Gain a competitive edge by mastering the concepts presented in Authentic jazz and secrets of improvisation concerning improvisation.
Solo jazz, Authentic jazz dance..
How much confusion about these terms!
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Nowadays the swing dance community refers to solo jazz dance (jazz steps/ vintage jazz/ jazz roots) as dancing alone to jazz music styles. It comes without any influences of ballet or any other contemporary techniques. It is mainly characterised by improvisation, syncopated steps and rhythms, call and response to music, all while featuring the vocabulary and steps of the vernacular jazz tradition.
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Authentic jazz movements like the Boogies, the Suzie Q (Susie Q), the Tacky Annie (Tack Annie), can be seen in chorus line dancers performing in “soundies” (a type of short musical clips), vaudeville acts, musicals of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. They could also include tap, toe-heels steps, shuffles, the over-the-top, adding syncopations and rhythms to the music it was danced to.
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Mable Lee started her career as chorus line dancer, then becoming the Queen of soundies as soloist dancers. Also known for her "Boogie" hips, here you can see Mable Lee in the Soundie "Beat Me, Daddy" (1943), featuring Maurice Rocco.
She is improvising some typical vernacular movements that we can recognize as part of the solo jazz vocabulary.
Can you spot them? The Mess Around, the Boogies, the Lock turn, the Cross overs swinging her hips in kind of animalistic fish tail mimicry
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Authentic jazz brings together the elements of African-American vernacular, traditional dance : improvisation and individuality of the dancers are some of the main ones!!
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Unlock the secrets of improvistation and improve your solo jazz skills!
Pick a step and play with it, add syncopations, try out a few rhythms, create something new. Music will lead you!
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Here you can see me playing around with Cross over, a classic of solo jazz, led by the beautiful saxophone of Ben Webster and O. Peterson piano!
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"The touch of your lips" (B. Webster & O. Peterson)
What means Solo jazz for you? And Jazz dance?
Martina Maddalena- Swing dancer and me wrote a clarifying blog post about it, check it out if you haven't done it yet ;)
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Keep the momentum going! How can the lessons from Authentic jazz and secrets of improvisation be applied to your current projects involving improvisation?
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