Jazz Practitioners

Bob fosse (1927-87) choreographed, directed and performed many musical works throughout his life, some of these include The Pajama Game, Cabaret and Chicago. His work was so unique that it made a large impact on the dance industry and Fosse technique is still being taught and celebrated all around the world today.

One of the main things that make Fosse’s choreography so unique is the “deceptive simplicity” of his movements (Dance Spirit, 2011). Fosse was so meticulous during the choreographic process that it would take whole rehearsals just to focus on and perfect hand placements. Although this could be described as pedantic, the precision that goes hand in hand with his unique choreography style has been preserved and celebrated to this day. A famous movement that can be found in many of his works- such as Chicago the musical- is the Fosse walk. Another one of Fosse’s trademarks is the physical setting such as costumes and props. His dancers usually wore black, tight-fitting clothes that showed off their figures to make them seem “sexy and appealing” (Dance Cabernet, 2014)- This further exemplifies the idea of Fosse’s iconic sensual style. Furthermore, he used many props to enhance his choreography like chairs in ‘Cabaret’ to incorporate the choreographic device levels. Although he used props, they were usually very minimalistic and easy to manoeuvre so that they would not take away attention from the performance. 

I feel that the small details that are usually associated with Fosse’s work are well reflected in our Juggernaut routine. For example, there are many instances in the dance where we have broken wrists; one being a section in canon where each line reaches one arm up at a time in parallel with a broken wrist. This bend in the wrist and break of alignment was frequently used by Fosse in Rich Man’s Frug (2013). Moreover, Fosse walks are used in our routine as transition steps and these were quite well known as typical Fosse movements, used in works like Rich Man’s Frug (2013) and All that Jazz (2018). Another one of Fosse’s choreographic qualities that are reflected in our routine is the fact we dance in heels. The use of heeled shoes elongates the line of the legs and makes them seem longer, again conveying Fosse’s distinct sensual theme that is often presented in his work. 

Jerome Robbins (1918-89) was an American choreographer with work has shaped both ballet and Broadway- this includes musicals like Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story. His choreographic style is described as a blending of ballet, modern, jazz and social dance idioms (Jowitt,2004). One of Robbins’ distinctive qualities is powerful movements, and this is shown in West Side Story. They are described as sharp with quick dynamics and large, whole-body actions which give the impression of athletic masculine movement (Henners, 2014). These qualities are well conveyed in our Billie Eilish routine; throughout the routine, there are many large movements like a barrel turn which requires sharp dynamics and a strong core. There is also a point in the dance where we do a horizontal star jump into a roll onto the floor which again requires core strength. Furthermore, Robbins is the “first American to build an international reputation and an enduring legacy as a ballet choreographer” (Thomas, 2014). It is clear to see how the dynamics in Robbin’s style are influenced by having studied ballet when he was younger.  For example, during a grand battement in ballet, there should be lots of force and energy exerted into the upward movement and then it should be controlled and elongated on the way down. The same idea of these dynamics applies to all kicks in Robbins’ work even if they are in a more contemporary or jazz number. In our routine, this dynamic is portrayed well as there is a section during the middle of the dance where we do a kick to the corner. 

In Robbins’ work, his dancers would use facial expressions and gestures well to portray the storyline as storytelling is another distinctive quality of his work. This is well shown in our routine as the whole beginning section is stillness for six bars aside from a small syncopated movement every other bar. This small movement is improvised and has a sharp dynamic with an intention to make the audience feel uneasy while watching. The dance, in general, has many aspects to it that create an intimidating atmosphere such as the intense facial expression and the crisp dynamics that can really catch the audience’s attention. 

Jack Cole (1911-74) was known as the “Father of Theatrical Dance” (Watson, N/A), his works include Kismet, Zenda and he also choreographed the dance to Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Throughout his career, he had also worked with Marilyn Monroe, Gwen Verdon and Mitzi Gaynor.

Two of Cole’s movements that appear in many of his works is rapid direction changes and syncopations (Rizzuto, 2013). This choreographic trademark of his causes the dynamics to shift throughout his dances which make them very interesting for an audience to watch. This quality is shown well in Cole’s piece “Beale Street Blues” (2007); there’s a section where the male dancers are interacting with the female lead through a very high-intensity routine that involves floor work, jumps and agility. I believe this quality is represented well in our routine as there is a mixture of floorwork and elevation. Additionally, there is a part in our dance where we do two shoulder rolls to change directions in a jazz fourth position (from one corner to another) - this is just one example of how Cole’s use of agility is conveyed in our dance as we need to be able to change direction quickly.

Another of Cole’s choreographic qualities is his “modern, Caribbean and Oriental influences” (Andrew, 2018). These features are especially evident in his work Not Since Nineveh (2012) from the musical Kismet. It can be observed that Cole choreographed all the little details of arm and head placements so that his movements are clean and clear- this is well reflected in our Billie Eilish routine as there are many isolations and head movements.

References:

-       Dance Spirit. (2011). Legendary Moves. [online] Available at: https://www.dancespirit.com/legendary-moves-nov-2011-2326078869.html [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

-       My Blog. (2014). 7) Bob Fosse’s Choreographic Intentions: Physical Setting. [online] Available at: https://dancecabernet.wordpress.com/7bob-fosses-choreographic-intentions-physical-setting/ [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

-       Anon, (2013). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrZIK3gqbU [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

-       YouTube. (2018). All That Jazz. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dimosDNVFXE [Accessed 3 Mar. 2020].

-       Jowitt, D. (2004). Meet the Artists | ArtsAlive.ca Dance. [online] Artsalive.ca. Available at: http://www.artsalive.ca/en/dan/meet/bios/artistDetail.asp?artistID=59 [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Henners (2014). Jerome Robbins/West Side Story - Choreographic Style. [online] Getrevising.co.uk. Available at: https://getrevising.co.uk/revision-cards/jerome_robbinswest_side_story_choreographic_style [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Thomas, R. (2014). Jerome Robbins: A master of both ballet and musical choreography — News — Royal Opera House. [online] Roh.org.uk. Available at: https://www.roh.org.uk/news/jerome-robbins-a-master-of-both-ballet-and-musical-choreography [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Watson (n.d.). Jack Cole |Father of Theatrical Jazz. [online] Streetswing.com. Available at: https://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2jcole1.htm [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Rizzuto, R. (2013). History Lesson Plan: Jack Cole. [online] Dance Teacher. Available at: https://www.dance-teacher.com/history-lesson-plan-jack-cole-2392429308.html [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Anon, (2007). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcwwcPvoCjU [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Andrew (2018). A Look at the Amazing Jack Cole: Dancer, Choreographer for Broadway and Film. [online] L.A. Dance Chronicle. Available at: https://www.ladancechronicle.com/a-look-at-the-amazing-jack-cole-dancer-choreographer-for-broadway-and-film/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-       Anon, (2012). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcCojUkMuE [Accessed 4 Mar. 2020].

-