Curious Facts About Jive: History, Style, and More

Since the mid-20th century, jive has been one of the five most popular Latin-American dances in the US. It is believed that jive was brought to America by Africans, while in 19th-century England the dance found its audience only in poor neighborhoods. Queen Victoria considered only slow and refined dances appropriate at court, where everything happened under a mask of etiquette, and expressing passion or true feelings toward a partner was considered bad form.

However, in 20th-century England after the queen's death, the dance also entered high society, but by that time it had already gained immense popularity in America.

Originally, jive was performed to any folk music, mostly drums. Therefore, the foundation of the dance was rhythm, quite fast, up to 176 beats per minute. At this speed, some movements seem unplanned. But in fact, partners carefully follow the tempo and often mirror each other's moves. Some misunderstanding of the dance may arise if you don't know its structure.

Jive primarily uses the legs. Knees are often bent, steps and chassés are done from the toe, ankles and hips are actively used. During lifts, women sway their hips and wrap their arms around their partner to add maximum sensuality. Men can also emphasize the uniqueness of this jazz dance with a semi-nude torso covered by a transparent cape.

Jive is danced in 4/4 time, meaning there is a movement on every beat. That's why jive is often called a sharp, fiery, and jazzy dance. Of course, African drums were removed from the scene, and it began to be danced to the same music as all other top Latin-American dances.

Moreover, the music blended significantly, and it's impossible to say exactly which dance it was borrowed from. Most cultural scholars suggest that the basis was taken from the then-popular jitterbug, and they call jive a risky jitterbug, because in addition to complex steps, it also has many jumps and sometimes stunts.

Although jive is danced in 4/4 time, there are usually more than four movements per measure, and the dance itself is calculated in six beats when memorizing. Especially the beginning and entry into the dance must be calculated this way. On beats 1-2, a rock step is performed. Rock steps are very sharp, usually emphasized with a tap or hip thrusts. On beats 3-4, a chassé to the left is done; chassés are also steps, but their complexity lies in needing to make three steps in two beats. Moreover, chassés are complex steps—dancers can add American spins, kicks, combs, sways, jig, hand supports. It is considered special skill when an extra movement is added on the middle step, which happens off-beat. On beats 5-6, three chassés to the right are also done in two beats.

Despite being so well regulated, jive still originated from the lower classes of society and is therefore a social dance. Anyone can dance it if they have the desire to move fast and perform the dance anytime, anywhere, and of course, find a suitable partner. So in reality, any regulations of jive are subject to free interpretation.

Originally, jive was a single style, but professional dancers began adding jumps and stunts, making the social dance too difficult for the average person. So it was split into two styles. One remained social, and the other became professional, used in dance battles, competitions, and shows.

Clothing plays an important role in jive. On one hand, this style is social, but with a claim to beauty and elegance. However, if you perform stunts, heels and a tight dress, or a complex costume and hard-soled shoes clearly won't work. First of all, in jive you need to remember comfort. Otherwise, the risk of breaking a heel in the middle of a stunt, or something worse, is too high. But you also can't choose a completely simple outfit for showcasing your skills; that would tell critics about your lack of professionalism.

If you have a suitable partner and a desire to try something new and challenging, to test what you're capable of and what speed you can handle, then don't hesitate—jive was definitely made for you.