Linda Jamieson, director and choreographer of the Linda Jamieson School of Dance, discusses jazz dance and its study.
Much like its musical namesake, jazz dance relies on syncopation and can incorporate improvisational movement. Because of the wide array of expressions the style affords, jazz dance can involve everything from slow graceful moves accompanied by slow-burn blues, for example, to high-energy quick steps and leaps to a faster piece. With the style incorporating such a wide variety of movements, ballet and various modern dance styles influence jazz dance. Indeed, many experienced jazz dancers have strong backgrounds in ballet.
One of the advantages of jazz dance is that it often allows dancers to improvise movement to the music, providing a free-flowing form of expression. Even jazz dance involving large groups, for which choreography is stricter, can allow for improvisation where one dancer riffs off of the next. Such improvisation allows dancers to add more of their own personalities to a piece, to the delight of both themselves and their audience.
The Linda Jamieson School of Dance, located in Kanata, Ontario, teaches students a variety of dance styles, including ballet and jazz. Class skill levels range from beginner to pre-professional. More information can be found on the web at www.jamiesondance.com.
Much like its musical namesake, jazz dance relies on syncopation and can incorporate improvisational movement. Because of the wide array of expressions the style affords, jazz dance can involve everything from slow graceful moves accompanied by slow-burn blues, for example, to high-energy quick steps and leaps to a faster piece. With the style incorporating such a wide variety of movements, ballet and various modern dance styles influence jazz dance. Indeed, many experienced jazz dancers have strong backgrounds in ballet.
One of the advantages of jazz dance is that it often allows dancers to improvise movement to the music, providing a free-flowing form of expression. Even jazz dance involving large groups, for which choreography is stricter, can allow for improvisation where one dancer riffs off of the next. Such improvisation allows dancers to add more of their own personalities to a piece, to the delight of both themselves and their audience.
The Linda Jamieson School of Dance, located in Kanata, Ontario, teaches students a variety of dance styles, including ballet and jazz. Class skill levels range from beginner to pre-professional. More information can be found on the web at www.jamiesondance.com.