Jazz dance is influenced by African techniques and rhythms. It originated from the black social dances like the cakewalk and turkey trot from around 1910. It was introduced as mainstream and stage dance in the early 19th century and early 20th century. It was mainly in show business for example in minstrel shows and early musical comedy.
In the 1960s a 'style' was devised which contained elements of other dance types like ballet, modern and tap dance.
Jazz dance is popular because it is more relaxed than modern dance and ballet dance. The torso is flexible, the feet parallel and the body line is often accentuated.
While ballet is concerned with the appearance of lightness, jazz dance has the appearance and feeling of weight, the majority of steps are low and the knees and legs are either bent or relaxed. Absolutely any music can be danced to, usually chart music is used.
It is used extensively in the music industry. Singers and their dancers have routines which are composed of jazz steps. It is relaxed, versatile, and the steps can be modified to suit the music and 'fashion'. For example, Madonna's current routines (Don't Tell Me) incorporate the line dancing theme.
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