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A variety of jazz styles will be taught
including Luigi, Matt Maddox, West Coast, Fosse and
Giordano. Students will gain strength, flexibility and
coordination through technical jazz exercises (based on
ballet technique). Classes include warm-up exercises
followed by movement across the floor and choreography.
To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must master ballet
technique.
Jazz is great for maintaining fitness!
Jazz dance is a form of dance commonly used
in Broadway shows and movies, by the Rockettes in New
York and on MTV. Jazz is a more contemporary kind of
dance as compared to ballet. Some traditional musical
jazz numbers are All That Jazz and Chicago.
The essential roots of jazz dance come from
Afro-American culture from the late 1800’s up till the
mid 1900. Pioneers took the essence of Caribbean
traditional dance and made it into a performing art.
In jazz dancing the movements are big
and exaggerated and there is usually an attitude the
dancer conveys to the audience.
**Students should perform all steps ACCURATELY before moving on to the next level. On average, students will remain in a level for 2-3 years. All Jazz students are evaluated by the Dance Creations faculty in the fall to determine correct class placements. Studying Ballet technique is essential to excel in Jazz and lack of Ballet classes may affect advancement.**
Beginning 1 (ages 7-10)
- demi plie in 1st, 2nd & 6th positions
- grande plie in 2nd position
- tendu and degage from 1st and 6th positions
- chasse w/ alternating legs and arms
- jazz basics (lindy, jazz square, 3 step turn, grapevine, kick ball change, pivot turn, step clap on beat)
- simple isolations
- passé skips
- cross drag
- pirouette preparation
- flat back
sauté in first position
- conditioning (stretching and crunches)
Beginning 2 (ages 8-10)
all from beginning 1 plus:
- chainee preparation
- port de bras with the jazz basic steps (High & Low “V”, “L”, diagonal and2nd position arms)
- port de bras across the floor
- triplet across floor
- pas de bourrie (crossing under)
- CLEAN single pirouette (en de hors)
- small leaps with a chasse preparation
- accurate grande battement (front)
- passé sauté
- conditioning (stretching and crunches)
Beginning Teen / Adult Jazz (12+)
- complete syllabus from beginning 1 and beginning 2
Intermediate 1 (ages 9+)
All from beginning 2 plus:
- demi plie with diagonal, high and low “V” arms
- 1st position grande plie
- 3rd position demi plie, tendu and degage
- laterals & tilts
- port de bras with passé sauté and double tuck jump
- releve with forced arch & hinge (at barre & later in center)
- developpes (at barre)
- accurate grande battements to the side & back
- parallel assemble
- combinations / progressions across the floor
- pas de bourrie over
- pas de bourrie turn
- hitch kick front with accurate port de bras
- chainee turn (continuous)
- jazz walks
- break down of leaps (grande jete)
- pique preparations
- stag hop
- syncopation of steps
- conditioning (stretching, crunches and push-ups / upper body work)
Intermediate 2 (ages 12+)
All from intermediate 1 plus:
- demi plie with laterals, high release and contraction
- 5th position demi plie, grande plie, tendu & degage
- Adagio (focusing on developpes w/ laterals & high release)
- Pencil turn
- Compass turn
- Ronde de Jambe a terre and low en l’air w/ laterals
- Grande battements with laterals & high release
- CLEAN double pirouette (en de hors)
- CLEAN single pirouette (en de dans)
- Coupe turn
- Pitch turn preparation
- Pique turns
- Layout
- Floor work (rolls / falling to floor/ jazz splits)
- Good use of space (ability to travel)
- Turn & leap combos
- Side leap
- Side and Reverse hitch kicks
Advanced (ages 12+)
All from intermediate 2 plus:
- Balances on one leg
- More complex port de bras in plie
- Faster tendus & degages
- Grande ronde de jambe with tilts and layouts
- Complex floor work (shoulder rolls, hinge to floor etc.)
- Smooth floor transitions
- Double attitude jump
- CLEAN double pirouette en de dans
- CLEAN multiple pirouette (3+) en de hors
- Fouette turns
- Forced arch turns
- Combine turns
- Turns in 2nd position
- Turning leaps
- Dancing / turning in a circle
- Reverse leaps
- Side leaps
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