What is Jazz Dance?  

Before the 1950s the term "jazz dance" referred to a variety of dance styles that arose from the African American vernacular dances of the late 1800s to mid-1900s. During the 1950s, modern jazz dance arrived on the scene which was rooted in Caribbean traditional dance and had a very unique style. There are several different forms of jazz dance which can all be traced back to one of these old styles.

Until the 1950s, the term jazz dancing was often used to refer to tap dancing. This is because tap dancing was one of the most noticeable forms of dance of the era and was often performed to jazz music. Over many years, jazz dancing evolved and from it was born a variety of social and concert styles. The origins of many popular forms of jazz dancing can be found here. Such styles cover the Cakewalk, Charleston, Black Bottom, Jitterbug, Boogie Woogie and Swing – many of which remain popular today.

It was after the 1950s that the modern jazz dance which is known by fans and dancers around the world began to grow. During this period, there was increased sovereignty of other forms of entertainment music, and jazz dance emerged onto Broadway with a new smooth style that is epitomised by musicals such as Chicago and Cabaret. These famous musicals were choreographed by Bob Fosse who is largely responsible for popularising jazz dancing. He took much of his influence from choreographer Jack Cole who is often considered the founder of jazz dance. To this day, modern jazz is an essential ingredient of musical theatre, which is very apparent in many contemporary music videos and competitive dances.

Modern jazz dance often influences other forms of dance such as ballet, contemporary and lyrical to name just a few. It's also ever-evolving as it is equally influenced by the styles of dances that it influences. As with most forms of dance, any skilled jazz dancer will need an outstanding technique. The most pleasant jazz dancers benefit from the good working experience of ballet and as a result, training the jazz dancer often incorporates ballet training.

As with any style of dance, jazz dancing requires the performer to wear a particular type of dance clothing. The most prominent of which is the dance shoes which are termed jazz shoes. They normally have a suede bottom to enable the dancer to easily execute spins and turns whilst still providing enough traction to move around the performance space without slipping over. The jazz shoe upper is usually made from soft leather which allows the dancer to easily flex the foot. Over time, the soft leather will also mould to the shape of the dancer's foot to make them extremely comfortable and allow the dancer to give their best possible performance.

There is a huge choice of jazz shoes on the market today which gives the dancer a great choice. Jazz shoes can be a high rise, low rise, slip-on or lace-up. Whilst they will almost always have a soft leather upper, they can occasionally have a PVC upper and even mesh insoles. They're available from a wide range of brands such as Bloch, Dance Gear, Capezio and So Danca. These popular dancewear companies manufacture jazz shoes as well as a wide range of other dance clothing, bags and other dance accessories that dancers often use in dance class and for fashion.