JAZZ

Jazz is a technical form of dance derived from classical training and develops power, flexibility, extension, agility and style in dancers. It is done to popular music and is a high-energy class focusing on technique and stylized choreography. Strive Dance Academy provides Jazz training and exams in accordance with the ADAPT (Associated Dance Arts for Professional Teachers) Syllabus and requires that all dancers participate in Jazz as one of our 3 core disciplines.

History

Jazz is thought to have originated in the late 1800s, and involves movements that are specially choreographed to West-African Music compositions. The trend took time to catch on, but eventually did by the mid 1900s. Till the 1950s, jazz dancing was largely referred to as tap dancing, because of the routines set to jazz music. The Jazz form of dancing actually relates to several dance styles that are intermingled such as Ballet, Tap and the African-American rhythms-and-dance styles. The Jazz Age was characterized by the popularity of dance forms such as the Cakewalk, Charleston, Jitterbug, Black Bottom, Boogie Woogie, and the Lindy Hop.*

*courtesy of wikipedia