3. Terminology

Aesthetic of the cool – presenting a calm demeanor while simultaneously employing an artistically clear and visible performative quality. Farris Thomas states, “Coolness is about having composure, but also giving everything to the dance.”

Asymmetry – jazz dance can contain a juxtaposition; play, innuendo, surprise, irony, satire, resistance, opposition, asymmetry, and contradiction in the body.

Call-and-response – a form of communication rooted in African cultural tradition that involves both verbal and nonverbal actions and reactions.

Ephebism – derived from the Greek word for youth. This reflects a cultural value on what youth have to offer. It entails the structure of power, vitality, flexibility, drive, and attack. Attack implies speed, force, and sharpness.

Grounded – emphasizing a physicality that is weighted, earth-bound, and heavy.

Grove – a pulse that is both physical and acoustic. Physically, the groove is found in the range of motion using the neck, shoulders, chest, spine, hips, elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, and ankles. Acoustically, the groove exists between the notes, articulation, technique, feel, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, and space of the music.

Improvisation – the process of spontaneously creating movement.

Isolation – movement of one body part without relation to other body parts.

Polyrhythm – the layering of different rhythms over one another.

Polycentrism – the idea that movement can initiate from any body part.

Syncopation – an accent in the music caused by stressing a weak beat, or an interruption in the regular flow of the rhythm.