The history of jazz

Jazz
Jazz is a dance style that has had some influence in almost all modern dance styles today. Its recognised world wide as a fun, swing-like dance that films always portray as having a full scale band behind it as a music source.

The history of jazz
Jazz dance has been around for many years however what we class as jazz dance today is nothing like what the original forms of jazz actually were. Prior to the 1920’s jazz was used to refer to the African American vernacular dance. This vernacular dance was like a folk dance used at social gatherings to bring people closer together. It was mostly improvised but had an odd twist to it and was mostly based on improvisation. This completely different dance style had to have a completely different name and the term jazz was devised. Its not the dance itself that resembles modern jazz in any way it was more the instruments that go along side it that let it lend its name to what we call jazz today. Although this was the first time the term ‘jazz’ was used its thought that the dance side of the creation of jazz began in the 1800’s with African slaves dancing as a method of keeping fit.
However it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the dance we know and recognise as jazz began to take form. Jazz music came before jazz dance and the brass instruments with a smooth sort of sound led to the creation of jazz dance. Pioneers of the dance form such as Katherine Dunham took the traditional Caribbean/African dance and transformed it into a performing art that became not just enjoyable to perform but to watch. Still at this point jazz was not a very popular dance form.
As the music at the time was the main influence in starting modern jazz when the music began to make a regular appearance in Broadway it follows suit that jazz dance also found a way to the stage. It was on Broadway that the dance continued to evolve into what is known and taught as jazz today, much smoother and more flowing than the very first origins of the style.
Today jazz has become a dance style in its own right. Its thanks to inspirational choreographers such ad Bob Fosse that so many people have become interested in the dance style. Its break into the modern world through films such as ‘Caberat’ and ‘all that jazz’ mean that younger people are constantly being drawn to the style and mean its popularity continues into the modern world.