Legends of the
Dance Floor
Dance Floor
This world-famous Pop King loved using jazz dance styles, sharp head tilts, and a smooth backward sliding step in his music videos. Who is he?
Michael Jackson
What is the name of the popular jazz turn where a dancer spins on one leg while the other foot is tucked tightly against their knee in a triangle shape?
Pirouette
In the classic movie Mary Poppins, Bert and the chimney sweeps do an explosive, acrobatic jazz and tap dance on the rooftops of London. What is the name of this energetic song?
Step in Time
To get a job in a Broadway, performers must be a "triple threat." What three skills does a person need to be considered a true triple threat?
Dancing, Singing, and Acting
In early jazz music and dance history, what does the word "improvisation" mean?
Making up your moves on the spot
Which famous jazz dancer and choreographer won 8 Tony Awards for his Broadway work and created the signature "Steam Heat" dance number in the 1954 musical The Pajama Game?
Bob Fosse
In jazz class, what is it called when you move just one specific part of your body (like rolling your shoulders or tilting your head) while keeping the rest of your body completely still?
An Isolation (or isolating)
In the musical movie Hairspray, teenage dancers show off 1960s jazz-pop moves on a local TV program. What is the name of this famous, fictional TV dance show?
The Corny Collins Show
What record-breaking Broadway musical is all about dancers auditioning for a show, where they stand in a straight line on stage holding their headshots up to their faces?
A Chorus Line
Jazz dance is famous for using "syncopation." Does syncopation mean dancing to a slow, steady heartbeat beat, or dancing to the unexpected, off-beat accents?
The unexpected, off-beat accents (or "off-beats").
Fun Fact: Syncopation is what makes jazz dance look so exciting, bouncy, and full of surprises!
Which famous jazz and tap dancer famously splashed around in puddles and swung from a lamppost in the classic 1952 movie Singin' in the Rain?
Gene Kelly
Fun Fact: He filmed that famous dance scene while running a very high fever!
What classic, sliding step means "to chase" in French, where one foot rushes forward and the back foot jumps up to meet it in the air, looking like a horse galloping?
Chassé
Which 1978 movie musical became the highest-grossing dance film of the 20th century, launching John Travolta into global superstardom and cementing choreography like the "Born to Hand Jive" into pop-culture history?
A) Saturday Night Fever
B) Footloose
C) Grease
D) Dirty Dancing
C) Grease
What massive, award-winning Broadway musical tells the story of two jazz-age performers in jail, featuring smooth, minimal, and mysterious jazz dances choreographed in the style of Bob Fosse?
Chicago
What is the name of the super-famous dance television show that launched in 2005 and made styles like contemporary jazz, lyrical, and jazz-funk massive pop culture trends on TV?
So You Think You Can Dance
This famous dancer and actor starred in classic old Hollywood movies where he wore a top hat and tuxedo, danced with a cane, and famously made it look like he was dancing on the walls and the ceiling!
Hint: His dancing partner was Ginger Rogers
Who is he?
Fred Astaire
In the 1920s, what famous social jazz dance became known for its fast, swinging, and energetic arm and leg movements?
C) The Charleston
What classic 1961 movie musical features rival street gangs (the Sharks and the Jets) doing high kicks, jumps, and finger snaps in the streets of New York City?
West Side Story
Fun Fact: The movie was remade in 2021 by Steven Spielberg, keeping the same explosive jazz dance style.
What modern, high-energy Broadway musical is styled like a pop concert and features the six wives of King Henry VIII singing and dancing contemporary jazz-funk routines?
Six
Where did the roots of jazz dance originate?
Africa
Known as the "Father of Theatrical Jazz Dance," this legendary man was the primary choreographer for Columbia Pictures movies and created a strict training system that almost all modern jazz dancers still use today. What is his name?
A) Bob Fosse
B) Jack Cole
C) Gus Giordano
D) Luigi
B) Jack Cole
What is the name of the famous 1920s step where you jump into the air, bend both knees outward like a frog, and tap the heels of your shoes together before landing?
The Pas de Papillon (or The Butterfly Jump / Heel Click).
What classic 1939 musical film features a colorful jazz-tap routine called "The Jitterbug," which was completely cut out of the final movie because the studio thought it would make the film too outdated?
A) Gone with the Wind
B) The Wizard of Oz
C) Babes in Arms
D) Stagecoach
B) The Wizard of Oz
What is the name of the long-running Broadway musical?
The Phantom of the Opera (Ran for 35 years)
will also except:
2. Chicago 1996 - and still running3. The Lion King 1997 and still running
3. In which decade did jazz dance begin to gain popularity in America?
a) 1920s
b) 1940s
c) 1960s
d) 1980s
a) 1920s