The renowned American choreographer Bob Boross of the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center held a week-long series of master classes in jazz dance for students of the Boris Eifman Ballet Dance Academy and young professional dancers of the Cannon Dance Studio. The dancers and Academy students (mostly between 11-12 years old) learned the history, techniques, and new trends of jazz dance.
The origins of jazz dance trace back to the early 1920s when the new musical genre of jazz became established in the U.S. In the 1940s, ballet and modern dance choreographers began incorporating movements and techniques from jazz dance. This made jazz dance not a single dance style but a combination of styles varying in accordance with the vision and creativity of individual choreographers.
The young dancers were excited to have the opportunity to practice this distinctive style of dance and look forward to developing it further with their teachers. Bob Boross also led discussions with the Academy teachers about how they can integrate their new knowledge into the school’s curriculum and future performances.
Watch our video from the master class.
