Jazz Dance Moves - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

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Jazz is a kind of dance that can not only be learned easily but also be enjoyed with all your heart, even if you are a beginner. So read on to know some classic jazz dance moves without joining a coaching class.

At some point of time in life, each one of you must have danced in joy, well not professionally but in your very own crazy(!) way. The origin of jazz dance dates back to the African natives in the early eighteenth century. They celebrated incidents like birth, puberty, marriage using drums, chimes, reed-pipes and other string instruments to give a beat for the dancers. Later in that century, when these natives were made slaves by the Europeans, this dance was influenced by the French and Spanish cultures. John Durang and Thomas Rice were in the first few to give this dance a global stage. Read more about history of jazz dance.

In the 1920s, due to a lot of cultural changes, jazz was classified into categories like 'funky jazz' and 'lyrical jazz'. Jazz is a collection of some really energetic and fast-paced moves and has a very unique dancing style. Jazz dance moves can be a good stress buster or just plain simple fun. You can even become a professional jazz dance instructor and turn dancing into a profession. Before you move on to jazz dance moves, you might like to read all about the types of dances and different dancing styles.

Jazz Dance Moves for Beginners:

If you are a beginner and are confused as to how you can learn the basic jazz dance moves, read on.

First of all, you need to loosen up and start exercising to tone your body. You need to have a flexible body to warm up before your first lesson. It is always recommended that you read some magazines on jazz dance steps, attend workshops and watch good jazz videos. You can then proceed to learning the basic jazz dance moves like single rotation turns and split leaps. Some of the easy jazz dance moves are given below.

Put your feet together and walk ahead in a sweeping manner. Now gently move one foot forward and place it next to the foot holding your weight. Swing your hips slowly in all directions and snap your fingers with each move. Put your weight on the heel of one foot and place it in front of you. Now step to the side of the other foot and twirl the toe of the first foot outside. Snap your fingers while doing this. Finally, swing to both sides and repeat these steps until you get them perfectly. Aren't these some of the easy jazz dace moves?

In every kind of dance there are certain moves like squares which are a compilation of 4 steps each and turns consisting of 4-5 steps each. The jazz square is the quickest and smoothest square.

• Cross right foot over: Put your right foot across your left one.
• Step back: Step your left foot back.
• Step to the side: Now step aside with your right foot.
• Step front: Put your left leg in front with your right one so that your right leg can now be put across the left and start the square again.

Turns in Jazz Dance:

• Pencil turn: Put your feet together and round your arms in front of you. Push off on one foot and turn with a straight leg. Now keep the non turning leg straight and turn inward towards the turning leg and then outward to the non turning one. Come back to the same position that you started with.
• Pirouette: Kick one foot out in a small step and put your weight onto the other foot. Push off with your back leg and rise till the other one comes up and move your arms straight and sideways, then bring them close to your body.
• Triplet turns: Take a normal turning position with your arms rounded off in front of you and turn right on your right leg, bringing the left foot in front of you. Stand on your toes to turn once again.
• Barrel turn: Stand with your legs apart and step back with your right foot. Stand on the ball of your foot and turn in a semi circle on your right foot, lifting up your left foot. Move your arms in a circle when you are turning and then try turning with your knees bent.

Some other very famous jazz dance steps are

• Straddle jump: First stand with your feet together and hands to the sides. Now bend your knees and sit on the floor in a squat with you heels a little off the floor and touch the floor with your hands. Take off the floor with a push and jump with your legs extended to the side and reach your hands in the direction of your legs.
• Layout: One of your legs is extended and your back is arched with your hands in the direction of your back. This is a complicated move and needs flexibility.
• Leg hold: Stand on one leg and hold on to a chair or a wall for support. Then with one hand, pick up the other leg, extend it to the north and hold it close to your head. Raise the other hand and stand gracefully for about 5 minutes in this position.

Jazz Dance Costumes and Shoes:

Tight soft linens and body hugging satin clothes are advised during dancing. Form fitting tank tops and t-shirts also can be used as they do not interfere with your movements. Jazz pants can usually be boot-cuts or tights. Jazz dance shoes can be of various styles such as gymnastic shoes or soft ballet slippers. They can be of any material like leather or canvas depending on your comfort. You should make sure they fit you well so that you don't end up swinging a shoe up in the air during one of your jumps or turns. Read more about jazz dance costumes and shoes.

Eventually, jazz is all about grace, beauty and finding your own unique dancing style. So put your shoes on and jazz away.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.