The History of Jazz Dance

History of Commercial Jazz The term "Jazz" was first applied to a style of music and dance during the World War 1; Jazz in a dance form. However originates from the vernacular dances of Africans when they were brought to the Americans on Slave ships. This dance developed alongside Jazz Music in New Orleans in the early 1900's. Beginning in the 1930's and continuing through the 1960's, Jazz dance transformed from this vernacular form into a theatre-based performance form of dance that required a highly trained Dancer during this time, choreography from the Modern and Ballet dance worlds experimented with the Jazz style. Commercial Jazz The dance Industry responded with a Commercial, studio-based version of Hip-Hop sometimes called 'new style' and Hip Hop influenced Jazz dance called 'Jazz Funk'. Classically trained dancers developed these studio styles in order to create Choreography from the Hip-Hop dances that were performed on the street. Because of this development, Hip Hop dance in practiced in both dance studios and outdoor spaces. King Of Pop Break-dancing in the 80's gave film companies and electric, eye catching body/dance movement and made dance from the street popular. In 1981 saw that Commercial Jazz was taking into a new direction with the debut of 'Mtv' playing non stop video clips of musicians. Mtv was a huge success with the young population and along with dancing became more and more a part of the videos concept. The Top Video Act to use dance was 'Michael Jackson' who made considerable use of unique blend of street toughness with older 'styled Broadway' moves to sell his music. The change to Commercial Jazz to Hip Hop The 90's produced yet another transformation of Jazz dancing, moving from 'Commercial Jazz' to the newly 'Hip Hop'. Hip Hop with its own music, clothing and vocabulary became a dance culture of society's youth expressing street toughness. Hip Hop dance style shared some characteristics of Jazz dance like torso movement, shuffling and improvisation but because of it simpler, less musically complex style its noted as a form of dance movement rather than Jazz dance. Both Jazz dance and Hip Hop are derived from the same base- African style but Hip Hop does not utilize a swing beat as does Jazz making it known as a 'cousin to Jazz dance'