Embedded Files
Focus on Vernacular Jazz Dance and some of the incredible women who contributed to it either through their music or their dance or sometimes both! Vernacular Jazz Dance encompasses a long list of dances with African American roots. Vernacular Jazz Dance includes both partner and solo dancing. These dances are rooted in African American traditions and movements and are done to jazz music from the late 1800s to beyond, three key African values for these dances are individuality, rhythm and improvisation. Some dances included in Vernacular Jazz Dance are Lindy Hop, Tap, Charleston, Black Bottom, Cakewalk, Blues, Big Apple.
Leah began studying dance at the age of 3 and although her main focus was her ballet career, fortunately she also had the opportunity to take tap, jazz and some folk dancing while she was studying. At some point she made a considerable change in her career plans and left the dance world to pursue science. But the drive to dance couldn't be ignored and twenty years ago she dusted off her dance shoes when she found out that lindy hop was still being danced. At that time, she also found out some of the masters of swing dancing like Frankie Manning and Norma Miller were still active in the dance world teaching at workshops in various dance scenes and so she traveled to learn from them directly. She is an active member of the global swing dance community and continues to travel to swing dance events whenever she can (until the pandemic put a hold on travel and social dancing). She also heads up the non-profit organization, Swing Dance Calgary, whose mission is to preserve and promote early jazz and swing music and the dances they inspired. If she isn't on the dance floor at a swing dance event it is because she is probably at the DJ booth spinning some of her favourite jazz music!
Page updated
Report abuse