Do you love funk and hip-hop? Then street jazz could be just the new dance discipline you’re looking for. In this short, to-the-point article, we’ll tell you what street jazz is, where it came from, and how it’s done.
What Is Street Jazz?
Street jazz, sometimes called jazz funk, is a dance style that blends funk, hip-hop dancing, and jazz dancing into one unique dance form.
This form of jazz dance requires street jazz music, which we’ll talk more about later. The music, like the form of dance itself, is high-energy through and through.
Although street dance classes do have a typical structure with warm-ups and exercises, street jazz is about anything but following traditional form. You can wear street clothes, and dancing can be improvised on the spot.
What Are the Origins of Street Jazz?
As the name implies, street jazz was not borne in the dance studio, but on the streets. Other urban environments also led to the spread of street jazz.
They include nightclubs, raves, schoolyards, parks, block parties, and dance parties.
Street jazz was a natural evolution of the jazz sounds of the 1930s and ‘40s, which featured big bands playing swing music.
By the ‘70s and ‘80s, street battles feature breakdancing were popular. This later inspired street jazz, as did the era of the music video.
What Are Street Jazz Techniques/Basic Steps?
Going back to our point from before, street jazz needn’t have any specific technique associated with it. Dancers are welcome to improvise if they so wish or they could follow these basics.
Popping and Locking
Technically, popping and locking can be done separately, as they are two separate techniques. That said, they’re often done together, so we’ll include them here together as well.
Popping is when you move your body out. It’s almost like you’re exploding with your body.
Locking is when you pull your body back in, contracting and reverting back to the original pose or close to it.
Both moves are done at differing intensities that make them perfect for a street jazz routine.
Waacking
Waacking, sometimes spelled whacking, is a type of dance with fancy footwork and intricate poses and arm movements. It came about during the 1970s in Los Angeles’ LGBT clubs and has since spread.
Vogueing
A modern house technique from the ‘80s, voguing is a fun dance style that mimics the facial expressions and postures of classic Vogue models (you know, from the magazine!). It was inspired by the ‘60s ballroom dance scene straight out of Harlem.
Take a look at the below video to get more of an idea of what street jazz techniques look like:
What Is Street Jazz Music?
We touched on it before, but let’s talk about it more now.
Street jazz music is a broad music genre that like the dance itself, combines elements of modern funk, hip-hop dancing, and jazz music.
Think funky, jazzy, brazen, bold, and high-energy music all at once.
It has great flow and rhythm and motivates you to move in new and innovative ways!
A note here is that traditional jazz music played on the streets can sometimes be called ‘street jazz’ music.
However, music that is used in street jazz dance, is quite different, for example, as seen below, ’24K’ by Bruno Mars can be used in street jazz dance.
What Is the Difference Between Street Jazz and Hip-Hop?
Although street jazz takes its inspiration from hip-hop dancing, the two are not the same.
Hip-hop dancing always uses hip-hop music whereas street jazz has elements of hip-hop music. For more detail on hip-hop itself have a read of our comprehensive article Elements of Hip-Hop: The big 5, history, and key figures.
Popping and locking are important parts of both dance forms, but these moves–along with breaking–are the foundations of hip-hop dancing.
With jazz funk, they’re part of the overall technique but not the entirety of the technique.
Who Are Famous Street Jazz Dancers?
Street jazz has seen many famous dancers over the decades. Here’s a list.
Fly Girls
The In Living Color dancers called Fly Girls consisted of a group of five women who were mainstays on the show.
The most famous of the Fly Girls is undoubtedly Jennifer Lopez. Yes, J.Lo herself was a Fly Girl!
Mr. Wiggles
Steffan Clemente, better known as Mr. Wiggles, is a street dancer who put popping on the map.
He’s been involved in many groups, including TC5 (aka The Crazy Five or The Cool Five), Zulu Nation, Tribal Click, The Electric Boogaloos, and the Rock Steady Crew.
Norah, Yarah, and Rosa Mukanga
Rounding out our list for some modern street jazz dancers, look no further than Norah, Yarah, and Rosa Mukanga.
These young girls are all sisters. Norah and Yarah, 16, are twins, and Rosa, 14 is their younger sibling. They favor hip-hop and R&B dancing and have become quite popular on TikTok!
Conclusion
Street jazz is all about pushing the boundaries of dance, feeling the music, honoring great legacies in dance, and improvising and having fun!