Cardio Charleston: 100+ Jazz Steps
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Photos by Jerry Almonte.
Just months after I started swing dancing at my very first Stompology, my friends and I had lunch together and wrote on a paper placemat as many names of jazz steps as we could remember, having just attended a class by Jojo Jackson entitled “100+ Jazz Steps.” Which of my friends remembers the class, or its real title? That Stompology, and especially that class, was like trying to drink through a fire hose. Little did we know we just encountered the tip of the iceberg --- there’s so much solo jazz out there!
This list goes out especially to all our wonderful Cardio Charleston students who jump right into class each week, many of which have little or no jazz dance background. Reading our list of names of jazz (and jazz-related) steps helps with vocabulary recognition and familiarity, so you can identify the names when we call them in class, and then you can take that knowledge to the dance floor. We only use a subset of these steps in class regularly, but we'd be happy to show you any -- please ask us questions when you see us next! Count up these jazz steps and let us know what to add.
Around the World
Apple Jacks
Back Lock Turn
Bees Knees
Big Apple Claps
Bird
Black Bottom
Boogie Back
Boogie Forward
Boogie Drop
Break a Leg
Break Step
Broken Leg
Bunny Hop
Cake Walk
Camel Walk
Charleston
Chase
Chugs
Clocks
Cool Breeze
Cool Walk
Cork Screw
Crazy Legs
Cross Over Charleston
Digs
Drags
Drunken Sailor
Eagle Slide
Egg Beaters
Fall Off the Log
Fishtails
Flapper Taps
Flutter Kicks
Funky Grandma Frankie Cross Overs
Gaze Afar
Grapevine
Half Break
Half Turn
Hallelujah Hand-in-Hand Charleston Kicks
Hangman
Happy Feet
Heel Clicks
Heel Taps
Heels
Hip Rolls
Hip Swings
Hitchhiker
Iceskating
Itches
James Brown
Jane Fonda
Jazz Square
Jig Walks
Josies
Jump Charleston
Kick Ball Change
Kick Steps
Kick-step-downs
Kitchen Dance
Knee Slaps
Lock Turn
Lollies
London Bridge
Long Legged Charleston
Low Downs
Mambo Step
Mambo Turn
Marry Me
Mess Around
Mooche
Over the Top
Paddle Turn
Pecks
Points
Popeye
Primping
Puffer Fish
Pushes
Rocks
Rock Step
Run on the Log
Rusty Dusty
Sailor Step
Scarecrow
Scissor Kicks
Shim Sham
Shimmy
Shish-ka-boom-ba
Shoe Shine
Shorty George
Shouts
Shuffles
Skates
Skip Up
Slides
Slip Slops
Spank the Baby
Squat Charleston
Strutting with Turns
Suzie Q
Switcheroo
Swivels
Swoops
Tackie Annie
Tick Tocks
Tighten Up
Trenches
Triples
Truckin’
Twists
Windmill
Xylophone
Psst... Save the date for Stompology XII: June 2-4 in Rochester for more solo jazz goodness! Registration is just a couple weeks on February 15.
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