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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

Her music contains a mix of pop, R&B, soul, jazz, dance, and hip-hop, as anyone watching her dazzling Glastonbury performance in the summer will have seen.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2025

In fact, taking a Zoom class or watching a few YouTube videos in basic jazz dance might help.

From Slate • Mar. 9, 2021

The most cogent of the commentators, she smilingly suggests that these white men were merely the codifiers of jazz dance — not, as often claimed, the chief inventors.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2020

Born Faith Dane, she starred for many years in a stage show that spanned burlesque, jazz, dance, calypso, comedy and performance art.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2020

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