Jive Dance Classes Jupiter FL (Palm Beach County)

Jive was born in the 1940’s out of a combination of various swing dance styles of the early twentieth century. During World War II American soldiers took the dance to Europe where it soon became very popular, especially among young adults. In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin dance in International competitions. The Jive has been around for nearly one hundred years, and has evolved and changed throughout its lifetime.  The strongest and oldest dance lineage of the Jive dates back to the dance genre known as Lindy Hop. The Lindy Hop was first named in 1927. Lindy Hop drew on previously existing dance styles and combined them in a unique manner that combined both open and closed positions with dancer’s improvisations to the syncopated rhythms of swing music.

Jive dancing continued to develop and evolve spawning different styles and dance techniques in the various countries the popular dance became known in around the world. “Jive” is still often used as a generic term to describe the various styles of swing dancing, and it has evolved to adopt moves and influences from Lindy Hop, Swing, boogie-woogie, B-bop, Le Pop, Rock ‘n Roll, Hustle, Hollywood style, West Coast Swing, Shag, Push, Whip, Jitterbug, Disco and more.

In competitive ballroom dancing, the Jive is one of five International Latin dances. Many of its basic patterns are similar to those of the East Coast Swing, but the Jive tends to be danced to a faster and highly syncopated rhythm. The Jive has a high lift of the knees, upbeat steps and swinging hip motion. Relaxed, springy action is the basic characteristic of the International Style Jive with lots of flicks and kicks in the advanced style.