-What are the metaphors, concepts, or organizational formats used to explain jazz dance history?
The history of jazz dance started with enslaved African Americans turning their bodies into instruments by stomping their feet on the ground and creating syncopated rhythms with their hands and voices. As said in The Roots of Jazz Dance Podcast, “Jazz is of, for, and by the people.” Jazz was a method of survival for African Americans and developed to become one of the most versatile forms of dance there is. While it is difficult to define jazz due to its suppressive history and its divergence into many different branches, there are concepts and further, movements, that remain engrained in the history. Movements that are close to the ground, use of the body for music, shoulder isolations, and vocal encouragement are all examples of core parts of jazz that can still be found in many popular dance moves and styles. Particularly, a dancing clip in Mura Dehn’s documentary on Lindy Hop showed examples of how just certain movements can be recognized and traced back to the beginning of jazz dance.