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• jazz dance
  jazz dance

  noun

  a dance form or dance that is matched to the rhythms and techniques of jazz music, developed by African Americans in the early part of the 20th century.
• jazz-dance
  jazz-dance

  verb (used without object)

  to perform jazz dance.

jazz dance

¹ American  

noun

1. a dance form or dance that is matched to the rhythms and techniques of jazz music, developed by African Americans in the early part of the 20th century.

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jazz-dance ² American  

[jaz-dans, ‑-dahns] / ˈdʒæzˌdæns, ‑ˌdɑns /

verb (used without object)

jazz-danced, jazz-dancing

1. to perform jazz dance.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• jazz dancer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of jazz dance

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

She spends treasured days teaching and practicing ballet, tap dancing and jazz dance, along with singing at the piano and writing.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Breanna lives in Tacoma, Washington state, in the US and has trained in ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance since childhood.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

I did tap, ballet, modern, jazz dance at college, but contemporary was a world I found intimidating.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2023

Truly great art forms like the spirituals, the blues, jazz, dance and Black forms of worship.

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2022

He had the reputation of being peppery tempered, therefore she walked into the room to take her first lesson with her heart performing a sort of jazz dance under her jersey.

From A Popular Schoolgirl by Salmon, Balliol