jazz dance

¹ American  

noun

1. a dance form or dance that is matched to the rhythms and techniques of jazz music, developed by African Americans in the early part of the 20th century.

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jazz-dance ² American  

[jaz-dans, ‑-dahns] / ˈdʒæzˌdæns, ‑ˌdɑns /

verb (used without object)

jazz-danced, jazz-dancing

1. to perform jazz dance.

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Other Word Forms

• jazz dancer noun

Etymology

Origin of jazz dance

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Breanna lives in Tacoma, Washington state, in the US and has trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance since childhood.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Already, searching for a competitive edge, she had been incorporating touches of jazz dance gleaned from old footage, noting resemblances to house.

From New York Times • May 12, 2021

In fact, taking a Zoom class or watching a few YouTube videos in basic jazz dance might help.

From Slate • Mar. 9, 2021

Born Faith Dane, she starred for many years in a stage show that spanned burlesque, jazz, dance, calypso, comedy and performance art.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2020

He had the reputation of being peppery tempered, therefore she walked into the room to take her first lesson with her heart performing a sort of jazz dance under her jersey.

From A Popular Schoolgirl by Salmon, Balliol