Essay On Jazz Dance

From the beginning of class till now, my interpretation of Jazz dance has evolved. Originally, I had no idea what Jazz dance was or what it consisted of. After being in the class for a couple of weeks now, my perception of Jazz dance is that it is an art style that involves multiple rhythms of the body, which coincides with music. To reiterate from the readings, I believe it is too complex to actually try to define what Jazz dance is, since everyone who performs it experiences it much differently. Attempting to define Jazz dance would end up restricting it from what it could become. (Boross 8) With this information in mind, I am attempting to define Jazz dance for my body. Currently, it is hard to define what Jazz dance is for my body because …show more content…
I am normally comfortable with the movements in class that involves bent knees. While taking Jamaican Dance with Kelly, it took me the entire semester it seemed to become comfortable with moving my pelvis and having my knees bent to be closer to the Earth. I really did appreciate that Jamaicans and some African tribes believe that bent knees symbolize life and prosperity by being closer to the Earth which is fertile and filled with life. The idea of being connected to Earth connects me to the tree concept Wendy Oliver theorized. Trees grow in fertile soil, which represents Jazz dance. African roots of Jazz dance are located in the soil which grows out to become a tree with different variations of Jazz Dance, and like a tree the different forms of Jazz dance intertwine. (Cohen 3) The fertile soil is important for Jazz dance because it like actual soil, it allows the flow of life or in this case the essence of Jazz to continue on to the next generation and allow it to grow and prosper as an art form. Although I do not see myself having a career in Jazz dance, I do know this class will give me a higher appreciation for those who do perform this form of