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Jazz dance paralleled the birth and spread of jazz itself from roots in Black American society and was popularized in ballrooms by the big bands of the swing era (1930s and ’40s). It radically altered the style of American and European stage and social dance in the 20th century.
From the polyrhythmic movements rooted in African dance traditions to the elegant steps borrowed from European social dances, jazz dance is a testament to cultural fusion.
Jazz dance is a performance dance and style that arose in the United States in the early 20th century. [1][2] Jazz Dance may allude to vernacular Jazz, Broadway or dramatic Jazz. The two types expand on African American vernacular styles of dance that arose with Jazz Music.
Jazz dance mirrors the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic influences, historic events, and cultural changes. Jazz dance has been greatly influenced by social dance and popular music. But, like so much that is “from America”, the history of jazz dance begins somewhere else.
Read on to learn more about the times, people, and places that are important in Jazz Dance history. African Roots. Africa is a large continent with over fifty countries and thousands of different cultural tribes. Each tribe has its own sets of dances for both everyday enjoyment and important rituals.
Ever since Jazz entered into popular culture, it immediately fueled the creation of its dance style that not only followed its modern rhythms, sounds, and techniques but also heavily promoted the sense of individuality, spontaneous dancing, free flow dancing and showcase of the skills of dancers.
In this first part of a two-part article, we introduce the concept of authentic jazz dance and describe the first steps in jazz dance evolution. We also discuss how jazz musicians related to dance and suggest how music and dance influenced each other.
In this article, we’ll explore the fascinating history of jazz dance and the social, cultural, and musical influences that have shaped it into the art form we know today. So, let’s take a step back in time and dive into the world of jazz dance.
Jazz dance has a rich and tragic history. Its roots are African, but the dance style traveled the world during the slave trade. Enslaved people carried their cultural traditions on their long journeys and gathered to dance when possible.
Jazz dance evolved alongside the evolution of jazz and blues music. It was during the latter part of the 19th century and into the new century that these new dance moves resulted in dance trends, including the Jitterbug, the Charleston, Swing, Boogie-Woogie and other fads.