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The Jive Dance was first popular
in the 1940's. The Jive was originally the European's (U.K.)
version of the American Jitterbug
and/ or East Coast
Swing during WWII (who keeps trying to re-sell
us something we already have.) Cab Calloway's Hepsters Jive
Talk, made the term Jive be associated with the Swing Dance. During
the war, much of this Jive Talk was being spread around, even in
Europe. The Jive Speak, The Swing music, The Jitterbug dance, the
coolness all lead to the Europeans seeing American Swing as the
American Jive.
So technically, (no flames please!) The
Jive dance is European, NOT American. However, it did have it's
roots in America. Today, (in the USA) it is taught by the ballroom
dance studios only in the Latin (Rhythm) section. It is basically
a backwards or rock first "East Coast Swing," with |
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an exaggerated bounce and kicks using a Latin flair. However, it
is a fun swing form to learn, and is fun to watch :P
Most Europeans do what they call
the "American Jive " a name that came
briefly from WWII when the Jitterbug
was called Jitterbug-Jive. When the war ended, the term Jitterbug-Jive
ended as well in the States. The Europeans however kept using the
name Jive, which supposedly is their version of what is done here
in the states, (which is way off -- "A bunch of Jive",
we do not do Jive anywhere here, except in the ballroom circles").
Jive was also a slang term used by musicians to describe a certain
type of "jamming:" the Blues/Jazz/Boogie Woogie etc. (Jive
= Bullsh*t) example is: "Don't hand me that Jive."
Another reason that the ballroom
associations use Jive is it can not compete with the other street
versions (Lindy, Jitterbug, WCS, Push, Whip, Shag) taught
by independent studios / teachers. They fear they will lose that
business to the independants if they "promote it". However,
they are wrong, many people look for swing dancing and would learn
just as much from them as they do now, and probably would much more.
The ballroom vision is dance being called a sport (dancesport)
and Ballroom being held in the Olympics - which is fuel for one
international swing style called Jive that all countries can use,
(bummer!).
Modern Jive or "French
Jive" in the UK was introduced In the 1980's to make it easier
to teach people to do swing in the clubs. The dance is taught with
no footwork, just a walking of the patterns which can be many. The
names of modern Jive usually come from the club or association that
taught the version being done and usually leads into a more structured
form of swing dance as time goes on. It is similar to what people
do here in the states before they learn a structured form of swing
which we call just 'winging it', which has no form, lead or follow
skills etc., although in the Modern Jive it is taught with patterns,
lead and follow, timing rather than just the 'winging it' above
so there is some structure to it more than one might think. The
music is similar to the West Coast Swing format of dancing to all
styles of music rather than just one specific genre/era with their
dances or socials being called Freestyles.
Note: There
is a small faction of the U.K. that does West Coast Swing, Lindy
Hop etc. Nevertheless, the American Ballroom community needs to
update their syllabus and use real swing (Lindy,
West Coast ,
Carolina Shag
and Texas Push/Whip), To THAT WHICH THE
MAIN USA POPULATION DOES here in the states, rather than try to
force the community (Ballroom Studios and Comps only Teaching/
Competiting Jive) to do this FOREIGN version of swing called
Jive ("which hardly anyone does here in the states for good
reasons.") The Ballroom community has gotten lazy over
the years and is too focused on a universal International style,
out of a book, of only seven / Ten dances. These real forms of swing
"can and are more than sophisticated enough" to include
into their syllabus. Jive is an empty, fake, weak form of swing
dance when compared with the others!!! ... nuff said! : (
Guiness Jive records:
Gordon Lightfoot and Kathleen Fowler - 4/22/1960 -- 40 hours non
stop.
Terry Ratcliffe and Christina Woodcroft - 5/28/1965 -- 40 hours
non stop. |
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