Visual & Performing Arts · 9th Grade · Movement and Meaning: Dance and Choreography · Weeks 10-18

Jazz and Hip-Hop Dance: Evolution and Influence

Investigating the origins and evolution of jazz and hip-hop dance, focusing on their cultural significance and stylistic characteristics.

• Common Core State Standards
• NCAS: Connecting DA.Cn10.1.HSProf
• NCAS: Responding DA.Re7.1.HSProf

About This Topic

Jazz dance and hip-hop dance are two of the most globally influential American art forms, and both have their roots in the cultural expressions of Black Americans. Jazz dance developed alongside jazz music in the early 20th century, absorbing West African rhythmic sensibilities, social dances of the Harlem Renaissance, and the theatrical vernacular of Broadway. Hip-hop emerged from the South Bronx in the 1970s as a creative response to poverty and disinvestment, with breaking, popping, locking, and waacking developing as distinct styles within a broader cultural movement that also included DJing, MCing, and graffiti.

NCAS Connecting DA.Cn10.1.HSProf asks students to place dance within its social and cultural context. This topic makes that standard concrete: neither jazz nor hip-hop can be understood without understanding the communities that created them and the social conditions those communities were navigating. When these forms entered mainstream popular culture, the original cultural context was often erased, and students can develop the critical vocabulary to identify and analyze that dynamic.

Active learning strategies like structured comparison, call-and-response movement games, and cultural context jigsaws help students build genuine analytical skills rather than surface-level familiarity. The goal is not performance of either style but informed appreciation and critical engagement.

Key Questions

1. How do jazz and hip-hop dance forms reflect the social and cultural landscapes from which they emerged?
2. Compare the rhythmic complexities and improvisational elements in jazz and hip-hop dance.
3. Analyze how these dance styles have influenced popular culture and other art forms.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the social and cultural contexts that shaped early jazz and hip-hop dance forms.
• Compare and contrast the rhythmic structures and improvisational techniques found in jazz and hip-hop dance.
• Evaluate the impact of jazz and hip-hop dance on contemporary popular culture and other artistic disciplines.
• Identify specific stylistic characteristics of key jazz and hip-hop dance subgenres, such as breaking, popping, locking, and swing dance.
• Explain the process by which jazz and hip-hop dance elements were appropriated and commercialized in mainstream media.

Before You Start

Introduction to Dance Elements: Space, Time, Energy

Why: Students need a foundational understanding of how dancers use space, manipulate time, and employ energy to analyze the specific qualities of jazz and hip-hop movement.

Cultural Expression in the Arts

Why: Prior exposure to how art forms reflect and respond to societal conditions will help students grasp the cultural significance of jazz and hip-hop dance.

Key Vocabulary

Vernacular Jazz	A category of jazz dance that draws directly from social dances and everyday movement, often characterized by improvisation and syncopation.
Breaking (B-boying/B-girling)	A dynamic style of hip-hop dance originating in the Bronx, featuring athletic movements like toprock, downrock, power moves, and freezes.
Popping	A hip-hop dance style characterized by quick contractions and releases of muscles to create a jerking effect, often performed to funk music.
Locking	A funk dance style that involves freezing or 'locking' the body in a specific position and then continuing with a rapid, energetic movement.
Call and Response	A musical and dance structure where one phrase is answered by another, reflecting a dialogue between dancers or between a dancer and music.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Jazz dance and hip-hop are primarily entertainment forms with little artistic depth.

What to Teach Instead

Both traditions contain sophisticated artistic systems with developed techniques, complex rhythmic structures, and rich community histories. Breaking, for example, has a competitive ethics and a transmission culture as demanding as any classical art form. Showing students archival footage from Harlem ballrooms or foundational breaking battles helps counter the entertainment-only perception.

Common Misconception

Jazz dance is a single unified style.

What to Teach Instead

Jazz dance encompasses enormously diverse sub-styles developed across different periods and communities: Lindy Hop, tap, theatrical jazz, concert jazz, and contemporary urban styles all carry different aesthetics and histories. Using a style vocabulary chart activity helps students appreciate this diversity rather than treating jazz as a monolithic category.

Common Misconception

Hip-hop dance began with music videos and popular media.

What to Teach Instead

Hip-hop dance predates most of its media exposure by a decade or more. Breaking was documented by anthropologists and researchers in the mid-1970s, years before it appeared in mainstream media. Jigsaw research activities that trace the historical timeline help students understand hip-hop as a community art form that was later discovered by commercial culture, not created by it.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Style Vocabulary Chart

Show three short clips representing different sub-styles (1940s jazz, breaking, waacking or voguing). Students individually identify three specific movement qualities (rhythm, spatial level, relationship to music) for each clip, then compare observations with a partner before constructing a shared class vocabulary chart on the board.

35 min·Pairs

Jigsaw: Cultural Origins

Divide students into four expert groups: Harlem Renaissance social dance, Lindy Hop and swing, South Bronx hip-hop origins, and hip-hop's global spread. Groups research their area using provided articles and short documentary clips, then regroup to share findings. The debrief focuses on what happens when a cultural form travels beyond its origin community.

55 min·Small Groups

Movement Lab: Rhythm and Improvisation

Guide students through a brief movement exploration comparing polyrhythmic response (moving different body parts to simultaneous rhythms, common in African-derived jazz traditions) with syncopation (hitting beats just before or after the downbeat). Students experiment with both, then watch footage of professional dancers to identify these same qualities.

30 min·Whole Class

Critical Media Analysis: Appropriation and Credit

Present pairs of images or video clips showing the same dance style in its origin community context versus a later commercial or mainstream context. Students use a structured analysis guide to identify what was retained, what was changed, and who received credit or compensation. Class discussion connects findings to broader questions about cultural ownership.

40 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Choreographers for music videos and live performances by artists like Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar often blend elements of jazz and hip-hop to create visually compelling routines that resonate with global audiences.
• Dance historians and cultural critics analyze the evolution of these forms, documenting their origins in Black American communities and tracing their influence through film, television, and social media platforms.
• Community dance studios and cultural centers in cities like New York and Los Angeles offer classes in various jazz and hip-hop styles, preserving the techniques and cultural heritage for new generations.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

On an index card, students will write: 1) One characteristic of jazz dance that reflects its origins, and 2) One characteristic of hip-hop dance that reflects its origins. They will also name one modern artist or media example where they see influence from either style.

Discussion Prompt

Facilitate a whole-class discussion using the prompt: 'How did the social and economic conditions of the communities that created jazz and hip-hop dance influence the movement vocabulary and spirit of these styles?' Encourage students to cite specific examples discussed in class.

Quick Check

Present students with short video clips of different dance styles (e.g., Lindy Hop, early breaking, commercial hip-hop). Ask them to identify which style is being shown and list 1-2 specific movements or qualities that helped them make that identification.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did jazz dance come from?

Jazz dance emerged from the convergence of West African movement traditions, European social dance, and the vibrant cultural life of African American communities in the early 20th century. The Harlem Renaissance was particularly important, with venues like the Savoy Ballroom becoming incubators for the Lindy Hop, Charleston, and other forms that would eventually spread worldwide.

What is the difference between breaking, popping, and locking in hip-hop dance?

Breaking (often called breakdancing) developed in the Bronx and involves acrobatic floor work, freezes, and power moves. Popping originated in Fresno, California, and uses quick muscle contractions to create a 'pop' effect through the body. Locking, developed in Los Angeles, features sharp movements alternating with frozen holds. Each has distinct origin communities, music, and competitive traditions.

How does active learning help students analyze jazz and hip-hop dance?

These dance forms are deeply tied to their social and community contexts, which students can miss if they only watch performances. Jigsaw research activities build genuine historical understanding by making students responsible for teaching each other specific cultural threads. Movement labs that explore rhythmic techniques give students a physical reference point for analyzing what they see in professional work, sharpening their observation and critical vocabulary.

How have jazz and hip-hop influenced other art forms?

Jazz rhythmic sensibility influenced Broadway choreography throughout the 20th century, from Bob Fosse to current musical theater. Hip-hop has transformed visual art, fashion, language, and film editing conventions globally. Both also influenced classical concert dance: Alvin Ailey incorporated jazz movement into modern dance choreography, and choreographers from William Forsythe to Kyle Abraham have drawn from hip-hop movement vocabulary.