Beginning Jazz

Catalog description

This course provides introductory level instruction on the art of Jazz Dance. During each class meeting, students will learn and practice traditional Jazz Dance techniques as well as contemporary applications of these skills. Jazz is an art form whose roots are in the African Diaspora. The course will cover styles ranging from the early connections to Jazz music, to its development into a form of concert dance and its place in Musical Theater and commercial dance. Through the bodily practice of warm-ups, technical exercises, choreographic combinations, and classroom discussions, students will gain an understanding of Jazz Dance which will prepare them for more rigorous intermediate studies of Jazz in the future.