the dance scene explode with everyone from beginners to advanced level dancers.
What musicals influenced the 2000's?
The movie version of Chicago and the Hit musical Movin' Out by Twyla Tharp
Jack Cole
from Denishawn, The Father of American Jazz Dance , he greatly influenced Theatre dance with his Indian and oriental motifs. He produced many jazz greats from his studio on the columbia pictures lot such as Matt Mattox and Bob Fosse.
Matt Mattox
Protégé to Jack Cole, he was a specialty dancer in many broadway musicals including seven Brides for seven Brothers and Theres no Business Like Show Business. He is most famous for devising a series of exercises to train dancers
Gus Giordano
Started off as a dancer in New York then moved to Chicago in 55 to start staging a tv show called " the Jazz Dance" In 62 his Co The Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago Company toured Russia to promote American Jazz Dance. In 1990 he established the American Jazz Council which still works to this day.
Luigi
As a well known Hollywood dancer. Luigi was injured in a care accident that paralyzed his whole right side. After rehab he found his own ways to strengthen and condition the body, creating his own warm up. His jazz technique is very demanding with a strong ballet foundation.
Phil Black
Famous for training celebrities. His class is rythmically complex and syncopated with an emphasis on classic jazz style, isolations, leaps and turns. He aims to produce well rounded dancers.
Ruth Walton
Modern-Jazz innovator in the 50's . Incorporated many elements of both styles including foot work, barre, stretching , center and across the floor exercises.
JOJO Smith
Combined Latin Caribbean style with jazz movement. Originator of the Dolphin ( body wave) . Jojo's dance factory was one of Manhattans most popular jazz studios in the 60's and 70's .
Joe Tremaine
Studied with Matt Mattox and Luigi. Choregraphs for commercials and TV specials . In 1969 he opened his own school in LA .
Frank Hatchett
Teacher and choreographer from Broadway Dance center . His style is a mix of funk, strength and individual interpretation known as VOP
Lynn Simonson
International ballet master, tecnhique taught in 16 countries . Created the jazz project and run the teachers workshop at the Jacobs Pillow Festival Annually.
Nat Horne
Protoge of Matt Mattox. Performed in 16 Broadway musicals and was a principal dancer for ailey. Eventually headed aileys jazz department. In 73 he opened his own school that would train dancers in all three musical theatre areas ( acting singing and dancing.
Michael Kidd
Recieved 5 tonys for choreo and 1 academy award. He choreographed Seven Brides for seven brothers, Fancy Free , Finians Rainbow and Guys and Dolls among others. His style incorporated human behavior stylized into musical forms.
Classic jazz
Dancer uses essintal ingrident in jazz dance, swing to dance over and between downbeats. It used idioms such as lose joints and a concious connection of space. Many of the jazz pioneers were proponents of this style such as luigi, giordorno, mattox , phil black and jojo smith.
Musical comedy
Influenced by early jazz choreogrpahers , comedy and song. Today it is called show dance or commercial dance .
Theatre dance/musical theatre
Highly stylized form of dance that uses music movement comedy amd natrative to tell astory
Lyrical
Fluid style of jazz incirporating the elegance of the european cardige from classical ballet and ethnic /world forms! Yhe expression of the performer intreperts the lyrics/quality of music
African traditional lineage based
Closely related to the charecteristics of african dance. Flat footed, knees bent, crouched positin from the waist , imitates animals, improv , freedom of expression and a centrifugial quality
Afro Cuban
Blends africsn lineage body movements with with the elegance and formality of european court dances.
Latin
The dance is a blend of european, african , north and south american influences as well as lstin dances like meringue, cha cha , salsa and rumba
Boogie woogie 40s swing and jitter bug
Lindy breaksway variations from big band era . Including camel waks, truckin, suzy q snd shorty george
Blues
A sensual style of dance with an emphasis on the pelvis , torso, and body isoloations. Popularized in harlem by the early 20's by earl " snake hips" tucker
Rock
Style of dance influenced by rock and roll, hillbilly music , gospel, blues.
Funk/urban funk
Influenced by rythmn and blues combines many body isolations in an angular disjointed manor