Jazz Dance Essay

977 Words2 Pages

Jazz was first considered to be a dance style during the World War I. However, this dance originates from indigenous dances of the African tribes which were brought to America during the period of slave trade. In fact, Jazz was originally observed in the African American culture in the United States. This dance basically developed in the 1900s along Jazz music in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It continued to evolve and from 1930 to 1960, the dance had transformed from its vernacular form to a theatre-based performance. During this period of time, modern choreographers and ballet dancers begun experimenting with the dance. Some of these choreographers included: George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jack Cole, Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris, Michael Kidd, Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse. All these choreographers played part in transforming the dance from its vernacular form of the 1900s to a more sophisticated dance with sophisticated moves requiring trained dancers to perform. Besides, during this time and specifically in the 1950s, Jazz dance was influenced by moves from the Caribbean and the Latin America. These new dance styles were introduced by Katherine Dunham, an anthropologist. Currently, Jazz is still a popular dance and many dancers visit New …show more content…

Some of the pioneer choreographers who pioneered it include: George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jack Cole, Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris, Michael Kidd, Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse. Some of the characteristics of jazz include: Syncopated rhythm, isolation, a low center of gravity and high level of energy. Also, there are two main forms of jazz dance which are lindy hop and shag. Last but not least, jazz dance is known to improve balance. This therefore means that in order to have good balance and evade the risk of falls in later years, one should get involved in jazz dance amongst other

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