Lorraine Person-Kriegel - Jazz Dance Today Essentials

JAZZ DANCE TODAYESSENTIALS

Total Health Publications

Oslo, Norway

Copyright 2015

MEET THE AUTHORS

L orraine Kriegel is a retired professor and choreographer interested in dance techniques. She has been a high level professional performer as well as the creative director for a number of dance companies.

She is currently using multimedia imaging technology to explore the 19th century ballet of the Paris Opera and the 20th century jazz of Luigi.

Dr. Kim Chandler Vaccaro is the director of the Rider University/ Princeton Ballet School Dance program and is on the faculties of both institutions. She teaches ballet, creative movement, Pilates, dance history and a number of other subjects. She is also a choreographer and has written and edited several books on the various forms and functions of dance.

Kimberly has a new book on modern dance and movement meditation which is now available. CoMBo ( Co nditioning for M ind Bo dy) Contemplative Movement for Holistic Health is a conditioning program for mindbody that develops focus, balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, confidence and joy. CoMBo conditions both the mind and body. It begins with a contemplative movement practice that takes the focus fully inward. It is heavily illustrated and contains numerous videos in its ebook version.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

M EET THE AUTHORS

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER 1

Preparing for the

Jazz Dance Class

Knowing What You Want to Achieve and How to Achieve It

What to Wear and Why

Understanding the Necessity of Training

Terminology

Listening to Music in Class

Getting Prepared Mentally

Psycho-neuromuscular Theory

Relaxation

Getting Prepared Physically

Your Personal Warm-up

What's Missing from a Jazz Dance Class

CHAPTER 2 Jazz Dance Technique

How Today's Jazz Class Developed and Why

Basic Dance Technique

Alignment

Turnout or Outward Rotation

Parallel and Turned-In Positions

Releve

Transference of Weight

Vocabulary

Jazz Walks

Jazz Turns

Elevations

Extensions

Elevations

Pas de bourree

Contractions

CHAPTER 3

The Jazz Dance Classa Model

Physical Training

Style Training

General Warm-up (Large Muscle Groups)

Proper Alignment. A Review

Fine Tuning (Smaller Muscle Groups)

Strengthening Exercises

Flexibility Exercises

Endurance Conditioning

Isolations

Short Combinations

Long Combinations

Cool-down

Reverence

CHAPTER 4

Basic Nutritional and Cardiorespiratory Conditioning

Cardiorespiratory Conditioning

CHAPTER 5

Supplemental Strength Training for the Dancer

Upper Body

Chapter 6

Supplemental Flexibility

Training for the Dancer

Supplemental Flexibility Training

Warm-up

Relaxation

Duration

Specificity

CHAPTER 7

Discipline and Training Schedules

Discipline and Training Schedules

Variety in Training

Body Therapies

Alexander Technique

Bartlnleff Fundamentals

Pilates Method

Ideokinesi

Feldenkrais

Massage

CHAPTER 8

What Is Jazz Dance?

Jazz Energy: The Kinetic Push

The Jazz Culture

ChecklistWhat the Experts Say

The Jazz Culture

Individual Risk in a Collective Context

European/African influences on American Jazz

Music and Movement in the Black Church

Social Dance/Theatrical Dance

1900-1950

Latin American Influences

Rap and Hip-hop

Aerobic Dance

Dance Synthesis: Ballet/Modern/Jazz

Jazz Dance's Global Future

CHAPTER 9

Jazz Dance Choreography

Choreography

Choreographer

Context

Creative Team

Choreographing

Jazz Choreography

Movement Shaped into Meaning

Choreography: Movement Shaped Into Meaning.

Developing Jazz Movement

Shaping with the Tools of Choreography

Staging

Dynamics

Creating Meaning: The Creative Process

Preparation

CHAPTER 10

The Performance

Jazz Dance: A Performing Art

Projection

Understanding the Dance

Honesty

Concentration

Authority

Coping with Stage Fright

APPENDIX A Muscle Chart

Appendix B Vitamin-Mineral Chart

APPENDIX C

Calorie expenditure from various activities

Calorie/Activity Chart 3500 calories = 1 pound

APPENDIX D

Dance Publications

APPENDIX E

Dance Wear

APPENDIX F

Conventions and Competition

APPENDIX G

Preparation Checklists

THE MODELS

Preface

J azz dance is a nonverbal art form traditionally passed from teacher to student in a physical way. In preparing a book about jazz dancein effect making the nonverbal verbalwe have tried to integrate written information from dance theorists, historians, and kinesiologists with dance information from teachers, choreographers, producers, and dancers. Our goal was to present an accurate picture of jazz dance today in the context of its tradition supported by the latest in dance science research. Our purpose in bringing this information together was to supplement the more emotional and immediate experience of jazz dance classes with a conceptual structure that will enrich the studio experience for the students.

This past decade has seen a surge in the theoretical information written on dance. Dance as an art form is being researched, analyzed, and studied in terms of both history and creative processes, while dance kinesiology, the science of dance movement, is a rapidly expanding field. Each area offers its own insights into the dance arena, and dancers today have the advantage of applying this information to their daily training.

Jazz Dance Today Essentials includes the findings of current research. It is an organizational framework based on the principles of dance fitness, allowing the student and teacher to concentrate on the art. On the surface, it will appear not unlike a traditional class, yet the exercises have been ordered and conceived to provide a balance of strength and flexibility, endurance conditioning, and neuromuscular coordination. The class is broken down into elements, each defined by current information on dance kinesiology.

Consideration is given to the idea of dance as an entity in itself and as a mind-body-soul application. We believe that intention, expressiveness, motivation, performance quality, musicality, and communication within the art of dance are foremost. Our framework allows students to work on these attributes knowing they are attending to physical wellness. In an attempt to bypass some of the injuries that have plagued dancers for so long, the framework is a strategy that emphasizes student safety in a comprehensive dance experience. Jazz Dance Today provides a visual tool to examine a dancer's training. It is meant as a practical guide that can free class time for dancing.

Jazz dance is a freedom-loving, movement-loving tradition. Each young jazz dancer who receives this gift of expression is free to play with it and shape it to his or her own world view. Therefore, jazz dance today is not jazz dance yesterday or jazz dance tomorrow.