Jazz Dance: Researching the Continuum

Students: Alaina Wilson, Emily Schwartzfarb, Madyline Jaramillo-Schommer

Faculty Mentor: Kristen Daley

Theatre Arts & Dance

College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts

In an effort to maintain and uplift historical accuracy, we are researching various facets of Jazz Dance. Our program here at SSU strives to build community engagement and honor the African Diaspora in American Dance through our research, community events and outreach, and the classes that we offer. As students, we are using the tools and resources we’ve acquired through the dance program to honor Jazz and its roots. In this project, our research is manifesting through the following three facets: gender roles inside and outside of the binary, the presence of social media and the internet and how it affects the perceptions of Jazz Dance, and recounting the history/origins of Jazz Dance and where scholars are landing in education currently.