Modern Jive

Modern Jive, sometimes called French Jive is a dance style that originated in the 1980s.

It derives from Swing, Lindy Hop and Rock and Roll and others, the main innovation being to simplify the footwork.

Modern Jive is a generic terms that covers a whole range of styles and moves. In the UK, Modern Jive tends to be split into a wide number of classes and events, usually operating under independent or small groups of classes, each essentially teaching a similar style including:

Ceroc
LeRoc
Mo'jive
Swing Jive
Jazz Jive (Jazzjive, Jazz jive)
Swing Roc
Blitz (dance)
While all these forms of dance have Swing and Rock-and-Roll moves in common, moves from many forms of dance including Salsa and Tango may be included, according to the specific style and even the particular dance teacher.

Similarly, identical dance moves often have different names in each style, and different signals to indicate the next move. For example the Lindy Hop Swing Out is similar to the First Move in Modern Jive. Despite this there is rarely a problem dancing with people who have been taught other styles, at least with the less advanced moves. Because of its eclectic nature there are hundreds of moves and variations that can be learnt.

Modern Jive is generally danced to music with 4 beats to the bar (4/4 or Common time), from latest chart hits to big band music and everything between, in a wide variety of tempos from slow to very fast. Some styles may concentrate on particular musical styles, such as swing.

Modern Jive does not require special clothes, though for both men and women, smooth soled (non-rubberized) shoes that are easy to turn/spin in are highly recommended.

Modern Jive is a male led dance, though experienced female dancers will often be familiar with leading, and will inevitably be substantially better than new male dancers. Thus, as there are usually slightly more women than men at a Modern Jive event, it is not rare to see women dancing together. Men are discouraged from dancing the female role (maybe at some clubs).

Swing Music

Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of jazz music that developed during the 1920s and solidified as a distinctive style during the 1930s in the United States. Swing is distinguished primarily by a strong rhythm section, usually including double bass and drums, medium to fast tempo, and the distinctive swing time rhythm that is common to many forms of jazz.

History

The first recordings labelled swing style date from the 1920s, and come from both the United States and the United Kingdom. They are characterised by the swing rhythm already at that time common in jazz music, and a lively style which is harder to define but distinctive. Although swing evolved out of the lively jazz experimentation that began in New Orleans and that developed further (and in varying forms) in Kansas City and New York City, what is now called swing diverged from other jazz music in ways that distinguished it as a form in its own right.

Swing bands tended to be bigger, and more crowded than other jazz bands, necessitating a slightly higher level of organization than was then the norm. This resulted in band leaders putting more energy into developing arrangements capable of cutting down on the chaos that would result from as many as 12 or 16 musicians spontaneously improvising.

Instead, a typical song played in swing style would feature a strong, anchoring rhythm section in support of more loosely tied wind, brass, string, and vocal sections. The level of improvisation that the audience might expect at any one time varied depending on the arrangement, the band, the song, and the band-leader. The most common style consisted of having one soloist at a time taking center stage, and take up an improvised routine, with her/his bandmates playing support. As a song progressed, multiple soloists might be expected to pick up the baton, and then pass it on. That said, it was far from uncommon to have two or three band members improvising at any one time.

As jazz in general, and swing jazz in particular, began to grow in popularity throughout the States, a number of changes occurred in the culture that surrounded the music. For one, the introduction of swing in the early 1930s, with its strong rhythms, loud tunes, and "swinging" style led to an explosion of creative dance in the black community. The various rowdy, energetic, creative, and improvisational dances that came into effect during that time came to be known, collectively, as swing dance.

The second change that occurred as swing music increased in popularity outside the black community, was, to some extent, an increasing pressure on musicians and band leaders to soften (some would say dumb-down) the music to cater to a more staid and conservative, Anglo-American audience.

Similar conflicts arose when Swing spread to other countries. In Germany, it conflicted with Nazi ideology (see Swing Kids) and was declared officially forbidden by the Nazi regime. And, while jazz music was initially embraced during the early years of the Soviet Union, it was soon forbidden as a result of being deemed politically unacceptable. After a long hiatus, though, jazz music was eventually readmitted to Soviet audiences.

In later decades, the popular, sterilized, mass-market form of swing music would often, and unfortunately, be the first taste that younger generations might be exposed to, which often led to it begin labeled something akin to 'old fogey big-band dance music'.

Ironically, early swing musicians were often in fact annoyed by the young people who would throw a room into chaos by seemingly tossing each other across the floor at random — thus somewhat nullifying the idea that swing was developed as dance music, when in fact, swing dancing evolved among young aficionados to complement the energy of the music.