A loss of control and a loss of coolness places one squarely outside of tradition” “Steppin’ on the Blues”, page 34 When the musical break comes, it is not a matter “of letting it all hang out,” but a matter of proceeding in terms of “ a very specific technology of stylisation. “Like all good dancers, practitioners of this style do not throw their bodies around they do not cut completely loose. Coming together with music, getting on the “beat train” and then embellishing the rhythm, adding something new is the heart of jazz dancing. If you dance fancy steps but you are outside of the beat, you are not living with the music, you are not dancing. To be in the beat is essential and vital.
“Rhythm is the architecture of being, the inner dynamic that gives it form, the pure expression of the life force” (Thompson “African art in motion”, p.13 – 14)Īfrican – American dance is a rhythm, beat – oriented dance. Let’s look into some of those characteristics closer. Nowhere is African American style manifested more than in dance. Life Photo Archives, © Time Inc., Courtesy of Dancer Katherine Dunham doing the Florida East-Coast shimmy with dancer Ohardieno during performance of show “Tropical Revue,” New York, 1943.
#Jazz dance moves series
32īust A Move!! | 1943 Series 2/2 Photo by Black History Album on flickr. The six definite characteristics of African American vernacular dance are rhythm, improvisation, control, angularity, asymmetry and dynamism “Steppin’ on the Blues”, p. Characteristics of black vernacular dance In order to understand what are the specifics of the Africanist influence in the history of jazz dance, we need to research its characteristics and fundamental elements. It was influenced by many factors such as mixing of African people from different tribes, mixing with European traditions and being influenced by it in the horrible circumstances of restrictions that were imposed upon slaves in regard to music and dance. Jazz dance developed through coming together, on American soil, of African and European culture. They were observed by white people who found the dances intriguing because of the vitality, expression, dynamism and freedom in improvisation.īlack dancers, on the other hand, observed white people dancing in salons and adopted the idea of close embrace in a couple dance, verticality and composition for their Cakewalks, Charleston and, later, the Lindy Hop. Black dances such as buzzard lope, turkey trot had direct animalistic references. The history of jazz dance and specifically Vernacular dances developed on plantations. Today we really can see how many branches of vernacular jazz dance, such as tap, broadway jazz, classical jazz, modern jazz, latin jazz, solo jazz and so on, developed. It is important to acknowledge the connection between the dances of traditional African cultures and the history of jazz dances of Black Americans. During the slavery period African dance developed into African – American vernacular jazz dance culture. In the beginning of the 17th century an enormous amount of African people were forced to the North American content and elsewhere to be then enslaved.
Location New York, NY, US Date taken February 1959 Photographer Ralph Morse.
African dancer Issa Niang performing with touring Ballets Africans company.
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