SOME BRIEF HISTORY OF JAZZ DANCE

Jazz dance is steeped in the history of Africa. The early slaves of Africa formed the basis of the modern day jazz dance form in the form of hip-hop. The African peoples traditionally believed in the use of the body as a way of expressive dance expression and created music and dance as part of their everyday lives. As a result, the early jazz dance form was filled with influences of Africa from instruments such as the double stick, maracas and other objects from nature and culture. In modern day, many African cultures have blended African art with jazz as a way of expressing themselves and their culture. Jazz as an expressive dance form still allows for originality and the artist’s individual style to shine through.

Today there are many jazz dancing troupes all over the world that focus on African dance forms. Most of these groups try to bring together afro-Indians of various cultures to share one common love and show each other the beauty of what the Africa has to offer by way of its dance forms. These groups bring together dancers who are able to perform together and teach the younger generation the traditional skills that are passed down from generation to generation. In addition, these groups also teach young dancers how to jazz dance so that they can express themselves and learn what is involved in making beautiful art out of movement. One such troupe is called the Afro Cuban Collective.

One thing that you might want to take note of when considering jazz dance form is that it uses an African sensibility. This is something else that many people don’t recognize about it. The reason it uses an African sensibility is that the people in Africa have always had an inherent love for music and dance. It is because of this that the form of jazz dance has been able to connect with so many people over the years  in the world.