What makes this dance recognizable? What is typical, distinctive or characteristic?

Fast, snappy dance with after two Slow steps two consecutive fast chassées, the second in the opposite direction of the first. The dance partners do so in miror.

Examples

Such a Night - Elvis Presley
Candyman - Christina Aguilera
Rock around the clock - Bill Haley

BPM: 40-44

'Jive' is slang for crap, ridiculous, childish. Jev would be in the West African Wolof and in slang also (among others): misleading speak.

The prize at competitions around 1880 when dancing was often a cake, which is why he was also called Cakewalk.

Video: as it may look ...
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The music was called Ragtime. In America, he is after 1920 usually called Swing. In Britain Boogie, Boogie Woogie or Jive. In Europe, he was considered a bit vulgar and dirty, also by Alex Moore. The name was originally a pejorative sense applied to a wild dance style of youth, however, the term took over as permanent name for her dancing.

 
The Jive would be rooted to the Semiole Indians (Florida). It is a Latin American dance and was developed around 1940 from the "Jitterbug", stripped of all the acrobatic elements. Jitterbug is after 1950 often called Jive, and still frequently called boogie in Europe. Besides Jazz, Rock ' n Roll and the Jitterbug also the Bebop and the American Swing had their influences.

The Jive is known for its fast and energetic music.


Jive comes from the North American ghettos. After 1940 he captured together with the allied forces the West as jitterbug. Jive was the general term for the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Shag, Shag Hop, Rock ' n Roll, Boogie Woogie and Bebop. The music was swing, but no longer smooth and polished. He later became the rock'n roll. Late 50s the dance reached its current style. The boogie woogie is a variation on it.

Most figures are danced on the basis of six counts, with two half count S, S, QQQ - QQQ. Some moves like the link - and- wip are danced on 8 count. Some figures are danced in pairs, other (partly) solo. Certain schools or styles work much with kicks, others emphasize the use of the hips.

The attitude is looser compared to other Latin dances such as cha cha cha, rumba and paso doble.

The jive is danced to a rhythm of 44 (sometimes delayed up to 32) beats per minute.

You have to have a good condition. Whether you get a good condition. You can really let off steam (and sweat) in it.

As a Jive is too fast, you can probably better dance Quickstep to it. In a Jive accents would sit on beats 2 and 4, in a Quickstep 1 and 3. At Quickstep belongs a swing. This means that there are triols to be played. One measure is divided into three and seems thus to be played accelerated like example. 1 -2 / 3 - 1/3 - 1 - 2/3 - 1/ 3. (3/form together one beat).

A slow jive may be a fine Lindyhop.