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The author argues for the inclusion of more jazz dance within higher education dance programs. Jazz dance has often been regarded as entertainment-oriented “low art,” and less worthy of inclusion than ballet or modern dance. However, because of multicultural valuation, Gardnerian Theory, the National Standards of Dance, the influence of African-American and Popular Culture Studies programs, the work of Mura Dehn, and a growing attention to professional preparation, jazz dance has increased its presence in U.S. dance programs. The first jazz dance courses in higher education emerged in the 1960s at the New School of Social Research, University of California Irvine, but only a handful existed until the 1990s, and still today only a third of college programs surveyed as part of this research required the study of jazz dance as part of their degree-granting programs.

From the 1970s to the present, jazz continues experimenting and innovating, blending and fusing, leaving contestations and contradictions in its wake. Over time it became obvious that the genesis for both jazz dance and jazz music, the fusing of West African rhythms and movement roots and European influences, would be retained by some and released by others. What remained central was its changing nature, an evolving form that was a reflection of the day. Ultimately each era from the 1970s on would be distinct, yet some core aspects remained if only by hints and shadows: rhythmic movement, pelvic movement, elements of its social dance beginnings, elements of entertainment, and vast artistic explorations. This chapter will discuss multiple jazz stories, including experimentation in jazz dance and music; jazz as a social, theatrical, and concert dance form; revival movements; and jazz dance in the studios.

American forms of entertainment including dance impacted the European landscape in parallel with its spreading popularity in the United States. Blackface minstrelsy graced stages in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, transatlantic slave trade between the United States and Great Britain was based on importation of goods and levying of taxes by the British monarchy. American performers entered Britain to entertain the monarchy and elite, and in the late twentieth century, Matt Mattox brought his training program to the area. Eventually, American jazz dance became a part of the British landscape, and even made its way to Japan via British performers. Somewhat later, Mattox and fellow American Geraldine Armstrong transported jazz dance to France, where artists coined the term “Jazz Nouveau concept.” This term articulates their aesthetic, which includes polyrhythms, improvisation, and vernacular vocabularies.

This chapter offers a brief overview of jazz dance styles. Styles that are defined include authentic jazz dance, tap dance, club jazz dance, jazz-influenced dance, rhythm-generated jazz dance, theatrical jazz dance, Afro-Carribean jazz dance, Broadway jazz dance, classical jazz dance, commercial jazz dance, concert jazz dance, contemporary jazz dance, Latin jazz dance, lyrical jazz dance, pop jazz dance, West-coast jazz dance, vernacular jazz dance, hip-hop dance, funk, and street jazz dance. Styles are grouped in a way that suggests shared roots and aesthetic principals. Readers are encouraged to refer to this section as a glossary but to keep in mind that many of the styles fall into more than one category and can even overlap with other styles in its group.

This article chronicles the research and artistic journey of the author, a dancer and scholar, as she developed a new understanding about the nature of jazz dance. Crosby spent a year in West Africa conducting fieldwork in order to understand the roots of jazz dance. Then it was on to New York City for a year, where she took many different jazz and jazz-related dance classes, including West African dance. Additionally, she often went swing dancing at clubs and performed with nationally known jazz dance choreographers all in search of a grounded jazz dance aesthetic. Following this initial research, the author studied authenticity and identity in the writings of scholars including Mattijs van de Port, and applied them to jazz dance. Her own aesthetic preference is that jazz dance should be performed in direct relationship to jazz music.

This section offers an outline of vernacular jazz dance steps, movements, and styles by era, and the musical styles that were dominant during each period. Beginning with the 1800s and reaching all the way to the present, this chart clearly depicts how vernacular jazz dance never stops changing. The chart lists popular culture music styles including but not limited to: jazz and swing in the 1930s; rock and roll in the 1950s; Motown in the 1960s; and the styles of hip-hop, rap, computerized music, country music, etc. that began in the 1970s and are still prevalent today. All of these musical styles gave birth to trends in social dance settings which influence jazz dance training and choreography. The list of specific steps, movements, and styles is extensive. Some of the more familiar terms are: Black Bottom, Charleston, Lindy, Jitterbug, Cha Cha, Twist, Hustle, Breakdancing, Soulja Boy, and Electric Slide.

It appears that the majority of young dancers today are most familiar with a style of jazz dance that relies heavily on pop music, ballet technique, and tricks. Only by revealing many perspectives on training jazz dancers can we understand how jazz dance has come to be a genre which often differs drastically in comparison to its original form. The research presented in this chapter involves a survey of dance studio owners across the country on topics such as age appropriateness in costuming, music choices, technical standards, the importance of tricks and flash moves in routines, styles of jazz taught, and the place of improvisation within jazz dance training. An in-depth look at the role of competitions and the role of popular culture in the studio world is also included.

What connects African-American concert dance and jazz dance? On the one hand, both forms derive from the same root: African vernacular dance. It is easy to identify elements of African aesthetics in both genres. John Perpener contends that African-American concert dance was created to “effect socio-political change for African-American people, bring together aesthetic and cultural elements that had, previously, been posed as polar opposites, forge a positive identity for black people in the midst of a hostile environment, express a contemporary ethos, and create work that was multi-vocal, articulating simultaneously different worldviews.” Jazz dance, on the other hand, has usually been seen as a form of entertainment. Pearl Primus, Talley Beatty, Alvin Ailey, Chuck Davis, Diane McIntyre, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar are African-American concert dance artists who are discussed within the chapter.

More than any other dance form, jazz dance is most closely aligned with trends and contemporary popular music. In part, this is what makes jazz dance so difficult to define. Because it is always evolving with the times, there is no universal vocabulary that encompasses all that it entails. From ragtime to swing, Hullaballoo to MTV, as well as the fusion of jazz with ballet, theatrical dance, hip-hop, and non-western styles, we see how jazz dance reflects the tastes of any given generation, and the mores and whims of society. Neither high nor low art, this popular dance form is most representative of the moments in which it exists. This chapter looks at popular culture from the 1970s to today, including The American Dance Machine, popular dance films and television shows, and particularly MTV and its influence on jazz dance.

The manifold varieties of jazz dance have always dominated dance in mainstream American cinema. Given jazz dance’s African roots and its many manifestations in the African-American vernacular, it is not surprising that its use in film almost always implicates issues of race and racism. This article looks at vernacular jazz dance in mainstream American cinema as a focal point of American race relations, focusing on two particularly influential areas of popular vernacular jazz dance: first, the authentic jazz dance developed alongside the jazz music of the 1920s to 40s and featured prominently in films of the same period; and second, the hip-hop dance which first appeared in film in the 1980s and which continues to be hugely popular in contemporary commercial cinema (as well as music television). Early jazz tap figures discussed include Bill Robinson, Jeni LeGon, and the Nicholas Brothers.

Since the early 1920s, Broadway choreographers such as Albertina Rausch have been finding ways to entertain audiences with dance. Jazz dance, in particular, has evolved every decade to suit the commercial needs and desires of the Broadway choreographer. Jack Cole, Katherine Dunham, and Agnes de Mille were leading artists in the 1930s and 40s and initiated new dance styles and hybrids. Choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Bob Fosse changed the face of Broadway dance forever by incorporating challenging technical skills, multi-genre movements and vocabulary, as well as integration of plot, character, and style, as in Robbins’ West Side Story. More recently, Twyla Tharp, Garth Fagan, and Susan Stroman have contributed new ways of using dance in a musical theater context, notably Tharp’s use of dance without dialogue in Movin’ Out.

This chapter examines the complications of race and class as a part of the jazz dance story. Acceptance as an art form has eluded jazz dance for decades. Much of this can be attributed to the separation between the artistic community and what is considered entertainment, and therefore less sophisticated. The development of jazz dance as a codified technique during the latter half of the twentieth century has blurred or erased movement that does not emanate from white ideas of artistic value. This chapter offers theories that encompass the discussion of race and class in America, highlighting the contradiction that allowed jazz dance to become a marginalized dance form while still having great commercial success. Discussion includes the influence of rock and roll music, Motown, and shows like American Bandstand and Ready Steady Go¡

Gus Giordano’s contributions to jazz dance are vast and his role in transforming it into a credible American art form cannot be over-emphasized. Gus created the powerful and joyous Giordano Technique, established the Giordano Dance School (1953), formed Giordano Dance Chicago (1963) (the first dance company devoted to jazz dance), wrote the highly acclaimed and first of its kind Anthology of American Jazz Dance (1976), and launched Jazz Dance World Congress (1990), an internationally-recognized forum for teaching, performance, and choreography. The Giordano Technique employs a deep plié, rhythmic complexity and precision, and a strong and consistent use of core while moving each part of the body in isolation. Stylistically, dancers are regal, grounded, and elegant but perform with kinetic urgency, vibrancy, and attack. Giordano is credited with creating generations of professional dancers and for his deep commitment to elevating jazz dance from an entertainment form to an art form.

Dancing expressed from a core of rhythmically articulated, intensity-infused energy is the hallmark of African-American-originated dance. Forms driven by strongly rhythmic body-dynamics are aesthetic cousins, which can be grouped under the umbrella term “American rhythm dancing.” This genre includes people as diverse as the krumper Lil’ C, jazz innovator Jack Cole, and tap dancers Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers. When choreographers and dancers build movement from rhythmically accented dynamics, the energy of the movement more than its spatial organization impacts on the viewer. This is in contrast to space-organized movement that concentrates on re-shaping the body parts to achieve geometrically defined lines, as well as moving bodies through space in straight or curved paths. The author proposes a rebalancing of dance curriculums to focus more on the aesthetics of energy and body dynamics.

Community engagement has become an important mission of colleges and universities as they attempt to make meaningful connections between academic goals and community needs. Through service learning, community-based research, and volunteerism, students, faculty, and community partners obtain knowledge and solve problems together. This chapter provides examples of community engagement projects that can be implemented in higher education dance curricula. The author discusses projects such as working with youth in after-school programs, and provides information to guide students and teachers in designing such a program. Currently, only a handful of colleges and universities have service-learning programs in dance. The author recommends that more schools implement these programs in order to help future dance professionals gain skills and knowledge, while providing enrichment for the off-campus community.