Greg Zola - Blog Post 10/12
I personally have little to no relation to jazz dance, because I am not a dancer. I do however, have experience with playing and performing jazz music. I have played the trumpet in many jazz combos and bands, both school run and independently run.
I recently attended a jazz music performance in Chicago, at a local club called Jazz Showcase on Monday October tenth. The act of the night was Luciano Antonio, a Brazilian-American Guitar player. I was initially reluctant to go, but I was immediately happy that I did. Antonio was an extremely talented guitar player and singer. He was accompanied by another guitar player, and a drummer as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed Antonio's performance at the Jazz Showcase. However, I was disappointed to see that there was not much dancing to compliment the music. The most dancing that happened was a group of couples slow dancing from time to time. Based on my prior knowledge of jazz music, it occurred to me during this performance that Jazz has widely become discredited and seen as background music, which could, in my opinion, unfortunately lead to a decline in jazz dance.
Jazz dance originated within the African American community in the early 1900’s, and before the 1950’s it was commonly known as tap dance. It started off as a street style dance, and as it grew in popularity, it moved from the streets to high levels of performing arts, such as Broadway shows. At the same time as it's migration from the streets to professional settings, it mixed with traditional Caribbean dance styles. It soon became what is known as modern jazz.
As modern jazz has evolved, its technique has become much smoother and based on control of your body's center. The majority of jazz dance involves movement stemming from the middle of your body outward.
I recently attended a jazz music performance in Chicago, at a local club called Jazz Showcase on Monday October tenth. The act of the night was Luciano Antonio, a Brazilian-American Guitar player. I was initially reluctant to go, but I was immediately happy that I did. Antonio was an extremely talented guitar player and singer. He was accompanied by another guitar player, and a drummer as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed Antonio's performance at the Jazz Showcase. However, I was disappointed to see that there was not much dancing to compliment the music. The most dancing that happened was a group of couples slow dancing from time to time. Based on my prior knowledge of jazz music, it occurred to me during this performance that Jazz has widely become discredited and seen as background music, which could, in my opinion, unfortunately lead to a decline in jazz dance.
Jazz dance originated within the African American community in the early 1900’s, and before the 1950’s it was commonly known as tap dance. It started off as a street style dance, and as it grew in popularity, it moved from the streets to high levels of performing arts, such as Broadway shows. At the same time as it's migration from the streets to professional settings, it mixed with traditional Caribbean dance styles. It soon became what is known as modern jazz.
As modern jazz has evolved, its technique has become much smoother and based on control of your body's center. The majority of jazz dance involves movement stemming from the middle of your body outward.