What is Jazz Dance: Then and Now
The early roots of jazz dance came from African culture imported by slaves. In Africa, the natives danced to celebrate the cycles of life and children and adults all depended on jazz dance to express their cultural beliefs. Slaves continued to dance through life, but their dance was greatly influenced by the European background of plantation owners. Jazz dance has also been influenced by social dance and popular music and as popular culture changes, so does jazz dance.
The style of African dance is low; bent knees, hand clapping, and emphasized body isolations. This dance style gave African American slaves in America parts of their cultural identity, as many were cut off from their families, languages, and tribal traditions. The rhythms and movements of African dance: the foot stamping and tapping, clapping, and rhythmic vocal sounds were woven into what we now call jazz.
As African dance slowly integrated into a new genre of dance with European influence, it also introduced many other forms of dance. As jazz dance was blending with the classical technique of ballet and the natural bodily expression of modern dance, jazz developed a sophisticated artistic quality. Jazz dance combined to other dances and created new dance styles such as tap dance, modern jazz dance, aerobic dance classes, and breakdancing.
The Term Paper on Inada And Jazz African American
Juliana Chang While jazz and blues rhythms and aesthetics have been used by a number of Asian American poets, Inada's poetry stands out in its consistency and depth of engagement with jazz. Inada himself cites jazz as the strongest influence on his writing. His collection Before the War: Poems as They Happened (1971) begins with a whimsical portrait of a Japanese American figure playing "air ...
Jazz dance has had many influential individuals but a few of the most prominent ones include Jack Cole, Gene Kelly, Jerome Robbins, Matt Mattox, and Charles Atkins. These choreographers and dancers not only changed jazz dance, but also changed the choreography we see in many Broadway and Hollywood productions today.
In the 1980s, the introduction of advanced technology and music videos combined jazz, ballet, and street dance in striking and innovative ways. Some major choreographers of this period include Michael Peters, Paula Abdul, Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson made a huge impact on jazz dance with his creative dance steps, videos, and presentation.
Two other professional instructors who influenced the development of jazz dance are Frank Hatchett and Joe Tremaine. The Frank Hatchett style is a blend of strength, funk, and individual creativity and interpretation. On the other hand, Joe Tremaine’s style on the dance floor was fast, flashy, and funky. His unique style is often referred to as “L.A. Jazz.” He also channeled his love for dance in another direction as well; his own dance conventions and competitions.
Jazz dance has also encouraged the creation of many dance companies around the United States. Many professional dance companies such as NW Fusion Dance Company and Patti Rutland Jazz cover a diverse range of dance styles, but contemporary jazz is their most prominent dancing style. These two companies and many others around the United States perform at community events, fundraisers, private and corporate events, and public concerts, and benefits.
The current jazz dance performance has a wider variety of performing centers than ever before, including lounge shows, cruise ship, and touring dance companies. Music videos and television productions still use jazz dance today. Jazz dance has evolved through the decades and has evolved with our increasing development of new music and moods. Jazz has greatly impacted almost every aspect of the performing industry and is often recognized as a great contribution to the world of art.
