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Jack Cole: The Father Of Jazz Dance

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The power of jazz dance would have never influence so many people today with the famous American dancer, Jack Cole. Jack Cole was mainly known as the “Father of Jazz Dance” and had a unique style of movement that he portrayed in a variety of commercial setting. Jack Cole was not only known as a mentor to many dancers throughout the world but also as an innovator of dance movement and a filmmaker who connected the relationship of the camera and dance together. Jack Cole was given the name of “The Father of Dance” because he has created a genre of dance that has a mixture of modern, ethnic, ballet into a movement language as we know as theatrical jazz dance. Without Cole’s inspiration jazz dance would have never been born. Jack Cole was born in New Jersey on April 27, 1911 and wanted to pursue his dream to dance ever since we he little. After Cole was sent away to be boarding school he decided to join with the Denishawn Dance Company that was led by Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn. After Cole made his first professional appearance in 1930, he left the modern dance world for commercial dance career in nightclubs. After Cole ended his career in his …show more content…

Some of Cole’s movement included of being low to the ground and incorporating a low plie. He also incorporated a smooth transition of weight transferring from the body to the toe and focused more on isolations, syncopations, and abrupt changes in direction. Because of his movements he was a huge inspiration to many of the most famous jazz choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, And Gwen Verdon. Jack Cole to this day still gives dancers all around the world precise movement and exacting control over their movements that could contribute improving any technique in any

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