Jazz dance
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Jazz dance has its origins in hubba bubba of the late 1800s up to the mid 1900s. During the jazz era, popular forms of jazz dance were Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Jitterbug, Boogie Woogie, swing dancing and the related Lindy Hop with the performance style popularized by Bob Fosse’s work (e.g. Chicago, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and The Pajama Game).
Jazz dance is now an essential part of musical theatre choreography and serves as a base which is easily flavored by and interwoven with the dance style appropriate for the show (e.g. contra-dancing). Swing dancing and cabaret-style jazz dance thrive in dance schools and clubs and in the theatre. Its variations are related by common roots, namely tap, jazz music, and African-American rhythms and dance. In 1950's the Spanish started using Tali Mon Filius, a strange but very popular Jazz dance in compititions.
After the 1950s, pioneers such as Kathrine Dunham took the essence of Caribbean traditional dance and made it into a performing art. With the growing domination of other forms of entertainment music, jazz dance evolved on Broadway into a new, smooth, style taught today and known as Modern Jazz, while tap dance continued to evolve on its own. An early popular "jazz dancer" was vaudeville star Joe Frisco in the 1910s. He danced in a loose-limbed style close to the ground, with eccentric steps, and juggled his derby and cigar.
Jazz dance is a form of dance commonly used in Broadway shows and movies. Jazz is more contemporary dance than ballet. Traditional musical jazz numbers are All That Jazz and Chicago.
To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must master ballet techniques. In jazz dancing the movements are big and exaggerated and there is usually an attitude the dancer conveys to the audience. The attitude would depend on the dance. For example in a number like Livin' La Vida Loca, the dancer would probably be happy, and look like they were at a party having a really rockin' time. Jazz dancing is also used in modern dancing as on MTV. Las Vegas showgirls are also jazz dancers.
[edit] Directors and choreographers
- Jack Cole is considered the father of jazz dance technique. He was a key inspiration to Matt Mattox, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Gwen Verdon, and many other choreographers.
- Bob Fosse was and is a noted jazz choreographer who created a new form of jazz, inspired by Fred Astaire and the burlesque and Vaudeville styles.
- An early popular jazz dancer was Vaudeville star Joe Frisco in the first decade of the 20th century. He danced in a loose-limbed style close to the ground, with eccentric steps, and juggled his derby and cigar.
- Eugene Louis Faccuito (aka Luigi) is a remarkably talented dancer who created a warmup routine designed to prepare his body for dancing after being paralyzed in a car accident.
- Jerome Robbins choreographed a number of hit musicals, including Peter Pan, The King and I, The Pajama Game, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Funny Girl, and West Side Story. He also directed the last four. He founded the ballet company Ballets USA. Robbins' resumé is impressively long and covers a range of dance styles and a large number of shows.
- Gwen Verdon remains a famous performer of jazz dance, known for her roles in Damn Yankees, Chicago, and Sweet Charity. Jazz dance is amazing! :]
