Jazz Dance Style Research

Jazz Dance Style Research 

Jazz dance is  shared by a broad range of dance styles. Before the 1950s, jazz dance referred back to dance styles that originated from African Americans and that it was only thought that black dancers were capable and could dance the 'Jazz Style'. The term "Jazz" was first applied to a style of dance and during World War 1

 Jazz in a dance form however, originates from the traditional dances of Africans when they were brought to America on slave ships.This dance form developed alongside jazz music in New Orleans in the early 1900s. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing through into the 1960s, Jazz dance transformed from this original form into a theatre-based performance style of dance that required trained dancers. During this time, choreographers from the modern and ballet dance worlds experimented with the jazz dance style. These included choreographers such as George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jack Cole,Hanya Holm, Helen Tamiris, Michael Kidd, Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse. Jazz dance was immensely  influenced by Caribbean and  Latin American dance styles introduced by Katherine Dunham. 

Syncopated rhythms are very common characteristics in jazz music which was then adapted into jazz dance in the early twentieth century and has remained a significant characteristic.

Isolations are a quality of movement that were introduced to jazz dance by Katherine Dunham through her use of undulating spines and torsos and hip rotations.

Improvisation was an important element in early forms of jazz dance, as it is an important element of jazz music. A low center of gravity and high level of energy are other important characteristics of jazz dance. Other elements of this profound style dance are less common and are the styles of their  choreographers.One such example are the inverted limbs and hunched-over posture which are of Bob Fosse 

example of Fosse: 

Cats

Andrew Lloyd Webber brought in choreographer Gillian Lynne to choreograph cats as he saw this musical as more like a ballet of Cats.Lynne basically invented a whole new style of dance for the musical, studying the way her own cats moved to create a feline effect. They decided to have the cast composed only of dancers, singing being a secondary attribute, as the dance was so elaborate and they had a very short time to rehearse. There is a definite Jazz style and influence which can be seen in the big dance number 'The Jelicile ball' . There is a big tap routine number seen as well in the song 'Gumbie Cat'