What is a Judge Looking for when judging jazz...?

I am going to break down the various disciplines and discuss each individually so that teachers and choreographers can get a better understanding of what adjudicators will be looking for in your routines. Let's start with Jazz, one of my favourites!!!

Jazz is the only style of dance that we have on our competition stages that is directly influenced by the MUSIC and the FASHION of each era or decade throughout history. For example, in the 1920's the Charleston was all the dance rage. But why did the female dancers only move their legs? Because the dresses that they wore came down to the knees and the material that they wore wasn't stretch based, limiting their movements to the knees down.

When you are dancing Jazz, or judging Jazz, you should look at the ROOTS or SIGNATURE MOVES of the era or style of the jazz routine dancing to truly appreciate it and its evolutionary art form. Let's take a very short look at the history and evolution of this amazing, pure art form known as Jazz!

Jazz dancing came out of Africa -- an inadvertent import to America with the slave trade. The African people were steeped in rich somatic cultures in which dance was a sacred and a celebratory tradition. In America, African dance was woven through religious ceremony and social assemblies and served to preserve the sense of identity and personal history. From the 1600s on, casual and intentional performances of the explosive, sensuous, grounded and rhythmic dances captured public imagination. It wasn't long before traveling minstrels copied the choreography, incorporating the cultural artifact into dismissive, humorous shows. But African dance defied racism -- it was too seductive, historic, and compelling to disparage and discard. Instead, the styles migrated to vaudeville, and then Broadway, along the way inspiring tap and transforming ballet and early modern dance developments.

In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, the decidedly unclassical dance moves unleashed such fads as the Charleston, Jitterbug, Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Boogie Woogie, Swing, and Lindy Hop. Jazz music was borrowing rhythms from African music, especially drumming, and inventing new forms. New Orleans was the epicenter of invention with Blues, Spirituals, Ragtime, Marches, and Tin Pan Alley sounds. But the dancing continued to evolve, mostly settling into a vibrant style known as Jazz dance, and even what we now label Tap. The rhythms infused even formal European classical Ballet, adding a distinctly American twist to a court dance and leading to the hybrid dance forms that evolved in the mid-twentieth century.

To truly understand the evolution and mutation of Jazz dancing, I'd like to spotlight a very brief and short highlight of the styles and signature dances of the past eras.

In the 1930s, Jack Cole, a trained modern dancer, began adding influences from East Indian and African dance to his choreography. He became an important influence for some of the great 20th-century masters of performance Jazz, who lit up Hollywood and Broadway with their innovative and exuberant moves. Cole trained contract

Hollywood dancers in his jazzy style, including Gwen Verdon, who would go on to collaborate memorably with the legendary Bob Fosse, and the indomitable Chita Rivera. Jazz dancers were no longer talented amateurs. They were highly trained -- in Ballet, Modern and Tap. Jazz dance was taking its place next to "legitimate" dance forms and proved popular fare in every entertainment venue.

The 1940's brought us the Lindy Hop and the East coast Swing. The partnering of the previous decades are now being enhanced by "breakaways" where a dancer would disengage from their partner and show off some moves and tricks. Ariel work in the Lindy Hop was a big feature and flashy for the couples as the man would toss and spin and catch his partner. The East Coast Swing is based on the Ballroom dance form the Foxtrot, but has faster and more intricate footwork, along with some partnering tricks.

In the 1950's music changed with the birth of Rock and Roll. Along with new sounds, new dance crazes quickly swept the nation. On television, "American Bandstand" appeared each afternoon, and teenagers throughout the United States could hear the new sounds and learn dances to go along with them. Dances in the '50s were done individually, as couples, or in groups. Many dances were named for the songs that inspired them. Dances in this era include the Twist, The Stroll and The Handjive. Latin Music was currently creeping into mainstream pop music at this time.

Welcome the 1960's! The Sixties was recognized as a decade of transition from the conservative Fifties and the birth of revolutionary ways to live, think, and create. In the entertainment industry, many changes happened in the world of dance. The Sixties were all about learning the newest dance craze and performing them on (the still thriving show) Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Dancing was a driving force that brought people together in peace and happiness and continues to be influential across the world today. The common dances from this decade veered away from the touch partner dancing that had been popular in prior decades and are now featured solo dancing. Musical influences were the entire British Invasion (bringing its fashion with it), R&B, Motown, Folk, Surf, Psychedelic, and Protest Rock. A few of the dances we had are the Watusi, The Pony, The Loco Motion, The Swim, The Mashed Potato and The Jerk.

During the 1970's a period of major political and cultural shift helped to create a unique time of artistic expression and creativity unlike any other before it. With so many new music trends coming out, plenty of new dance trends soon followed. This helped create a demand for more dance on TV with the addition of shows like Soul Train, which went on to shape dance, music, fashion and pop culture well into the 21st Century. Dancing became even more important to this new generation of club goers as more discotheques began to spring up all over the place. Known for loud polyester clothing, platform shoes, afros and of course disco music, this era of free love and flower power helped fuel some of the wildest dance crazes ever. Regardless of one's birth year, people across many generations can easily identify specific fashions from the 70’s, but how about the dances? Let’s have a look as we flash back to the funky 70’s with The Hustle, The Robot, The Electric Slide, The Bus Stop, The Bump, The YMCA, The Funky Chicken, and The Disco Finger.

Neon, big hair, Michael Jackson, Madonna, MTV, we must be in the 1980's! Street Fusion Jazz Dance was born when many clubs turned away from Disco, Funk and Jazz in order to "move with the times" and remain commercially viable. As a result, Jazz Dancers were enabled to create their very own style of Dance, which would challenge their ability to change with the new rhythms and "follow" the music. In addition, dancers explored their acrobatic capabilities in so-called drop moves as well as a variety of floor work, often mistaken for Break Dance. In the 1980's we saw such dance moves as The Moon Walk, The Safety Dance, The MC Hammer, The Van Halen Jump, The Worm, and The Cabbage Patch. Hip-Hop and Street dancing were making their mark on society in a big and splashy way.

1990's... The 90's were strongly influenced by an African based Hip-Hop Style. Dance, urban culture, fashion and rap music were under the umbrella of “Hip-Hop”. Some Hip Hop dances from the 90s are Tootsie Roll, Da Dipand Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.

Teen Pop Groups and Singers were geared to “Generation Y”, the youth of the era. Boy bands like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys as well as singers like Britney Spears fell into this category.

Electronic Dance, House, Techno, Eurodance/Europop popularized “Rave Dancing” in clubs around the world. It was not choreographed, but emerged from the way the dancer(s) felt at the moment and consisted of simple foot and arm movement in response to the beat. Rave culture still exists today, and the style involves strobe light, neon, latex and spandex skimpy outfits. The major Broadway hit "Chicago" revolutionized dance on the broadway stage and into our jazz dance styles with more sensuality, glamour, and influences of Burlesque, Cool Jazz, and Vaudeville. This musical greatly influenced, and put on the map, the Broadway style of jazz dancing.

And now for the 2000's .... We continue to see Hip-Hop’s influence and all of its subcategories, dancing through the millennium. Krumping becomes a dance floor favourite! In case you need a refresher, Krumping first started as a Los Angeles street dance that was highly energized with jolty body movements. It basically personified the 2000’s.

The 2000’s were also characterized by the ever-increasing interest in electronic music. Electro Dance, then, was a mix of many of the dance styles spanning the past few decades, combining Vogue moves with Disco and even adding in freestyle glow stick moves. Deep beats gave dancers and party goers a reason to get on their feet!

The BIG dance style, and monster genre for every one of the competitive studios out there, let's all say it together... Contemporary... was brought into our homes singlehandedly by Mama Mia herself, Mia Michaels. Though contemporary dance had been around for a few of decades, Mia sensationalized contemporary dance from the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance.

And now for our current decade! Many of today’s popular dances tend to be trends pulled from either YouTube videos or music artist’s own music videos. The creation of new dances happens frequently with group and line dances such as Gangnam Style, Single Ladies, and even Flash Mobs.

The 2010’s can perhaps be best explained by the large influences of various dances our culture has absorbed and tweaked over the past century. When you look at the dance floor, you will see a mix of hip hop dancers, line dancers, and straight-up freestylers, and I think this is an amazing representation of the way dance has evolved and been shaped through the years.

When judging jazz, I am looking for the "roots" of jazz, that passionate, robust, flair of music and style. I like to see lots of footwork technique and choreography and isolation work. Show me a great contraction or a beautiful hinge! Some fantastic jumps, turns, extensions, transitions, and floor work. And don't forget that flexibility and strength go hand in hand! Placement and posture need to be fully acknowledged and made aware by the dancer when executing and performing Jazz techniques.

But be very careful to always remain balanced in your choreography!!!! You don't want to overdo one of those sections mentioned above, as it will look repetitive and not as exciting, almost predictable. There is so much more to jazz dancing than grabbing your leg up over your head and possibly spinning around. Why do most all of todays' students think that they need to have their picture taken with some sort of leg extension to make them look like a great dancer...?

Another big factor is age appropriateness of the performer. There are so many different types of Jazz techniques, tricks and turns for ALL ages. Please keep in mind that stunning choreography and a mature style on a 16 year old will not look as pleasing on a 10 year old! Also, if a dancer is unable to properly execute a particular Jazz technical element with 100% accuracy, then don't choreograph it in the routine! Why make the dancer(s) look weak or unsure in their performance? It's our job as choreographers to highlight the dancers' strengths and technical achievements. The more secure and solid a dancers' performance on stage, the better the score from the judges!

Jazz is one of the founding basics that you need as a dancer to get hired by those Contemporary companies, Cruise Lines, TV casting directors, or Broadway Shows. Many good commercial Hip-Hop dancers featured on videos and commercials are excellent Jazz dancers themselves! Jazz dancing incorporates the entire body into its movements, thus amplifying the passion and soul of the performer. It has a very rich history and has a very articulate and exact set of terminology and techniques and signature moves. Jazz can be performed by the young to the more "mature" dancer. Jazz can be fun, serious, passionate, linear, abstract, era inspired, signature moves recognizable, music motivated, aggressive, suggestive, storytelling, but most of all, Jazz dancing is entertaining, and relatable to one and all!