Jazz Dance Essay

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

Orleans just to experience Jazz music and dance (Reid, 2010).
The history of Jazz dates back to the seventeenth century. When slaves were brought to America from Africa, they came with their music and dance. Dancing and drumming being part of the African culture, the slaves continued drumming and dancing even when working in the plantation. When the slave masters saw that drumming and dancing was becoming popular in the plantation, they banned drumming in the plantation. However, this did not deter the Africans as they kept their song and dance alive by clapping and stomping their feet as they sang African songs. Most of these dances were performed for enjoyment while some were for competition. Overtime, the slave masters got interested in the dance and soon begun picking the best dancers to entertain their guests. Besides, these dancers would be used to compete with dancers from other plantations. Eventually, jazz music and dance began streaming into movies theatres. In the 1830s, the Minstrel Shows began showcasing African songs and dances. At this time however, the blacks were not allowed to perform but instead white people with black faces performed these songs and dances. It was not until the 1860s that the blacks began to perform in their own minstrel shows. This remained popular until the 1900s when the minstrel shows paved way for the vaudeville, revue and burlesque shows which are considered to feature the colloquial forms of Jazz dance (Ambrosio, 2010).
Just like every other form dance, jazz dance has some distinct elements. To begin with, Jazz dance is characterized by Syncopated rhythm. This basically involves a range of rhythms which in a way are not expected or render part or whole of the music off-beat. In other worlds, it is a disturbance of regular flow of rhythm (Caning, 2002). This element of jazz dance was introduced by Luis Armstrong with his phenomenal “late beat sing" which was then translated from music to dance. Secondly, isolation is another characteristic of jazz dance. This involves moving only one part of the body. Isolations normally take place at the head, ribs, shoulder and hips. These movements have to be sharp and strong to reveal the jazz quality. This element was introduced by Katherine Dunham (Stearns, 1994). Also, improvisation was a prominent feature in the early forms of jazz dance. This is introducing new dance styles while simultaneously playing musical instruments or singing. Lastly, other identifying characteristics of jazz dance are: a low center of gravity and high level of energy.
Jazz dance is a term used to refer to a number of forms dance. There two prominent forms of jazz dance, lindy hop and shag. Lindy hop was first witnessed in the America dance floors after Dance-til-you-drop marathons" faded away. It emerged in the Savoy Ballroom in New York before spreading out to the rest of the country and world. Some of the dances incorporated in this dance included: fancy footwork, musicality, personal styling, and improvisation. On the other hand, Shag began in New Orleans in the 1920s. It was later popularized by college dancers who danced to the ragtime music of the city. This dance normally is performed by couples who dance face-to-face or side-by-side. This dance is energetic as dancer dance to upbeat tempos in 6/8 time. Although it is a high intensity dance, the dancers normally seem like they are floating across the stage became of the acrobatic moves they incorporate in the moves.
Jazz dance is not only a dance style, it also has its benefits. Jazz is known for counteracting the problems of balance in the elderly. Reports by the CDC reveal that adults aged 65 years and above get hip fractures, trauma, and severe injuries due falls resulting from lack of balance (CDC, 2015). Therefore, it is advisable for people to take part in jazz dances is order to lower the risk of injury in their sunset years.
In conclusion, jazz dance is a form of dance which originated from Africa and ended up getting popularity in America.

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

activities.