Basic Jazz Dance Steps

Learning basic jazz dance steps are the first part of exploring jazz dance, an energetic and exciting display of physical prowess. Jazz dance itself is a combination of classical ballet moves mixed with steps from American popular culture, including African and Celtic dance influences. While it has become a fine art form, originally jazz dance was designed to entertain, and even the basic jazz dance steps have a showy, extreme feel to them.

What are the Basic Jazz Dance Steps, Anyway?

Different teachers may have different opinions of what make up the elementary curriculum for jazz dancers, but there are a few steps and techniques that are indelibly put into the jazz repertoire:

• Jazz Square – This iconic move consists of stepping forward, then crossing the other foot over, stepping back with the first, and then bringing the feet side by side. It can be done to the left or right side, and usually is done with some extreme attitude in the upper body, exaggerating the motion.
• Isolations – One of the key skills for any jazz dancer is to be able to move parts of their body individually. For hands and other extremities, this is pretty easy, but to master jazz you need to be able to isolate the chest and hips as well, and this is almost always a part of any jazz dance warmup.
• Chassé – Drawing from the ballet tradition, the chasse is literally a "chasing" step, where one foot steps forward, and the other is brought up behind, the first stepping off immediately, which forms a sort of skipping move across the floor.
• Jazz Layout – This is another classic move, and is often used in posters and images to convey some of the excitement of jazz dance. It is basically a straight kick high up in the air while simultaneously doing an extreme back bend, head arched back and arms extended. It is a move requiring excellent balance and extreme flexibility.
• Jazz walk – It is impossible to really describe the "jazz walk," as it is something like art: you know it when you see it. It is a great example of how personal attitude can be injected into the art of jazz, where it is not always expected that the dancers will do everything in synchronization.

These are only a few of the primary skills taught to new jazz dancers. There are many more that are used to build into a more complete repertoire of moves that are being added to constantly by talented dancers and choreographers.

Learning Basic Technique

If the descriptions above seem a bit confusing, it is because, like most dance forms, the best way to learn is not through text, or even through videos, but rather through personal instruction. Jazz dance has become recognized enough to be offered in most general studios. One of the advantages of a hybrid form such as jazz dance is that taking other classes such as ballet and hip hop can only improve your technique. Jazz dance is also a great way to exercise and stay in shape, and "jazzercise" classes have become common at gyms around the country. Even though their focus is on exercise, these classes also teach a great deal about technique, as most of the good forms for exercise follow the same proper technique for the dance.

It is also possible to learn some of the basic forms through DVDs, though there is the major drawback of not having any feedback as you learn the moves, and therefore there is no way to really know where you might need to work on technique. Picking out a DVD with a reputable teacher and good production values can get you started on the road to enjoying jazz dance, but take the time to research both on the web and (if possible) with other jazz dancers as to the best video to get.

Regardless of where you learn the basics of jazz, they will be only the first step in a wonderful world of dance and exciting music.

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