What is Jive?

• Jive is a form of ballroom

dancing with a time
signature of 4/4. (It’s
really fast!)
• Jive refers to several
different dance styles of
swing dancing.
• It is grouped with Latin
dances but is dances to
the Western beat.
 History
• Jive was first
demonstrated by Cab
Calloway in 1934.
• It caught on in the United
States in the 1940s and
was influenced by the
Boogie, Rock & Roll,
African/American Swing,
and Lindyhop.
History

• The name either comes

from jive being a form of
glib talk or from African
dance terms. Jive
became a generic term
for swing in the United
Kingdom.
Essential Components
• It is danced at the speed
of 44 bars per minute,
but this is often reduced
to somewhere between
32 and 40.
• One of the fastest forms
of swing dancing, it uses
triple chasses and hard
swing.
Other Descriptions
• The basic look and
feel of Jive is lots
and lots of energy,
with the legs
portraying a
pumping action.
Other Descriptions
• The Jive differs in
that the count
begins with the rock
step, which is
counted "1,2." The
two triple steps are
counted "3 and 4"
and "5 and 6."
What to Wear?
• generally light and
flowy (dresses or
skirts)
•Smooth shoes
Basic Steps