You are here:
Ballroom Dancing/what is it?
Advertisement
Question
what is African American Jazz dance?... is it a twist on jazz? what other dances is it similar to? ... should there be jazz training beforehand to go into this sort of dance?
Hi!
This is a great question.
I refer to a Wikipedia excerpt which explains it well:
"Jazz dance originated from the African American vernacular dance of the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.
Until the middle of 1950s, the term "jazz dance" often referred to tap dance, because tap dancing (set to jazz music) was the main performance dance of the era. During the later jazz age, popular forms of jazz dance were the Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Jitterbug, Boogie Woogie, swing dancing and the related Lindy Hop."
It predates Dunham and Fosse, and you can definitely start from scratch, if you're lucky enough to find someone who teaches it. ;-)
Related Articles
Eden Atencio
Expertise
I can answer most any questions related to swing, latin and ballroom dance including: instruction, competition, etiquette, performance, attire, music, wedding dances, film and choreography. Also I have a nerdish knowledge of American movie musicals.
Experience
I am currently a freelance Lindy Hop dancer and instructor in the NYC area. Most recently I was in a fabulous short run holiday show on Broadway called "Sleigh Bells Swing." I've won national and international championships in Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing, and perform locally and nationally. I am an expert in the 20s - 40s jazz era, and have an extensive jazz and swing film and music collection. I also DJ for Swing Dance events and just generally spread the joy of Lindy Hop and jazz wherever I can!
Organizations
Lindy Hop All Stars
Edison Ballroom Lindy Hoppers
Education/Credentials
Studied with the great Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Fayard Nicolas, and the Harlem Hot Shots.
Awards and Honors
American Champion, numerous international honors
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.