Transcript

Getting lady to the sweetheart position in East Coast Swing. So we’re going to take this, you’re going to have to end up right to right. We’re going to take it from an under arm turn with a hand change, but somehow you’re going to have to get right to right. So as we take our basic triple step, triple step, rock step, we do the under arm turn to the hand change, and I’m going to bring her in to a sweetheart position and then you’ll be able to let her out. Rock step. We’ll do the same free pass to change our hands.

So what did we do? We did the under arm turn to the hand change. Sweetheart position is any time I get a lady right alongside me with my right hand on her right shoulder, left hand out in front holding her left hand. This is sweetheart position. From the rock step I’m going to bring her in, much like I would do if I was doing a wrap in or wrap out. I would rock step, rock step, bring her to my right side, triple step, slightly back it up, triple step, and then let her rock step, rock step. Same thing, I let her go forward on the triple step. Triple step. I take the left hand over. Triple step. And we rock step. Now on that rock step I would generally let go of the left hand and then just do a free pass. Triple step, to get back to a regular hand hold. So again, we’re going to take the under arm turn with the hand change, bring her to the sweetheart position, triple step, triple step, let her forward, left hand over and let go of it, free pass, rock step.

We’ll do that from one more angle for you. So that’s going to go, triple step, triple step, rock, under arm, triple step, change hands to sweetheart position, triple step, triple step, rock step, forward, left over but let go of it, right side free pass, rock step, back to close position. Let’s go ahead and do the sweetheart dance position to music.

And now you know how to get into the sweetheart position.

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The elbow turn in East Coast Swing comes from a closed position. It looks like this. Triple step, triple step, rock step, grab the elbow, turn around, rock step, grab the elbow, turn around, rock step, and you’re back into closed position. What we’re doing here is a type of tuck turn.

We’re going to go triple step, triple step, rock step. On the first part of her triple I’ve let go of my left, I bring her by my left side, now my left hand is going to come underneath and grab the back of her right, excuse me, her left elbow. I’m going to rock step. As I rock step, my left hand thinks about coming across my body to get behind her left elbow on a triple step. So we go rock step, triple step.

Now because she sees me and knows that this is happening, she’s not going to make any sort of a fist and go ahead and hit me as this passes. She’ll let the elbow come in. She’s going to do just a half of a turn, triple step, and I come underneath to pick up into closed position again, rock step. Now from there I could stay in closed or I could do the elbow grab again. Triple step, triple step, rock step, reach across, center, rock step, reach across, center, rock step.

Now you can, if she spins well, give a little bit more energy and the ladies can add a turn to that. So they can go triple step, triple step, rock step, triple step, she can add a turn, rock step, triple step, she can add a turn, rock step, and then back into closed position. Let’s go ahead and try the elbow turn to music.

And there’s your elbow turn.

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The east coast swing barrel role; It is going to come off of your underarm turn with a hand change. So, we are going to go, triple step, triple step, rock step. You are going to end up right to right. You are going to do some kind of underarm with a hand change, ending up right to right. The barrel step looks like this, rock step, triple step, triple step, rock step, triple step, triple step, and you are going to go back to basic with a free pass.

So, what is going to happen is that underarm turn with the hand change is going to end up getting us right to right. Off of the rock step, the ladies are going to pass by my left side. They are going to do that and I am going to create this curve over my head. So, as I go, rock step on this first triple step I kind of turn Nicola in front of me a little me. I think about that shoulder heading to the middle of my chest so that our shoulders work like a gear where one shoulder goes first then the other shoulder as opposed to the illusion that we are going shoulder to shoulder. So, as I rock step, rock step, she turns, triple step and we face each other, triple step.

Again, you will see that I watch this shoulder. Rock step, I watch it, triple step, triple step because if we rolled shoulder to shoulder it is hard for me to get that arm up but if I let her turn first, so her shoulder is in the middle and my shoulder is going to the middle of her back as she passes, it works like a gear and gives us more space to be able to move.

So, that goes, rock step, she goes first, triple step. Here is out barrel roll. Triple step, triple step, same free pass, back to close. So, we have triple step, triple step, lets to an underarm turn, change hands and the barrel. Triple step, triple step, rock step, triple step, triple step, free pass, triple step, triple step, rock step. So, you have an east coast swing barrel roll, we are going to do it to music.

There you go! East coast swing with a barrel roll.

Transcript

The Bowtie, or also known as the cross arm slide in East Coast Swing looks like this. Triple step, triple step, rock step, triple, triple step, rock step, triple step, triple step, rock step.

So what you’re going to do is take your basic triple step, triple step, rock step. You’re going to lift both arms. I’m going to go underneath my left. She’s going to go underneath my right. From that rock step, rock step. I go underneath the left, she goes underneath the right. We rotate this triple. Triple step. Now we’re going to slide down so we end up right hand to right. Triple step.

This is also a nice way to get into a hand change to do other moves that go right to right. From here just a free pass to get out of it. Rock step, triple step, triple step. So again, we go rock step, lift, slide, rock step, pass, rock step. We’ll do that from one more angle. We have triple step, triple step, rock lift, over the head, slide it down, rock step, free pass, triple step, rock step. Now your Bowtie to music.
And here’s our Bowtie.

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The East Coast Swing under arm turn with a hand change comes from open position, looks like this. Triple step, triple step, rock step, triple step, triple step, rock step. So what we’ve done is a basic under arm turn from the open position. We’ve gone triple step, triple step, rock step. Same prep for the under arm turn. As she comes underneath, triple step, I just change hands on the second triple, triple step, by literally take what’s in my left hand and putting it into my right hand.

Now there are multiple ways to get out of a hand change where we’re right to right or left to left. For the sake of doing it right here, we’re going to do what’s called the free pass where she literally just passes by my right side. We go rock step, I let her just pass by and I’m right back to where I started. So we go triple step, triple step, rock step, under arm turn change hands, rock step, let her free pass by, rock step. So again, under arm turn, triple step change hands, let her free pass, and we’re back. So that’s an under arm turn with a hand change. We’re going to do that to music.

So an under arm turn with a hand change, finishing it off with a free pass.

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The wrap in, wrap out in East Coast Swing starts from an open position. What’s going to happen is your left hand is going to go up, your right hand is going to go down. So we’ll show it to you first. We’re going to go, triple, triple step, rock step, wrap her up, triple step, rock step, and wrap her out, rock step.

So, what I want you to think about doing first of all is take your partner’s hands like this, right hand is down, left hand is up. You’re going to bring her to your right side. As you do that, just wrap her up, sort of just in like a little bit of a hugging position, right? No need to have this hand, you know, we’re not going to put her into a strait jacket, right? Nice and relaxed. So again, I do this facing you. My left hand goes up, my right hand goes down, and I bring her to my right side. It’s just turning her into a wrap. Yes?

From here, we take that from our basic and we go triple step, triple step, rock step. Now it’s the same prep that you would do for the under arm turn. You’re just keeping your left hand down and holding the left hand as opposed to letting go of it. You stay in place gentlemen as she wraps up to you, triple step, you both back up, triple step just a little bit, and then rock step. Rock step.

To get her back out you basically reverse it. You’re going to lift your left arm as she goes forward, triple step, let her come underneath, triple step, to the rock step, rock step. So that’s the wrap in and wrap out. I wrap her in, and then basically unwrap her. We’re going to do the wrap in, wrap out to music.

So the wrap in, wrap out for East Coast Swing.

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The left side pass in East Coast Swing. We call it a left side pass because she passes by my left side, but she does not go underneath an arm. You can do this from closed position or you can do it from open position. We’ll show you both, but first from open. We go triple step, triple step, rock step, pass by the left, triple step, rock step. From closed that would look like triple step, triple step, rock step, pass by my left, triple step, rock step.

In doing that, what’s going to happen is we do the two triples. Triple step, triple step. From the rock step I already start thinking about going to the left, guys. Rock step. My left hand is going to send her by. Triple step. We face each other. Triple step, rock step. And I want to think about, it’s just like a lady walking past me and I’ve opened a door for her and I’ve said, after you, and she walks by my left side. Again I would say, after you, and she would walk right by my left side. That’s really what we’re doing here in the left side pass.

So again, it looks like triple step, triple step, rock step, after you, triple step, rock step. Now I can go ahead and keep both hands in that left side pass if I wanted to, or I’m happy to let go of the right hand depending on what the next move is. Let’s do our left side pass to music.

So from open position, or from closed position, there’s your left side pass.

Transcript

The under arm turn in East Coast Swing. So, it looks like this. We’re going to start from what we call an open position. That’s a two hand hold. We’re going to go triple step, triple step, rock step, triple step, triple step, rock step.

So what you’re going to do is take your first two triples but from an open position. We’re going to go triple step, triple step. Now we’re going to take that rock step where we both rock away. Rock step. But on that rock step my right hand drops, my left hand goes up leaders. That tells the lady she’s going to be passing by my right side going underneath my left arm. So as she goes underneath the left arm we pass on the first triple step. Triple step. We face each other on the second triple step. Triple step. I can pick that hand up again if I want or not and go into the rock step. Rock step.

So again, I go triple step, triple step, rock step, that’s where I start that left hand up right hand down, we pass each other, triple step, face, triple step, rock step. From there you could do it right away again. Triple step, triple step. Or, pick up the hand and take a basic. So we’re going to go ahead and try the under arm turn to music.

And there’s your East Coast Swing under arm turn.

Transcript

The she-he turn, or she turns, he turns for East Coast Swing. We start from the open position, much like you would do for an under arm turn. We’re going to go triple step, triple step, same step on the rock step that you would do for the under arm turn, rock step. She goes underneath in the first triple, triple step, but keep your left arm up, leaders. You want to keep your left hand up so you have space to go underneath. In the second triple you’re going to get all the way through going to your left. Triple step. And from there you’ll both rock step. Rock step.

So, again, she goes under in the first triple. You go under in the second triple. So we go triple step, triple step, rock step, she’s going to go underneath, triple step, keep that hand up, you go underneath, triple step, then you’ll rock step, rock step.

One of the points to this that you want to think about is what we call the cup and pin where the lady keeps a cup with her hand, you have two fingers in that cup like the pin. You don’t want to use your thumb because there’s a lot of rotation going on in the hand as I go underneath. If I’m grabbing and I go underneath, I start to twist the lady’s wrist. There’s a fine line between jujitsu and dancing. We don’t want to hurt our ladies. So this goes up, no thumbs, right? That way the pin can just rotate in the cup as we go around.

So let’s try that again. We go triple step, triple step, rock step, she goes, triple step, I go, triple step, we face each other, rock step, you can pick up the hand or go ahead and do it again. We’re going to try that to music.

Now you have your she-he turns.

Transcript

East Coast Swing, one of the first styles of swing taught at ballroom studios here in America.

What we’re going to start off with is your triple steps. I’m going to start left, Nicola is going to start right. We’re going to go step, together, step, then to the other side, step, together, step. From there we’re going to take what’s called the rock step. I go back with my left, she goes back with her right, and we go rock, step. So it literally is just a rock back and forward. Rock, step.

We’re going to go step, together, step, step, together, step, rock, step. It can travel a lot or a little bit. If we travel it a lot, step together, step it really moves to the side. Step together, step, and then we rock, step. Rock, step. Or you can kind of keep it in place. Step together, step, step together, step, rock, step.

For the hold you want to make sure that your right hand is underneath the lady’s left arm. Her left arm is on top slightly down of the man’s right arm. I take my left and she presents her right right on top of it like that and we have step together, step, step together, step, rock, step. Or we can call it triple step, triple step, rock, step. Triple step, triple step, rock, step, triple step, triple step, rock, step, triple step, triple step, rock, step.

Now you can take that basic once you learn it and do exactly what Nicola and I just did and rotate that basic around for East Coast Swing. We’re going to go ahead and do that to music.

That is East Coast Swing.

Transcript

All right, let me show you what a stag leap looks like. Let’s break it down. So, you prep for the stag lead. Set right, left. Nice turn to opposition. The right leg brushes through first into a front attitude. The arms lift up. The back leg is going to push off the floor, and extend into your back attitude for the stag. A great stag combo exercise. It’s not really a combo. A great stag exercise across the floor is just going from right from left. So, you would just go right, left, right stag leap into left, right, left stag leap. Let me demonstrate that in actuality, and then we’ll do it to music. So, that’s right, left, stag, left, right, stag. It’s very important when your doing leaps that you’re always rolling through your feet. So always think, toe, ball, heel. Toe, ball, heel. You’re also pushing off the feet in order to get more height on your stag leap. Ready? And five, six, seven, eight. There you go. Stag leaps.

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So, what is jazz funk dance? Well, as jazz and dance progresses, choreographers and, you know, just people on the street want to try to fuse things together and transform them in their own way. So jazz funk originated, um, as an expression or a fusion of hip hop and jazz coming together as 1. One of the, um, major contributors of that is Frank Hatchet. He was the King of Bop. And he, uh, fused together all these street styles and funk and African American hip hop moves into the traditional jazz technique and created his own thing. Which is, uh, very cool and innovative. And, um, a lot of people really, uh, jumped on that bandwagon, and took a million classes with Frank Hatchet. And, uh, jazz funk is a great fusion of the jazz technique. As well as funk and soul and, uh, own personal styles, just, just meshing into, into the music and how you feel the music. And that’s pretty much the definition of jazz funk.

Transcript

Alright. Now, I’d like to teach you what a chaine leap is.

We start again in a nice fondu tondu. Big tombe. Tombe is important, because it helps you with power and strength and control. Then you do a down chaine. So it’s a parallel chaine. Our knees are bent. Body is pulled up. Arms are round.

After the chaine, you push up and over into the leap. Okay? So again the right leg fah mah, the left leg fah mahs derriere. Almost simultaneously. You’re going to be in a full split in the air and it’s going to be beautiful. Let me show you.

Fondu tondu, and chaine leap. Really push off of that back leg to get a nice height to the jump. After the chaine leap, you could roll to the floor, or you can do, what I like to do across the floor, is consecutive chaine leaps to really build power in the legs and the core. So chaine leap. And down, down, leap. And down, down, leap. I can’t execute that in this space, but you guys can get a comprehension of that.

I’d like to demonstrate trying to do two of these to music for you. And start with the fondu tondu, and down, down, up. Down, down, up, and leap and roll.

Beautiful. Nice work everybody. Those are your chaine leaps.

Transcript

Alright, here are a couple of my favorite old school jazz funk moves. The first one is a little rock step. Let’s do the lower body first. Up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down. The upper body rocks it out with the shoulders. Let’s put it together. And we’re going. Up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down.

You can just rock that and have a really good time with it. Next old school jazz move is, I call it the king of VOP step because Frank Hatchett originally did it. And feet go in, one heel, the toe comes up, and then the inside toe goes up on rowan. Then you reverse it. Toes in, one toe up, then the heel on the other leg. Then you keep going. Up, down, and up. It’s a little bit trickier than it looks, but it’s a lot of fun to do once you get going and then you work it out a little bit faster. Good. So breaking that down again, feet go in, toe heel, feet go in, toe heel.

Alright, that’s king of VOP step. Next one is like a jump, jump rock. So, we’re going to go jump, jump, jump and rock, jump, jump, jump and rock. A little bit slower. You’re just pushing your hands up, really fun party, go jump, jump, keep your knees nice and soft and pick up your foot, pop your shoulders and step it out. One more time to the left. Jump, jump, jump and rock. And five, six, seven eight. Up, up, down… move it back, king of VOP, in and rock it out. Move it back. Good. Jump it out. Ready and. And those are just a couple old school funk jazz moves for you

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Hi, my name is Liz Piccoli and I am an SDC Associate Director/Choreographer and today I’m here as jazz expert to talk to you a little bit about myself and my experience.

I grew up in my mothers very small dance studio in Elmer, New Jersey and she would take me up to New York City and I would take class at Broadway Dance Center with some of the great jazz greats, Luigi and Nat Horne, Jose Meier, Frank Hatchett and Sheila Barker and I developed my sense of style and technique.

From there I went to Rutgers University where I was on a National Championship dance team. Then I went into the musical theater world and had a nice career in musical theater as well as performing for three seasons at the Metropolitan Opera as a ballet dancer which was an incredible experience.

I worked with Placido Domingo and a choreographer for the New York City Jazz Career project as well as choreographing some things off Broadway, The Cat with the Jewelled Claws, and recently Central Avenue Breakdown which was a jazz musical at the Nymph Musical Theater Festival.

I was also the SDC Observer of Dan Knechtges for Liz Estrada Jones off Broadway which then moved to Broadway and I also assisted Dan with the TV Land awards featuring Liza Minelli which was pretty much a career highlight for me to be able to work with Liza. She is an exceptional woman and artist.

Currently I’m going to be going to Hawaii to choreograph Oliver for the Ohona Arts program. I was also there last year and I choreographed the Wizard of Oz and I am just continuing on and trying to choreograph and enhance my artistic journey in as many was as possible.

You can find out more about me at www.lizpiccoli.com. I am available for master classes and choreography and would love to bring jazz into your world.

Now I’m going to share a little jazz dance with you.

Transcript

Here are some arm styling coordination exercises. We’re gonna start out in a nice deep second position and plie, arms go in, elbows down, up and open. Reverse. Up, down, open and out. Then I alternate them. One arm up, both elbows down, other arm up, extend both arms out. Reverse. One arm up, elbows down, left and open.

I like to do them in a nice deep plie in second to strengthen the lower body as well as coordinate the upper body. So again I’ll show you. One, two, three, four, reverse, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, reverse, five, six, seven, eight. Nice.

All right. You can also do that same arm exercises with footwork to even enhance the coordination of that. Cross, touch, cross, touch, cross, touch, cross, touch is the footwork on the bottom. The arms are the same as what I had taught you previously.

But you’re gonna put them together, exciting. All right, ready? I’ll show you what it looks like slow and then I’ll demonstrate to music.

One, two, three, four, reverse, five, six, seven, eight. Then you’re gonna move it backwards for the second part of that exercise with the left arm up. One, two, three, four, reverse, five, six, seven and eight.

It’s tricky but it really enhances your students’ coordination. First exercise and a nice deep plie, holding the core, left hand is fine. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, reverse. Up. Good, stretch. Let’s add the footwork in there for more advanced steps.

Ready? And five, six, seven, eight, cross, touch and left arm and right arm. Very nice. All right. I’d like to show you one more advanced arm styling exercise. This one’s a lot of fun. I’ll let the music play.

The arm, this one hand is shaking, this jazz hand. The other arm is smooth and fluid. We’re gonna do that same cross touch while using these two arm simultaneously. All right.

Work it out. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, reverse. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Now, if you can do that one you are a coordinated dancer. Good luck.

Transcript

Now I’m going to demonstrate a calypso leap. You start out in fondu tendu into a nice kick and an attitude. Let me break that down for you. The arms first, so through first and then stretch all the way back into a while you’re in the air. The position of the leap looks like this.

And I teach this, actually, on the floor. I’ll show you. The one leg is extended out to the side. The left leg is in a nice elongated attitude and you’re pressing into the. This is how the leap should look in the air on the ground. The preparation for the calypso leap starts in a nice fondu tendu. So you start in first position. Tendu the right leg. Fondu the left. Go into a tombe. Then a parallel pirouette. I mean, sorry, a parallel . The right leg fans up and around, extended out to the side. The hips go up and over as the left leg comes up into an attitude and you combre your back into the position.

It’s a little bit hard to break down in that much slow motion because it’s a big jump. But, let’s try to do that with . Okay, this is a calypso leap. Slowly first. Not full out just so you see the mechanics of the leap. Tombe, parallel, extend into the combre attitude. Now I’ll show you what it looks like to actually leap it. And there’s a calypso leap.

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I’ll begin by telling a little story about how I used to come up to New York City when I was seven years old and I would take dance class with one of the greatest jazz masters on Earth. His name is Luigi. Luigi had a studio at that point in Carnegie Hall and I found out about his history and it was so inspiring that, you know, it inspired me to become the dancer that I am today.

He had an extensive Broadway career and when he was in his 20’s he was in a car accident and completely lost use of his body. The doctors told him that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, let alone dance, and it devastated him.

And what he did was develop a form of therapy with his dance movement that completely rehabilitated his body. He’s 90 and he still teaches at his studio in New York City called Studio Maestro on 68th Street and his style of movement is graceful and the weight changes are exceptional. His musicality is perfection and he is just someone that I believe every jazz dancer or jazz student should know because he was pretty much the father of it all.

He was the one who originated the five, six, seven, eight expression and my personal favorite expression that I use to this day in my life is, never stop movin and it’s M-O-V-I-N. Never stop movin. And I believe passionately in him and his teachings.

Also, some other people that you should know that were in his realm when I took classes when I was younger, one is Rhett Dennis. He’s not as popular but he was just the master of tricky isolations.

He taught me a great combination that you should teach your students. It’s you shake one hand but then the other hand is nice and fluid and then he used the head and circled it around. And it’s just, it’s such an exciting thing to try to, you know, isolate your body in that way and express yourself in that way.

Other jazz greats I think that you should know would be Nat Horne. His style and execution was incredible. Lou Conte is quite extraordinary and also Jose Meier.

Jose Meier I used to take class with and he had this drummer and his name was Monte and he had this pony tail that went all the way down like a braid and the beats and drumming would just fuse into your sole as you would take class with this man. And I know that he’s moved out to Carnegie Mellon and teaches a wonderful jazz program there.

And I think that’s pretty much, you know, the jazz masters that I feel very passionate about and I think that you should explore a little bit.

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So how to find a good jazz dance competition. Most competitions that are out there do have a jazz division which is fairly strong. I think a good way to pick a good jazz dance competition would be to look at their panel of judges and see if they have a jazz background in their professional bios.

Some that I know of that are great is Joe Lanteri’s New York City Dance Alliance. Nuvo is a very strong competition, as well as one that I personally judge and MC, which is Spirit of Dance, but that’s in the Massachusetts area. If you’re in that area, that would be a great one to pick.

And other than that, like I said, just do your research. Go on Google. See the background. If you’re really into jazz, you should look at the backgrounds of the judging panel and take it from there. Good luck with your jazz competition hunting.

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Alright, now I am going to teach you a short combination that is going to make you look exactly like Christina Aguilera in “Burlesque.” This one’s a lot of fun, so let’s get our “Burlesque” ensemble on. Alright. You’re gonna step with your right; our arms are gonna roll and snap. Then, left, roll, and snap. The fingers are going like this. Baby finger starts and then coming in. It’s like you’re grabbing something. So this is one, two, three, four. Make sure you really get those hips going in there ‘cause Christina’s very sexy. Then you sway to the right; five; sway to the left; six; then go down that leg on seven; drop; eight. Okay, it takes a little flexibility to do that, but I’m sure you guys can get it. So start that again. And one, two, three, four. Sway five, sway six, hips seven, down eight. Okay. Great. Going on from there, we’re gonna dip down into our shoulder rolls. This is, left shoulder’s pressing forward, get really low. One, two. You’re gonna snake your body up on three, four. Press your arms away from your body on five, six. We do a pop; jazz hands right on your chest; seven; and then snap it up sassy on eight. So again, you drop down, and then you came up. Your left shoulder’s gonna come down into the snake. One, reverse, two, snake it up, three, four, press those arms away on five, six, pop it, seven, snap it, eight. Beautiful. Moving on, the next eight count is a contraction. You contract; one, two. Head back; three, four. And five, six, snap it seven. Look front on eight. Really try to get this whole body curved and thrash that hair if you have it ‘cause hair is sexy. So you go, hit, back, hit and snap out. Next step is one of my favorites here; we’re gonna pop it out. So you’re gonna pop your chest. Chest; expand; and pop; expand. So you really need to get low and grounded, and you need to pop your chest out. The hands are going on your chest and swinging back. On your chest; swinging back. So again this is: one, two, three, four. From there, our hands are gonna go on our hips. You’re gonna do two low pelvic circles; five, sex. And then drop it like it’s hot on seven, and then booty up on eight. Do not be afraid to be sexy and use the booty in your sensuality. Okay that’s all—all that this burlesque is about. So let’s try that again from the top. And, we sway. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, press five, six, pop, pop. In, two, three, four, five, six, seven, pop it out. Huh, two, three, four, roll, roll, and, drop. Very good. Next you’re just gonna do a little freestyle. Your own beautiful movement. Anything that makes you feel very sexy. You’re gonna go: roll, two, three, four, five, six. You look to the back on seven. And then stare ‘em down on eight. And really get that arm forward. It’s all about focus and confidence. And there’s how you dance like Christina Aguilera. Let’s try it with music. And that’s how you dance like Christina Aguilera in “Burlesque.”

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Alright, I’d like to show you what a pas de bourrée looks like. You’re right leg starts from the side, we’re doing a pas de bourrée. Back, side, front. And back, step side, step front. It’s a three step movement. One more time. One, two, three. One two, three. We want to go up, up, down with the feet, up, up, down.

You can also do the step with a turn. It’s called a back pas de bourrée. And you’re just going around yourself. Up, up, down and up, up, down. I like to do this step with a nice pressed elongated arm line for jazz and really stretch through your fingertips to feel a nice burning sensation with the arms. Again, the core is activated. So, we’re doing pas de bourrées. Up, up, down. Up, up, down. Back pas de bourrée.

One, two, three, reverse. One, two, three. Adding a nice little shoulder in there gives it a very beautiful jazz style. Alright, I’m going to demonstrate a pas de bourrée for you. First slow, and then fast to music. Pas de bourrée. Jazz. Five, six, seven and, up, up, down. Up, up down. Back pas de bourrée. One, two, three and one, two, three. Doing this faster can add a level advancement. Ready? And five, six, seven and, one, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Again. One, two, three. One, two, three. Back pas de bourrée, back pas de bourrée. And there’s your pas de bourrée.

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Picking jazz music to dance to is a very personal thing. I would like to share a little bit with you about how I do it. I remember growing up in South Jersey, but I would always go to visit my grandfather down in Florida. He was a huge big band man, he was a fan, a big fan. He would play Artie Shaw and Sing, Sing, Sing and just a million things and that driving drum beat just kind of got into my soul a little bit. So a lot of the jazz music that I like to pick has that sort of swinging feel to it. Music that has a nice fluid melody to it, such as, Feeling Good, Feeling Good, just makes me feel good. And it moves your body and your soul in a way that I think is really special. So when you’re picking music, it should be something, as a choreographer that definitely moves you in that way. I’ve recently choreographed a piece at the New York Jazz Choreography Project at the Alvin Ailey and I created an entire Edda James tribute. Some of her music is just so beautiful, you know from, At Last, to Smokestack Mountain, to another song that she sang was This Is a Man’s World. Her voice is filled with soul and filled with power and that’s something that moves me as a choreographer. You know, when I hear passion in someone’s voice, that’s exciting to me when you’re picking music. I think that should be something that you should think about as well. Also music is that’s just, you know, fun and exciting, another song that I just love is, Black Betty, ‘Whoa, Black Betty’ it’s like something that just sort of drives you and you can be excited about. Also, Ella Fitzgerald is just another fave of mine so. You know, listen to it and see what moves you and that’s my advice.

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Jazz dance originated in the 1800’s with the African Americans who were brought over to America on the slave ships. And it was, you know, an expression of their emotion and their physicality. They started using isolations and body movements that were indicative of their culture. From them, New Orleans developed this great jazz music culture and jazz dance continued on in its form and its development.

In the 1930’s and 1960’s, it surged into the musical theater route. And certain choreographers, such as George Balanchine, Jack Cole, Jerome Robbins and Fosse, where using jazz in their musical theater choreography and making it into their own expression of choreography and art. They started using their own style of isolations and contractions and it really, it made a popular rise in the national eye.

And as jazz has progressed, it sort of kind of has fed in to progression of music. As music enhances, jazz enhances and choreographers feel the jazz music in a different way and then create different movement. That’s where contemporary is coming in to the picture and hip-hop, everything is sort of fusing together. And it all stems from our jazz roots in America.

There are some popular icons that brought jazz in to the forefront. Of course, King of Pop is Michael Jackson with his innovative jazz moves. And also Katherine Dunham is the female choreographer who created isolations, as we know them today. Jerome Robbins was another fantastic jazz choreographer that you should know. And he did “Gypsy”, and of course “West Side Story”, which is some of the most famous and sexy jazz choreography that’s out there.

And that’s just a little bit about the history of jazz dance.

Transcript

Now I like to show you a brief combination from all that jazz. Another wonderful Fosse choreography, jazz choreography. Alright, here we go. We’re gonna start in a nice deep cliche, leg is turned out. Your in a cliche. 1, 2, 3, 4 you do a slow head roll to the right on 5, 6, 7, 8. Then, you pop your right arm up nice and sharply and pop, pop, good. You hold and 5, 6, 7, 8 and stare the camera down or stare the audience down whichever one or wherever you’re at. Let’s try that again. Deep cliche 1, 2, 3, 4 and slow 6, 7, 8 and arm, arm and you hold it down. Next part, this is the rouge the knees part. You go down and rub your knee. So that’s rouge your knees, come on back up and you do this little finger walk down and unroll your stockings down. Good, let’s try that again from the top, awesome. 1, 2, 3, 4 head 5, 6, 7, 8 boom hop, hop. Hold all that jazz then down 2, 3, 4, and 5, 6, 7, 8.

You do a pelvic hip thrust on the next boom, boom in the music. Hop, hop and you hold and all that jazz. Next, very specific your going to turn the car key and then roll the finger up. So that’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Good. Then, you pop your hands out and you do a little shaky shake as the hip roll goes around. And make sure that your really emphasizing those fingers and the hip goes around, a lot of confidence in the upper body. Moving down into the deep cliche, it’s just a noisy hall so it’s right on your forehead where there’s a nightly brawl you pop that arm out and you do a deep lunge to the left. 1 shoulder on that, boom hop and then 3 snaps on the word jazz. And there’s all that jazz, let’s do that very slow from the beginning again. So this is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. And up, down and all that jazz. Going to rouge my knees and roll my stockings down and hip, hip and all that jazz. Start the car, I know a whoopee spot where the gin is cold but the piano is hot.

The hips circle there, it’s just a noisy hall where there’s a nightly brawl and all shoulder that shoulder and jazz. 6, and 7, and 8. Good. And really ooze those contraptions and pop that out. I’m gonna do this for you with music, it’s not the actual recording but you can get the jest of it. And 5, 6, 7, and cliche. Head roll. Up, up and hold. And down. Hip, hip and hold. Start the car… Shoulder, shoulder and hit. Snap, snap. Alright, there’s all that jazz.