What is solo (AUTHENTIC) Jazz?
Solo jazz is a blanket term, but we like to define it as an individual yet social dance to jazz music rooted in African dance. You can identify it by recognizing elements of dances such as the Charleston or the Black Bottom (see video). Its most important features are individuality and rhythm! When you are dancing and communicating with jazz music as another instrument without physically connecting to a partner, you are dancing Authentic jazz.
You can read more about it in Harri Heinila’s Article “What is Authentic Jazz?”
Al Minns and Leon James performing at the” “Playboy's Penthouse” talkshow somewhere between 1959 and 1960. Credit of this clip goes to Robert White and his blog, Swungover.
Solo (AUTHENTIC) Jazz classes
Levels
Experience in terms of time is not always a good indicative of which level you should join, so please be authentic about your easiness with the requirements asked: when listing a step in a class level description, we expect students to not only know of it, but to be comfortable enough with it that it can be built on.
Beginners
Where you learn the basics! This level is perfect if you are new to the dance.
Duration: 1 trimester
Open
Required to join: comfortableness with steps such as Tacky Annie, Stomps, Charleston, Time step, Fall of the log, Boogie Back, Boogie Forward, Box Step, Eagle Slide, Crossover, Spank the Baby, Shorty George, Lock Step.
Experience with routines such as Shim Sham, Tranky Doo, Mama Stew and Big Apple.
Desire to work on improvisation and be challenged.
Duration: Not defined