Origins and Pioneers of Jazz Dance, Essay Example

Jazz dance has been directly influenced by culture; its definition has tended to be fluid. Because Jazz dance incorporates improvisation and personality into its Art its recognizable characteristics have fluctuated and continued to change.  It was born in Africa and traveled to America, where the slaves modified its basic concepts in light of new cultures and experiences, their own traditional dances, and European dance influences (LovetoKnowCorp 1). Mainstreaming of Jazz dance really began in the 1920’s with the “flapper” dances: the Charleston, the shimmy, the rag, etc. L. Heikkila’s “History of Jazz Dance” credits New Orleans with being the cultural epicenter which brought the influence of many different nationalities together into what became Jazz dance.  St. Louis, Memphis, and Kansas City continued to develop and popularize Jazz dance. As the team of Broadway productions and Jazz dance became an institution, private dance studios of the 1940’s began to offer lessons, and today Jazz dance coursework can be found at many institutions of higher education.

Early dancers and choreographers with a passion for Jazz dance were the most influential in the details of Jazz as we know it today. In the early 1900’s a man named Joe Frisco is said to be one of the first recognizable Jazz dancers (LovetoKnowCorp). Bob Fosse, upon whom the movie All that Jazz was based, revolutionized Jazz choreography with his productions of Chicago and Cabaret. Jack Cole, Eugene “Luigi” Facciuto, and Katherine Dunham are known for their contributions to technique. Cole incorporated the modern dance styles of his day into catlike, sensual movements which can still be seen in the art form today, Luigi’s biggest contributions were ironically made after he was disabled, when he created warm-up exercises for a new style of Jazz dance that he had personally developed, and Katherine Dunham was an inspiration to African American women and dancers the world over and was considered the archetype of perfect technique execution in Jazz dance (Schrader 1). Fred Astaire mainstreamed the flashy presentation and tap-dancing which also became staples.

In short, Jazz dance is the pulse of American culture. It will speed and slow as the heart of Americans change, and continue to be an art form, a science, and a personal exploration which embodies the spirit and captures the heart.

Works Cited

Heikkila, L. (n.d.). History of jazz dance. Retrieved from http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/jazz.htm

LovetoKnowCorp, (2008, March). History of jazz dance. Retrieved from  http://dance.lovetoknow.com/History_of_Jazz_Dance

Schrader, C. (2005). Fast facts about jazz dance. Retrieved from   http://www.dancinunlimited.org/About%20Jazz%20Dance.htm