JIVE

Jive is a term for a dance that evolved out of diverse related forerunners of African-American origin. Amongst them are the Lindy Hop from the thirties, Blues Swing, Boogie-Woogie from the forties, the Jitterbug followed by Rock ’n’ Roll in the fifties. American soldiers brought these dances to Europe around 1940, where they swiftly found a following among the young. After the war the boogie became the dominant form for popular music. However, it was never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. The famous ballroom dancing guru, Alex Moore, said that he had "never seen anything uglier". English instructors developed the elegant and lively Jive, danced to slightly slower music. In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin American dance in competitions.  In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, otherwise at between 32 and 40 bpm.

Recommended Jive Tunes:

"Tequila" - Azucar Moreno

"Jump, Jive & Wail" - Brian Setzer

"Pennsylvanio 65000" - Brian Setzer

"In The Mood" - Brian Setzer

"Americano" - Brian Setzer

"That's What I Like" - Jive Bunny

 

Bronze Level Syllabus	Silver Level Syllabus	Gold Level Syllabus
1) Basic in Place 2) Fallaway Rock 3) Fallaway Throwaway 4) Overturned Fallaway Throwaway 5) The Link 6) Change of Place Right to Left 7) Change of Place Left to Right 8) Change of Hands Behind the Back 9) The Hip Bump	10) American Spin 11) The Walks 12) Stop and Go 13) The Mooch 14) The Whip 15) The Whip Throwaway 16) The Reverse Whip 17) The Windmill 18) Spanish Arms 19) Rolling Off the Arm 20) Simple Spin 21) Miami Special	22) Curly Whip 23) Shoulder Spin 24) Chugging 25) Toe Heel Swivels 26) Chicken Walks 27) The Catapult 28) Stalking Walks and Flicks into Break