Jazz+Dance

History
The term "Jazz" was first applied to a style of music and dance during [|WWI]. [|[1]] Jazz in a dance form, however, originates from the vernacular dances of Africans when they were brought to the Americas on slave ships. [|[2]] This dance form developed alongside [|jazz music] in [|New Orleans] in the early 1900s. [|[3]] Beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s, Jazz dance transformed from this vernacular form into a theatre-based performance form of dance that required a highly trained [|dancer]. [|[4]][|[5]] During this time, [|choreographers] from the modern and [|ballet] dance worlds experimented with the jazz dance style. [|[4]] This includes [|choreographers] like [|George Balanchine], [|Agnes de Mille] , [|Jack Cole] , [|Hanya Holm] , [|Helen Tamiris] , [|Michael Kidd] , [|Jerome Robbins] , and [|Bob Fosse]. [|[4]] All of these [|choreographers] influenced jazz by requiring highly trained [|dancers] to perform a specific set of movements, which differed greatly from the colloquial form of [|New Orleans] in the 1900s. [|[3]][|[4]] Also during this time period (circa. 1950) jazz dance was profoundly influenced by Caribbean and other Latin American dance styles which were introduced by anthropologist and dancer [|Katherine Dunham]. [|[6]]

Elements
Throughout its history, jazz dance has developed in parallel to [|popular music]. [|[7]] This pattern of development has resulted in a few elements of movement key to the dance style, the most important being that jazz is they physical embodiment of the popular music of a given time. [|[7]] An example of this is that during a down time of jazz dancing from 1945–1954, when big bands and dance halls were declining, the vernacular of the dance followed less jazz music and leaned more toward rock and roll, creating moves like "The Monkey" and "The Jerk". [|[8]] [|Syncopated rhythm] is a common characteristic in [|jazz music] that was adapted to jazz dance in the early twentieth century and has remained a significant characteristic. [|[4]] Isolations are a quality of movement that were introduced to jazz dance by [|Katherine Dunham]. [|[9]] [|Improvisation] was an important element in early forms of jazz dance, as it is an important element of [|jazz music]. [|[4]][|[10]] A low [|center of gravity] and high level of energy are other important identifying characteristics of jazz dance. [|[9]] Other elements of jazz dance are less common and are the stylizations of their respective [|choreographers]. [|[9]] One such example are the inverted limbs and hunched-over posture of [|Bob Fosse]. [|[9]]

Notable directors, dancers, and choreographers

 * [|Michael Jackson], known as "The King Of Pop"
 * [|Katherine Dunham], an anthropologist, choreographer, and pioneer in Black theatrical dance. She introduced isolations jazz dance. [|[6]][|[9]]
 * [|Jack Cole], considered the father of jazz dance technique. [|[11]] He was a key inspiration to [|Matt Mattox] , [|Bob Fosse] , [|Jerome Robbins] , Gwen Verdon, and many other choreographers. He is credited with popularizing the theatrical form of jazz dance with his great number of choreographic works on television and [|Broadway] . [|[12]]
 * [|Eugene Louis Facciuto] (aka "Luigi"), an accomplished dancer who, after suffering a crippling automobile accident in the 1950s, created a new style of jazz dance based on the warm-up exercises he invented to circumvent his physical handicaps. The exercise routine he created for his own rehabilitation became the world's first complete technique for learning jazz dance.[// [|citation needed] //]
 * [|Bob Fosse], a noted jazz choreographer who created a new form of jazz dance that was inspired by [|Fred Astaire] and the [|burlesque] and [|vaudeville] styles.
 * [|Gus Giordano], an influential jazz dancer and choreographer, known for his clean, precise movement qualities. [|[9]]
 * [|Jerome Robbins], choreographer for a number of hit musicals, including // [|Peter Pan] //, // [|The King and I] //, // [|Fiddler on the Roof] //, // [|Gypsy] //, // [|Funny Girl] //, and // [|West Side Story] //.
 * [|Gwen Verdon], known for her roles in //Damn Yankees//, //Chicago//, and // [|Sweet Charity] //.
 * [|David Winters] known for his role as A-Rab in //West Side Story// and as an award-winning choreographer for movies and TV programs.

Jazz Dance - History and Overview
View information from the Wikipedia site on Jazz Dance in the Wiki.

__**Muscial Theatre & Jazz Dancing - Evolution and Legends**__:
Jazz and Tap, and all Dance has been an integral part of the evolution and craft of Musical Theatre. Many of the great choreographers worked on choreographing and dancing in the Broadway musical which dominated the stage in the early and late 20th century.

For an overview of trends and the history of American Musical Theatre and the involvement of Dance, please follow this link: American Musical Theatre - History and Evolution

Michael Kidd media type="youtube" key="8zfHoP7Geak" height="315" width="420"
 * Michael Kidd **

[|Bob Fosse Bio & Career] [|Sing Sing Sing - by Bob Fosse] media type="youtube" key="s2UBsPQ5SsM" height="315" width="420"
 * Bob Fosse**

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[|Jack Cole Bio & Career] media type="youtube" key="gPnWE4mb5zk" height="315" width="560"
 * Jack Cole**

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[|Katherine Dunham Bio & Career] media type="youtube" key="N4nCirfyHUk" height="315" width="420"
 * Katherine Dunham**

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[|Gwen Verdon Bio & Career] media type="youtube" key="BIiZuAVZH4w" height="315" width="420"
 * Gwen Verdon**

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 * Gene Kelly**

Twyla Tharp Bio & Career media type="youtube" key="O47sYsUBnp0" height="315" width="420"
 * Twyla Tharp**

Twyla Tharp - Movin' Out media type="youtube" key="Jf6_A-wZiKk" height="315" width="420"

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Gower Champion Bio & Career media type="youtube" key="lDqlrREksAc" height="315" width="420"
 * Gower Champion**

Susan Stroman Bio & Career media type="youtube" key="4HEzKidYysw" height="315" width="560"
 * Susan Stroman**

Jerome Robbins media type="youtube" key="hfM6YjKVcNg" height="315" width="420"
 * Jerome Robbins**