JAZZ DANCING… PERFECT CHOICE FOR FUN AND GOOD HEALTH!
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Table of Contents Chapter-1
Introduction to Jazz Dancing- Dance Unlimited..………………………5
Chapter-2
History of Jazz dance- Experience the Thrill!...............................8
Chapter-3
Different Jazz Dance Techniques- One should learn..……………….11
Chapter-4
Jazz Dancing- In 7 Unique Styles and Forms..……………………………14
Chapter-5
Street Jazz Dance..…………………………………………………………………..17
Chapter-6
Lyrical Jazz Dancing- A Magnificent Dance Style.……………………..20
Chapter-7
Jazz Music- Deep and Profound Music!......................................23
Chapter-8
Fundamental Steps for Jazz Dancing- Especially for Beginners!..25
Chapter-9
What to Wear for Jazz Dance- Jazz Dance Shoes and Dress.……..28
Chapter-10
Jazz Dancing – Stretches, Isolations, Layouts and Formations..…31
Chapter-11
Conclusion.………………………………………………………………………………34
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Jazz DancingDance Unlimited…. Jazz dancing is one of the most exhilarating and fashionable forms of modern dance. It influences many other contemporary dance forms likeballet, lyrical etc. People like watching jazz dancing as the dance is full of fun and energy. In recent years, it has become the most in-style dance form due its popularity on TV shows, advertisements and movies. This dance helps in showcasing the dancer’s originality and their individual style. Jazz dancing is embedded with traditional Caribbean style which involves a sequence of lifts, spins and turns. Not to forget here is that jazz dancing is greatly influenced by the music, notes, sounds and techniques of jazz music. There are many universities in the world which are offering jazz dance courses. The world’s talented jazz dancers and choreographers teach the students in these universities. It’s not at all easy to master jazz dance. It requires a lot of hard work and stamina to be a skilled jazz dancer.
Mostly the jazz dancers start their careers with ballet. Ballet helps the dancers to control, grace and tone their body movements. After the
dancers master themselves in ballet they can further take additional training in jazz dancing. Nowadays, the talented jazz dancers are in great demand in television and movies.
Individuals can also learn jazz dancing for toning their body. It is a superb form of workout and is unbelievably rewarding. So people who have by no means danced in their life earlier, but want to get a taste of dancing with some sizzling moves can go for jazz dancing lessons. Jazz dancing is all about what you feel from inside. The dancers are encouraged to use their individuality to make their steps energetic and unique.
There are numerous health benefits of jazz dancing as well. Jazz dancing gives us peace of mind. The dancing strengthens our muscles especially the lower half of our body. Since jazz involves aerobic form of dancing so it also builds our physical stamina. The result will be that one will get a more toned and fit body with flexible muscles. This will help us in looking good!! Jazz dancing also builds the confidence level and self-esteem in an individual. It is also very helpful in building our concentration level.
Finally, and possibly fun!!! It is a brilliant dynamic environment. To of jazz dancing read the
jazz dancing is huge form of exercise with a know about the history next chapter!!!
Chapter 2 - History of Jazz dance – Experience the Thrill! ‘Jazz’ is considered to be an American form of dance which became popular in the early twentieth century. The dance was popular among the African and the European people. So finally they started mixing their traditional dances. The Africans focused more on rhythms and movements while the Europeans paid more attention to folk music and group dances. Major segment of jazz dance has been evolved from Africa. It is a form of dance which is attached to daily music and rhythms. It involves a range of energetic and affective body movements. Talking about old times, this dance was done solo. In case of some special ceremonies the jazz dance was done in groups as well. Today the picture of jazz dance is changed. These days this dance is done for the purpose of entertainment. Many popular entertainers and show dancers in America gained popularity from this dance form. Bill Robinson, Jack Cole, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, are some of the few who gained popularity from jazz dance.
Until 1950’s, jazz dancing was often referred to as tap dancing. This was because in that era tap dancing was considered to be one of the most well-known dance forms and was performed on jazz music. With continuous years of evolution of jazz dancing some new jazz styles were born. These styles were Charleston, Boogie Woogie, Cakewalk, Black Bottom and Swing, which are still loved by people and very popular even now. It was after 1950’s that jazz started developing.
Today jazz dance has evolved as complete modern form of dance which is gaining popularity all round the world. Today jazz is classified as more of hip-hop style. The jazz teachers and choreographers bring their own unique style and taste in their teachings. The best jazz dancers will always have a good training in ballet as it is considered to be the building block of jazz dancing.
Today jazz dancing is considered to be the most versatile form of dance. The jazz dancers bring the style and originality to their dance which helps them in interpreting and executing their dance form in a more flexible manner. They are encouraged to stick to their personality to
bring a ‘signature look’ in their dance which is distinctive every time.
So if you think that you have that passion for dance then you should definitely go for jazz dance. To learn about the different jazz dance techniques read the next chapter.
Chapter 3 - Different Jazz Dance Techniques - One should learn‌ Jazz is present today in many different styles and techniques. These techniques are taught in the dance schools and by the performers of dance troupe. Jazz is all about showing your personality while you are dancing. Our personality helps us to make our dance steps more prominent and unique. As discussed above, the modern jazz dance is highly influenced by the other dance styles like- ballet, acrot, contemporary and hip-hop. Techniques lay the foundation in almost all dance forms. For a jazz dancer to start, they should have prior training in ballet dancing. There are many different turns and jumps which a jazz dancer should be well aware of. Some of them are- jazz turns, chaines, ballet turns, pirouettes, jazz walk, turning jumps etc. All these jumps and turns are used in the performance of different styles.
Some important techniques to be learnt in jazz dance are:• Center control This technique helps the dancers to control their movements. These techniques maintain the
control and avoid off balance. This is considered to be the very first technique that the individuals should learn while starting with jazz dancing. • Spotting Next technique which is very crucial for any dance is spotting. This technique helps the dancers in maintaining balance while taking turns and twists like ‘fouettes’ and ‘pirouettes’. The turns involve regular rotations so to avoid the dizzying result, spotting is used. • Pointing Finally there is the pointing technique in which the dancers are made to widen their ankles and position their toes to line up their feet with the leg lines. ‘Jack Cole’ is considered to be the father of jazz dance techniques that are used by many jazz dancers today. Cole’s dance techniques emphasized more on angled placements, isolations and change of directions. Then there was ‘Bob Fosse’ who won eight awards for his sizzling dance techniques. Following their lead was, ‘Gus Giordano’ who was a gifted jazz dancer and influenced modern jazz dancing to a great extent. All these techniques and styles are
important to tone up our body and make it flexible enough to perform the different dance styles. Jazz dancing influences our personality and attitude to forecast our talent in front of everyone with a poise genre.
Chapter 4 - Jazz Dancing- In 7 Unique Styles and Forms Jazz is a dance style which has ruled the dance stage for many decades and still it is on top of all the dance forms!!! Jazz feet…jazz turns…jazz smiles….jazz jumps!! Jazz will be popular among the dance lovers as long as there are theatres and trendy music. Jazz is ruling the dance sector from the ancient times. It was originated in the mid 20’s by the African American as a dance form. There are many forms of jazz dancing today. Some are traditional while some are modern dance forms. But jazz hasn’t lost its charm. The traditional jazz dance forms are still very popular among the dancers today. Some of the unique dance styles of jazz are:• Boogie Woogie Boogie Woogie is a piano based dance form that became very popular in the 1930’s and 40’s. It was a very famous dance at that time and infact this dance form is very popular today also. • Cakewalk Cakewalk dance style originated from the Southern United States. This is a dance form which is done by two couples or solo.
• Swing It was a dance form which involved a group of dancers, dancing in a swing style. The most popular dance of this style is ‘Lindy Hop’ which is a very famous partner dance. • Moonwalk Moonwalk, most often called as backslide is a dance style that depicts the illusion of the dancer being pushed backward. Michael Jackson was very famous for his moonwalk step. • Tap dance Yet another very unique form of dance was tap dancing. It was characterized by the echo of one’s tap shoes. The sound which originated from the shoe was made by a metal tap on the heel of the toe. • Salsa Salsa is a very popular jazz dance style in Latin America. It is usually a partner dance. It is considered to be a very social dance in Latin America. • Jitterbug Jitterbug is a type of swing dance. It was very legendary dance form of the 20th century. In fact some jazz dancers still perform this dance style. It involves lots of swings and turns.
These are some of the few dance forms which have popularized jazz all over the world. The jazz dancers perform these styles in concerts and musical shows. There is a lot more to know about jazz dancing in the coming chapters!!! Read on‌‌.
Chapter 5 - Street Jazz Dance Street dance officially known as the vernacular dance form originated in the mid 20’s. It is a kind of dance style which is performed in an open space like streets, parks, colleges, night clubs etc. This dance form is social in nature and often involves interaction with the spectators. Some of the common street dance forms are break-dancing, Melbourne shuffle etc. Talking about the street jazz dance, it is one of the oldest street dances in the world. Street jazz dance is a combination of break dancing and hip-hop. People prefer to watch the dancers doing the dance moves. This is the reason that many people are looking for a way to learn street jazz dance. It’s always fun to do this type of dance. Moreover it involves lots of energy and confidence because the dancers have to perform in front of a large crowd.
Today, there are special dancing schools who are teaching the street jazz dance to individuals. There are special steps and moves to be learnt for street dancing which are taught in these schools. It is necessary that the person is patient and confident to learn the steps as it require some time to grasp the moves. Another important fact is that dance if you love
dancing!!! If a person has no interest in dancing then it’s no use going for this dance form.
Break dancing is considered to be the root of street jazz dancing. Celebrities like Michael Jackson, James Brown are the gods of street jazz dance. This dance form also helps in expressing the feelings and sentiments in front of the crowd. It is very useful in boosting your self confidence and mental health. Nowadays, youngsters are using this dance form to show off or dazzle their friends!! They even compete with each other through the street jazz dance. Not only has this but it also helped in disciplining our body and mind. Today individuals of all age groups who love dance can go for it.
Street jazz dance is getting great popularity day by day and it’s all because of the dancers who are making it trendy in front of everyone. Today this dance form is so common that they are coming in the form of commercials especially choreographed by the famous jazz artists. Special crews or groups are prepared for jazz dance who can dance with full flexibility and confidence.
Read more to know about Lyrical jazz dance which is considered to be a superb and wonderful dancing style‌
Chapter 6 - Lyrical Jazz Dancing - A Magnificent Dance Style Lyrical dance is a mixture of ‘ballet’ and ‘jazz’ dance. This dance form is normally smoother as well as a little fast than ballet dance. But it is not as fast as jazz. Lyrical dance involves dance steps which express emotions like joy, happiness and rage. The dancers who perform this dance form usually dance on the tune with lyrics. The music which they opt is very energetic and charged. The music contains many different types of genres like hip-hop, pop, break dance, rock etc. The movements shown by the dancers are illustrated by elegance and flexibility. The moves performed by the dancers are poised and refined. The dancers also go for continuous turns and jumps which are exceptionally classy. The most important goal of lyrical dance is to depict emotions behind the lines of the song. Not only this, but lyrical dance form is also used to depict the emotions in instrumental music. The dancers interpret and communicate the emotions which are there in the instrumental piece.
Lyrical dance mostly involves facial expressions along with body movements to depict a song. So it is necessary that the dancers should build a maturity level in their expressions. The dancers need to express their feelings with facial expressions and not by verbal words. The dancers performing this dance should have strength and energy as they require doing spins and lifts which is the main base of this dance.
An important fact about this dance form is that people do not have to start this at an adolescent age. In fact, they should perform this dance when they get a little old as it requires expressing emotions which the kids cannot depict or illustrate.
There is no specific information about the origin of lyrical jazz dance. But still it is very popular in different parts of the world especially in theatres and musical concerts. There is no specific dance move in lyrical dance. What concerns more is that the dancers should be able to show appropriate facial expressions. The choreographers prefer to take the dancers from ballads and theatres as the people doing romantic plays and songs have an idea about the different facial expressions and the experience to be in love and relationships.
There are different types of songs on which a lyrical dance is performed. These songs could be love songs or about lost love or love occupied with emotions.
If you are planning to take dance classes then you can surely go for lyrical jazz dancing as it caters to wide age group. Moreover it also depicts the facial emotions in the songs. Learn more about jazz dancing by going through the following chapters below!
Chapter 7 - Jazz Music- Deep and Profound Music! What can you foretell from the word Jazz?? A lot of people think that jazz music is for elite and rich people. But if we go through the history of jazz music then we will see that it is the opposite. Jazz music is considered to be the elementary form of music in our lives. It helps in depicting our appearance in the form of music. The tradition of jazz music, evolved from the black, demoralized community in America. These black people used to play drums along with their music and danced on it. So from this we can very well illustrate that jazz was very close to the human lives. Talking about the origin of the word ‘jazz’, you will be shocked to know that this word derived from a very offensive term which means sexual acts. But with time jazz became a musical art form which depicted impulsive melodies. The jazz musicians used to play the music which could touch the heart of everyone. They used to express the feelings with their music that was not easily explained. Jazz music was mainly influenced by wide range of music like ragtime, cakewalks and blues.
One of the legends of jazz music is ‘Buddy Bolden’ who basically was an owner of hair salon in New Orleans around 1891. This was a breakthrough in the jazz music and later on it contributed a lot to the American jazz music. Today jazz is studied in many universities around the globe. Students who love music take serious classes on this music form.
It is also said that jazz was more well-known in the swing era in the 1930’s and with time it became established as a major music form. By the year 1950 everyone was well versed with the term ‘jazz’. One more important point to be mentioned here is that the famous music form in jazz is ‘Blues’ music. If we are talking about jazz music then we cannot forget blues. The capability of playing blues music has become must for all jazz musicians today. The musicians who play blues music often use guitar and harmonica.
Today jazz music is a well known music form which is known by everyone. There are so many famous musicians who are famous for their jazz music. The music lovers should deeply understand this music form as it is full of emotions and sentiments.
Chapter 8 - Fundamental Steps for Jazz Dancing - Especially for Beginners! Learning the basic jazz dance steps are the first and foremost tasks of a dancer. This is a dancing style which demands lots of energy and enthusiasm. As has already been discussed above, jazz dance is a combination of ballet and African-American dance forms. Basically, this dance style is for the entertainment of the people.
Every dance form has some basic and fundamental steps which the beginners should learn first. Likewise jazz also has some basic dance steps which are taught to the jazz dancers. Some of these basic steps are- isolations, jazz square and chasse. The beginners in jazz dancing are first taught these steps. After they get an idea about these steps they are encouraged to opt for their own dance style and use these steps in them. A brief explanation of these dance steps is as follows:• Isolations Isolation usually refers to the movement of the body parts individually. It is said that if you want to master jazz then you should be able to move your hips and chest. It is recommended to
practice these steps in front of the mirror so that the dancer can get to know about the mistakes and correct them immediately. • Jazz Square Jazz square is basically referred to as the ‘walking steps’. It involves the following steps:1. 2. 3. 4.
Step ahead with a right or left foot Cross your foot Step back with one foot Get the feet side by side
Jazz square is usually done with some attitude in the upper body. It is performed in a group of two or more peoplew. • Chasse The literal meaning of chasse is ‘chasing step’. It originated from the traditional ballet. It involves steps like:1. Put one foot forward 2. Bring the second foot in front of first 3. As the second foot is bought in front of first, immediately the dancer needs to do a skipping movement to execute it.
By this dance step the dancers can perform various dance forms but they need to do this step with some speed and elegance. All these fundamental dance steps act as the building block for jazz dance. The beginners should learn these dance steps seriously. It will help them in getting their other moves right. They can even go for their own dance steps with the help of these basic steps.
Chapter 9 - What to Wear for Jazz Dance - Jazz Dance Shoes and Dress Are you thinking of spicing up your dance?? If you are, then unique dancing shoes and dresses will make up your dance. The dancing shoes and dress are considered to be assets of dancing. Talking about jazz dance shoes and dress, it is a very important undertaking for the dancersfor both beginners and professionals. • Jazz Shoes Shoes are the most important part of any dance style. A jazz shoe should fit comfortably in the foot. This is because if the shoes are very tight then they will cause cramps and if the shoes are too loose then they will give us blisters. These jazz shoes are similar to the ballet shoes. There are many varieties in jazz shoes. Dancers prefer to buy the shoes with split sole as they are very flexible and comfortable to wear. Special jazz boots also come for the dancers. These boots are very useful in maintaining ankle support while learning jazz dancing.
It is also advisable to consult the jazz teachers about the shoe type that one should
wear. Mainly the jazz learning schools offer the facility of buying the used jazz shoes to do your dance. This is good because it saves our money until we are sure enough that it is really for us or not. The new jazz shoes are always slippery, so to solve this problem many dancers damp the shoes before using them. Another way is to coat some hairspray on the soles of the shoes to give a shabby look. • Jazz Dress Code Before starting with the jazz classes it is wise to ask your teacher about the dress code. It happens that, at times the teachers might have set some specific dress code for the students to wear. Normally the jazz dancers are instructed to wear leotards and tights. This helps in keeping the body firm and stretched. Sometimes it also happens that people are not comfortable wearing these outfits; so in that case they are instructed to wear jazz pants.
If your jazz teacher has no particular choice for dress code then you should wear clothes which make you feel comfortable and confident. Jazz dancing is very challenging and exciting. So if the dance lovers take it seriously with all the stated accessories and moves then they can surely excel in this.
To know more about the different dance forms go through the last chapter of jazz dancing!!!!!
Chapter 10 - Jazz Dancing – Stretches, Isolations, Layouts and Formations So far we discussed many important facts about jazz dancing. What is jazz dancing?? Where it originated?? What are the types of dance forms in jazz dance?? What should be the accessories for jazz dance?? And so on….now what is left is the different steps used in jazz dancing. Jazz dancing is not at all an easy dance form. It requires lots of energy and perfection. There are dancers who take years and years of hard work to be perfect in jazz dancing.
Jazz dancing involves some common steps which every jazz dancer should know. Some of these steps with their explanation are stated below:-
• Stretches By stretch in jazz dance we refer to the stretching of our body. For a dance like jazz it is very important that we should have a stretchable body tone. It will be very helpful for the dancers with flexible body to perform this dance style. This will give them the confidence to perform it in front of everyone with accuracy.
• Isolations Isolation usually refers to the movement of the body parts individually. It is said that if you want to master jazz then you should be able to move your hips and chest. It is recommended to practice these steps in front of the mirror so that the dancer can get to know about the mistakes and correct them immediately.
• Layouts Layout is considered to be a very classy move in jazz dancing. It is usually used in posters to express some sort of enthusiasm in jazz dance. Layout requires lots of flexibility and balance. This move is performed as:1. A straight high kick in the air 2. Then doing an extreme back end extended arms
with
• Formations Formation in jazz dancing involves lot of things. It includes the selection of song,
choreography, number of dancers in the dance etc. A jazz dance teacher should be well aware of the students’ strengths and weaknesses. Accordingly they will make them practice. If we talk in lay man’s term then formation is referred to as all the necessary steps in any activity. If we talk about jazz then there are various dance formations in this style. The dancers need to learn all the formations in order to perform a jazz dance. Talking about jazz it is a very compelling dance form to watch. It is considered to be the strongest dance style. Therefore it requires lot of flexibility, hard work, energy and enthusiasm.
Conclusion Jazz dance is considered to be the toughest and the most exciting dance forms in the world. It requires a great deal of skills and knowledge. The foundation of jazz is ballet. Therefore the jazz dance performers should know how to do ballet. It is also considered to be the most fashionable dance forms. It is a dance form which can be done both indoors and outdoors. The outdoor jazz dance is called as jazz street dance which is very famous among the teenagers these days. There are many dance schools which are offering teachings for jazz dance. In fact there are many universities as well that are offering courses in jazz dance and music. Jazz dance is great fun!!! It is a good way to tone our body. It helps in reducing stress and boosts our mood.