jazz dance Essay

Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.

Jazz has always been a part of the American tradition. Some may say they like Jazz for its rhythmic twist and turns. Others may love the soothing melodies from an improved Trumpet solo. All in all, Jazz has been an American staple and has molded today’s popular music, into what it is today. It’s very different from classical music, which is written out and strict. Jazz is much more. It’s made up of spontaneity and improvisation, which makes up an idea on the spot. There are many wide varieties in Jazz. There is Bebop Jazz, Avante Garde Jazz, Acid Jazz, Free Funk Jazz, Soul Jazz, Swing Jazz, and many, many more! These forms of Jazz can be seen and heard in some of your favorite music of Today. It’s been widely used by the world. There is an important reason as to why this genre contributes to the growing of music. We first take a look into the root of all Jazz. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the country of Africa was the first known country to use rhythm primarily for the element of musical expression, and ensembles composed entirely of percussion instruments created extended polyrhythmic works. These polyrhythms, which means the “layering of multiple rhythms.”, were record in Western music. African music did not use paper, or sheet music. Instead, they relied on Aural rituals, learned by ear and also used” spontaneity, which is later said to be known as improvisation”. In Africa, most of the music that was expressed was for religious

Harker, Brian. “Louis Armstrong, Eccentric Dance, and the Evolution of Jazz on the Eve of Swing.” Journal of the American Musicological Society, University of California Press Journals, 1 Apr. 2008, jams.ucpress.edu/content/61/1/67. Accessed 13 Apr. 2017.

The 20th century saw a shift in dance as new forms were created and artists began entertaining audiences in new ways. The rise of Jazz music and the swing era allowed a couple of tap dancers, commonly known as the Nicholas Brothers, to gain fame. The Nicholas Brothers questioned what dance could be by pushing the human body to the limits the likes of which had not been seen before. Other innovations in their dance such as their vernacular style, informal training, and unique musicality directly opposed many of the virtues of classical ballet. Through my own interpretations of their work as well as through the use of primary and secondary sources it is clear to see that the Nicholas Brothers opposed classical ballet through their style, musicality,

One thing that contributed to the popularity of dancing in the 1920s is how universally simple they made the dances. If these dances would have been harder to learn, not as many people would have been doing them. Many people know that, during the “Jazz Age, almost everyone danced so they did a dance almost anyone could do”(Nelson). When Billie Putman was growing up, there were dances every weekend at the big auditorium in the middle of town. Everyone in her small town would show up to dance. She remembered going to the dances with her mom to help her serve refreshments downstairs, while most of the town was upstairs dancing. If dancing was so popular in such a small town in Idaho, it’s unimaginable how influential it must have been in big cities(Nelson).

In the middle of the 19th century, Congo Square became a center of musical expression. On these Sunday afternoons, a new form of music was born. Pioneered by those on the bottom of a society full of slavery and segregation, the origin of jazz was less a singular event than an evolving movement. None of those pioneers, however, could have anticipated the future of their developing art form. None could have foreseen that their informal rhythmic gatherings would eventually lead to nationally recognized big bands with more than 20 musicians and celebrity band leaders. The trajectory of jazz history is complex and rich, flowing from style to style and from region to region. Each step along the way from the early brass bands to the bebop bands

The origins of Jazz are known to be in many various places like New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. However, as far as history can date back to, Jazz was associated with the African slaves who were transported on slave ships. These slaves were allowed to dance in order to keep them in good physical and mental form. They danced to the beat of instruments in celebration of the cycles of life and thus originated Jazz- a novel and unique dance form. Since its inception, it has

Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes few elements of Jazz, which are swing-feel, syncopation, and improvisation. These different culture and elements of jazz may be explained by how jazz

The folk songs and plantation dance music of black Americans have much to say about the early jazz. These types of music came about all the way through the Southern United States at some point in the eighteen hundreds.

Dance is an ever evolving form of art; in much the same way that one can categorize and differentiate between eras and styles of architecture one can also do so with dance. These eras at times have sharp delineations separating them from their antecedents, other times the distinction is far more subtle. Traditional forms of dance were challenged by choreographers attempting to expand the breadth and increase the depth of performance; preeminent among such visionaries was Seattle born dancer and choreographer Mark Morris. Mark Morris' began as one of the millions of hopeful individuals attempting to simply make a career in dance; he not only succeeded but managed to have a lasting effect on the entire landscape of dance.

The picture above, called “Life” is an illustration of two partners dancing the Charleston illustrated by John Held. Charleston was one, if not the most popular dance of Jazz music era. Jazz music was created by African Americans and originated in New Orleans. It become popular among the white Americans and helped gained most acceptance of African Americans from the whites. The picture above. Jazz music and culture was the most signifying pop culture of the era. The music was enjoyed almost by everybody and enjoyed dancing to dance moves associated with the music such as the Charleston. Even though most musicians were African American, many were white, too. On the radio, jazz music was played most often than not and most listened and enjoyed it. The music was a signature to the young and women, mainly flappers of the era. The music and dance were freedom for the young and women as they did what they wanted to and no one could stop them from doing so.

As we known, tap dance is considered as a part of jazz. In studying, jazz dance is defined by a big tree with

Jazz in a dance form, however, originates from the 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. Jazz incorporated unique moves, elaborate footwork, large leaps, rapid turns, and imaginative improvisation to bring an energetic and entertaining experience. Jazz dance requires the foundation of classical ballet to embody balance and agility. Jazz dance is viewed in the spotlight with movies, on stage performances, and in urban areas of the streets and clubs. The transformation of jazz dance into dance theatre and the important role of professional techniques and choreography, created “modern jazz dance”. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s, Jazz dance transformed from its original form into a theatre focused performance form of dance that required a highly trained dancer. Eventually these highly trained dancers performed a specific set of movements, which differed greatly from the original form of dance that started in New Orleans in the 1900s. Also during this time period jazz dance was profoundly influenced by Caribbean and other Latin American dance

Even though Jazz music was predominantly of African-American audiences, it grew to all listeners of music regardless of their race. But, if we look at the audience of today, the listeners of Jazz music are white. Jazz was also able to grow during its height because of the fact that music was able to be recorded. This gave everyone the ability to hear this genre of music, even if they were not able to go out and enjoy it live. Also during this time and through the mid-century Jazz was the dance music of Americans. Jazz in fact influenced the younger crowds in how they dressed, their language, as well as a certain attitude. Most of all, Jazz, more than most other music, has been firmly related with the societal, political, and financial impacts of American urban communities and in addition the changing status of American workmanship and music all through the

For hundreds of years dance has been seen as a way for cultural expression. This is true not only in Canada but in countries all over the world. Dance has always been an important part of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples culture and religion. The traditional dancing of the Aboriginal culture has been held onto by the Aboriginal peoples and many Aboriginal choreographers use the traditional dancing with ballet and contemporary elements. This gives Canada a very diverse culture and art scene. Having Jazz dance in Canada exposes Canadians to a new culture and a new way to view the art world giving us even more diversity in more ways.