well, it's about time...

What is this thing called Jassdancer? well, I guess it's my play on words,in an attempt to be specific, different, crafty or perhaps all?

Nowadays, if you call yourself a Jazz dancer, people think of some type of modern dance, or having to do with "Jazz Hands" be it Jack Cole or Bob Fosse.

Obviously, I could use the term Authentic Jazz Dance or even Vernacular Jazz dance which would be specifically what I focus on however, the terms can be confusing to people not familiar with history.

That's brings me to Jass, one of the popular and in my opinion miss spellings of the world. simply because places like San Fransisco were using the term earlier, at least what we have documented in print and they were spelling it "Jazz", one such group was Sid Leprotti's So Different Jazz Band.

However, as accurate this may be historically, it's what the history books say, and Ken Burns Documentary in which people subscribe to as being the Bible of Jazz which brings us to that 1917 recording by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, who soon after changed the spelling to Jazz.

so using the term Jass Dancer, as correct term, and then spelling it with the jaSS, it just a simply nod to a time when this art form was being incubated, and growing like crazy soon to kick off an era that would forever be remembered as the Jazz Era....

In the future I will be writing articles pertaining to the entire culture that surrounded this era, which includes whatever I find interesting to share in music, dance, fashion, art and writing.

Thanks, The Jassdancer


Sid Leprotti's So Different Jazz Band, San Fransisco 1915