What exactly was "Jazz dance" and what kinds of dance forms did it influence?
Jazz dance was a popular free-flowing rhythem dance during the 1920's and influenced ballet and jazz music along with it. When the African-Americans migrated from the South to Harlem after World War I, Africans artistic expression influenced by their cultural roots came with them to America. One form was "Jazz dance," which was a type of dance that match rhythms and techniques together. The dance was influenced by their ancestors' journey of growing up in second class and gaining a sense of pride by showing it in art forms such as dancing. The dance looked like free-flowing rhythms, body forms and patterns inspired by their ancestors' spiritual hymns and dances. It also was mixed with other spiritual influences surrounding them. There were Jazz clubs and famous people such as Charles Lindbergh who became famous from James Weldon Johnson's song about the dance. The first time the blacks had displayed Jazz dance was during the musical "Shuffle Along." About two decades later 40 musicals had been performed and swing dancing became popular in local clubs. Jazz dance influenced today's culture because we still hear and see many types of Jazz music and jazz dance still today. Jazz dance has also been experimented in ballet styles and jazz music has also got popular since the 1920's.
Caitlin Haley Jackson
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