Jive History

Jive refers to "jive talk," or badmouthing. This word reflects the character of the dance. It is playful and loud. The first hints of jive came from African American slaves. These slaves danced several native dances that had triple and single steps. Their music had a continuous drum bass, and several hints of jive rhythms. Jive itself has now split into two parts, one based on this original African beat and the other based upon its evolved style.

Jive dancing originated in African-American communities in the southeastern U.S. Some believe that the earliest form of jive was a Seminole war dance, which slaves witnessed and copied, while others suggest that jive originated in African social dances passed down through generations. The dance takes its name from the popular jazz slang term "jive," a variant on the West African word "jev," which means "to speak disparagingly." To jazz musicians who played swing music in the 1930s and 1940s "Jive" was an expression referring to foolish talk.

Jive derives from the Jitterbug swing which grew out of the dance halls of Harlem during the 1920’s. The first popular form of jive dancing was the American jive in the 1930’s. It was an excellent match in both tempo and character for the popular music of the day, like other American swing dances, and it became an instant hit among teenagers and dance lovers, though it was danced in African-American communities for many years before. In the early 1940s, American soldiers stationed overseas introduced the dance to Europe, where it quickly gained an international following. Since then, jive has remained popular across the Western world.

American soldiers brought Lindy Hop/Jitterbug to Europe around 1942, where this dance swiftly found a following among the young. In the United States the term Swing became the most common word used to describe the dance. In the UK variations in technique led to styles such as Boogie-Woogie and Swing Boogie, with "Jive" gradually emerging as the generic term.

After the war, the boogie became the dominant form for popular music. It was, however, never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. Alex Moore, the famous ballroom dancing guru said that he had "never seen anything uglier".

The ballroom jive of the 1960s was created when English dance instructors objected to the dance's jerky, free-form movements. They modified the jive to create a slower, more graceful form of the dance that included codified steps and holds.

In 1968 it was adopted as the fifth Latin dance in International competitions. The modern form of ballroom jive in the 1990s-present, is a very happy and boppy dance, the lifting of knees and the bending or rocking of the hips often occurs. Other variations on jive dancing include the hand jive and the jitterbug.

Jive is most directly related to Swing. It contains bouncy rhythms and easy melodies. In competitions, partners are often judged on the energy that they give to its performance, in addition to the steps. They are also judged on their interpretation of rhythm and overall performance. Flicks of the foot and kicks should not be mere decoration. They are to be important in the rhythm and timing, and even gestures when used in a certain context. The "moving center" of the dance, in jive's case the handhold, should remain firm. Good coordination is a must, especially when executing sharp turns and difficult hand movements.

Jive is now evolving into other dances. Its steps are sometimes used in Rock and Roll, and Europe has created a dance called "Ceroc" that is somewhat similar in terms of steps and execution. There are also two forms of jive itself. There is the International style, or the style just described, and the authentic style, or Swing dancing.