How to Use Jazz Terminology

Jazz terminology is a special language used among jazz musicians and jazz dancers. You can use this terminology to describe things in a slang way if you were in a jazz band or in a jazz club. Some words are dance related and some are music related. Follow these tips to use jazz terminology correctly.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Choose dance terms that other jazz dancers recognize. Cat walk is a dance term that describes someone walking or moving like a cat. A Jazz Drag is similar but you drag one leg behind while cat walking.

2. Recognize jazz terms that are used across different categories of music like the term twist which means you turn the other way or turn and twist while you are dancing. The Moonwalk is another jazz dance term that Michael Jackson used to describe a step in which he walked forward but he looked like he was going backward.

3. Use dance terms to describe falls, rolls, jumps and turns used when dancing jazz. Another dance term is the Jazz Square which is a type of crossover dance step. The Limbo, the Funky Chicken and the Cake Walk are all dance steps used by jazz dancers.

4. Talk using jazz expressions like "Hip" which means cool and "Daddy-o" which refers to another man.

5. Incorporate common jazz words into your vocabulary like the Apple. Most people know this term refers to New York, but they probably don't know it is a jazz term. People commonly use expression like "Let's go to the big Apple to see a play."

6. Use common slang expressions that are also jazz expressions like the word "baby." This is used as a term of endearment as in, "Hey baby what are you doing?" Another term is "bad" which means good. If someone says that music is really bad, they mean the music is good.