By Lesley Mealor / Edited by Samantha Bellerose, B.Ed, Dip.Dance (Performing Arts)
Jazz fusion is a unique style of jazz dance that does just what its name implies – fuses together multiple styles of dance for a hybrid class all its own! Drawing inspiration from classic jazz, street jazz, hip hop, lyrical and contemporary, a jazz fusion class could truly be anything the instructor chooses, which is the beauty of this style.
In a jazz fusion class, you should expect a traditional dance class format including a warm up, across the floor progressions, center exercises and a combo. However, because of the nature of the style, the elements of the class may change drastically from week to week, or even within the class itself.
Clothing for a jazz fusion class can range from loose street clothes, like joggers and t-shirts, to more form fitting clothing like leggings and crop tops. Be prepared for anything in terms of shoes – you may want to bring sneakers and jazz shoes, or you may be asked to dance barefoot.
Often in a jazz fusion class, you will dance to music that seems to juxtapose the style of dance you’re doing – a slow, melodic song for a rhythmic and percussive dance style, or vice versa. This is very typical of a jazz fusion class, as it truly blends multiple worlds together to create a dynamic and interesting movement experience.
This page is just one of hundreds of definitions of the many styles and genres of dance. This library is being continually added to by the writers and contributors of Dance Parent 101!