Classes & Lectures
Jump Rhythm TechniqueTM
JRTechnique is "the first genuine jazz technique in forty years." (Dancer) It focuses on the concept of full-bodied rhythm-making, whose goal is to fuse the dancing body and scat-singing voice into a rhythm-accurate percussion instrument, basing all rhythmic clarity on clear shifts of body-weight. Essential preparation for performing any genre of dance that relies on beat-driven music.
Jump Rhythm Tap Technique
JRTap applies the principles of Jump Rhythm Technique to tap dancing. It combines the drumbeaters of the feet with those of the hands, head, and voice to create sparkling swing and/or percussive funk through the whole body.
Jump Rhythm Jazz Repertory
JRRep re-creates from JRJP's touring repertory select dances that are "a miracle of inventive energy." (Chicago Reader)
Rhythmic Analysis & Improvisation
Using full-bodied rhythm-making as a springboard to movement exploration, RA focuses on embodying as well as analyzing the elements of jazz-and-blues-based rhythm-making, among them swinging, accenting sharply or explosively whether on the beat or off the beat, and contrasting triple-rhythm-based music and duple-rhythm-based music.
Movement Awareness
Guided by JRTechnique's unique approach to aligning the body, standing down straight, as well as by the postural and motional principles pioneered by Mabel Todd in The Thinking Body, MA explores how to move efficiently, injury-free, and with power, precision, and speed both in dancing and when engaging in the tasks of everyday life.
American Rhythm Dancing and the African American Performance Aesthetic
Surveying the tradition of African-American-based, vernacular rhythm dancing in America and beyond, this class views, discusses, and improvises in response to the musically brilliant dancing and singing preserved in feature-length films, dance documentaries, and music videos.
The Language of Rhythm: A Lecture-Demonstration
As entertaining as it is educational, this audience-interactive performance both demonstrates the principles of Jump Rhythm Technique and features illustrative dances from JRJP's repertory. "The Language of Rhythm" can be geared to any age group.