This 8-week course will include one hour of dancing each session, along with one hour of video and conversation. The first hour will focus on learning elements of African-American vernacular jazz dance from the 1920-40s. The class begins with an age-appropriate warmup of all parts of the body. Then we’ll learn vernacular steps such as the shim sham, Charleston, and box step, and put them together into short dances.

We will dance mainly to jazz music from the 1920s-40s, along with some more contemporary jazz songs. The last hour of class will focus on student presentations, video clips, and conversation about readings or videos. The focus will be on learning the fascinating history behind this African-American form. The instructor will provide readings for each class, either via PDFs or links to web articles. Click to read the syllabus.

Format: The instructor will lead the movement section of class each week. Students will come dressed in comfortable clothing that allows movement, along with sneakers or dance shoes. During the second part of class, students will make brief presentations based on suggested topics, including at least one video clip. Alternatively, students may choose to lead discussions on assigned readings. Students will sign up for the topic of their choice and will have about 25 minutes for their portion of class. More instruction on presentations and leading discussions will be offered in the first class.

Resources/Expenses: Access to the internet to view YouTube videos.

Coordinator: Dr. Wendy Oliver retired from the Providence College Department of Theatre, Dance, and Film, where she taught dance and dance history. She has published research articles in professional Dance journals and has edited and contributed to several books, one of which is Jazz Dance: A History of the Roots and Branches.