- This article is about the ballroom dance style. For other dances that go by the name "jive", see jive
In Ballroom dancing, Jive is a dance style in 4/4 time that originated in the United States from African-Americans in the early 1940s. It is a lively and uninhibited variation of the Jitterbug, a form of Swing dance.
Jive is one of the five International Latin dances. In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, although in other cases this is reduced to between 32 and 40 bars per minute.
Many of its basic patterns are similar to these of the East Coast Swing with the major difference of highly syncopated rhythm of the Triple Steps (Chasses), which use straight eighths in ECS and hard swing in Jive.
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History
To jazz musicians who were the players of swing music in the 1930s and 1940s "Jive" was an expression denoting glib or foolish talk.[1]
American soldiers brought Lindy Hop/Jitterbug to Europe around 1940, where this dance swiftly found a following among the young. In the United States the term Swing became the most common word used to describe the dance.[2] In the UK variations in technique led to styles such as Boogie-Woogie and Swing Boogie, with "Jive" gradually emerging as the generic term.[3]
After the war, the boogie became the dominant form for popular music. It was, however, never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. The famous ballroom dancing guru, Alex Moore, said that he had "never seen anything uglier". English instructors developed the elegant and lively ballroom Jive, danced to slightly slower music. In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin dance in International competitions. The modern form of ballroom jive in the 1990's-present, is a very happy and boppy dance, the lifting of knees and the bending or rocking of the hips often occurs.
Basic step
The basic step (Jive Basic) is a six beat pattern, comprising eight weight changes.
- Leader:
- Counts 1 2 - Rock step: left foot step back, right foot replace
- Counts 3 a4 - Chasse to the left
- Counts 5 a6 - Chasse to the right
- The follower's steps are mirrored.
External links
- Jive Videos - videos of Jive performances
- Jive-Dance.com - Information about Jive, Jive music & songs and where to take Jive lessons.
References
- ^ Early Jazz: Its Roots and Musical Development. by Gunther Schuller. 1968. Oxford University Press. page 379. ISBN 0-19-504043-0
- ^ How to become a Good Dancer by Arthur Murray 1947 Simon and Schuster. revised edition. page 175.
- ^ Let's Dance. Paul Bottomer. 1998. Black Dog & Leventhal. page 157. ISBN 1-57912-049-0
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