"Jazz dance is a form of personal expression created and sustained though improvisation...it has certain defining characteristics, including improvisation, isolation, a centrifugal explosion of energy that radiates outward from the hips, and a propulsive rhythm that gives a swinging quality to the movement."

-Bob Boross

Jazz is a crossbreed of north American cultures, a music and dance of the slaves of Africa, and old European Jigs and lits, Minstrel shows and presumably, Jazz music. Jazz is part of the genuine folk culture of North America and the only such national tradition. Today any professional dancer male or female can not make it without a Jazz background. The first Jazz dancer to dance to Jazz Music was said to be "Frisco", who spotted Al Jolson and started mimicking him at the Lambs Cafe in Chicago. Marshall and Jean Stearns, in their book Jazz Dance - The Story of American Vernacular Dance, state that jazz dance is a "blend of African and European traditions in an American environment." They feel that European movement contributed an elegance, and that African movement gave a rhythmic style. Lynne Fauley Emery also n

To trace the history of jazz dancing in America, it is therefore necessary to begin in Africa. Jean Sabatine, in her book Techniques and Styles of Jazz Dancing, states that " the story of jazz dance begins with the importing of African culture to America through the American slave trade." To keep slaves fit on the long journey over to America, slave traders would bring them to the deck and let them dance. The "shuffle" originated from the slaves sliding from side to side due to the restraints of the shackles on their legs. These dances were continued on at Plantations. They were used in religious services and social gatherings. Slap dances and drumbeats were used as a way of communication from one plantation to another. In the 19th century, white people eventually began to mimic the dances created by the slaves in minstrel shows. On the stage, "minstrel" performers developed tap dancing from a combination of Irish jigging, English clog dancing, and African rhythmic stamping. Tap dance and such social dances as the cakewalk and shuffle became popular vaudeville acts and appeared in Broadway revues and musical comedies as these replaced vaudeville early in the 20th century. In addition, comedy, specialty, and character dances to jazz rhythms became standard stage routines. In the 20's "The C

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Approximate Word count = 882
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)