Jamming in dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

 culture is a kind of informal show-off during a social dance

Social dance

Social dance is a major category or classification of danceforms or dance styles, where sociability and socializing are the primary focuses of the dancing...

 party. Dancers clear a circle (jam circle or dance circle) and dancers or dance couples take turns showing their best tricks while the remaining dancers cheer the jammers on. While some jam circles are staged, most form organically and spontaneously when the energy and mood is right.

Cypher Circles

Specific to the bboying culture, cypher circles hold the similar concepts as Jam Circles. When one or two bboys/bgirls get together to dance, it is known as jamming. But when enough bboys/bgirls get together to make a circle where one can break in, it is known as "Cyphering". Cyphering takes place at nearly every bboying jam that takes place. It is a way to show one's experience, the flavor they put into their style, and in some cases, specifically to "burn" or "smoke" another breaker.

Jam Circles

The term originated during the swing era

Swing Era

The Swing era was the period of time when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though the music had been around since the late 1920s and early 1930s, being played by black bands led by such artists as Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, Benny Moten, Ella Fitzgerald,...

 of dancing, probably borrowed or appeared in parallel with the expression "jam session

Jam session

Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...

" in music. Scenes with jamming may be seen in movies and musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

s, such as Hellzapoppin. At the same time, this kind of dance behavior is not unusual in folk dance

Folk dance

The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....

s in various cultures all over the world and is often included in scenic performances when a group dance is interleaved with several solos. In Lindy hop

Lindy Hop

The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...

, it is common for jam circles to take place on or around special occasions such as birthdays or weddings. In these cases, the person(s) being celebrated will usually stay in the circle for the duration of the jam and, rather than dance one song with one partner, will dance one song but swap partners many times throughout.

Dance Circles

A variant of the 'show case' style jam circles mentioned above is a circle where dancers within the circle swap partners from the outside. Less "showy" than a jam circle, these jams are to commemorate an occasion for the person(s) in the circle. Another way to consider the difference is that while the aforementioned Jam Circles showcase ability, the Dance Circles here showcase dancers. For example, this kind of jam circle may be organized when a dancer from the local dance community celebrates a birthday, or is moving away. Other occasions for these jams include a welcome dance for new members and/or visitors. Many of these circles are a planned portion of the evening.

The dancers of honor stay in the circle the whole time while other dancers from outside the circle cut in 'on the fly'. Dancers "break in", or "steal", their way into the middle by breaking the connection of the dancers and inserting themselves such that the person of honor continues dancing without missing a beat. Some scenes do this in an organized fashion (such as a line), however, many do so without rules. Such birthday jams are common in swing dance and hustle

Hustle (dance)

The Hustle is a catchall name for several disco dances which were extremely popular in the 1970s. Today it mostly refers to the unique partner dance done in ballrooms and nightclubs to disco music. It has some features in common with swing dance. Its basic steps are somewhat similar to the...

 communities in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 but not unusual in salsa

Salsa (dance)

Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle...

 or tango. While nerve-wracking for beginning dancers the jams do help to meet the local crowd.

Dance off

This form of jamming often occurs during prom, high school or college dance parties. What happens is that during the dances, the dancers would form a circle, and often, one by one, the dancers, individually or by a group, would come into the circle and display their dancing abilities. The style of dancing is popular amongst hip hop dance

Hip hop dance

Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...

rs.

Charleston Jams

This variant of jam circle typically does not involve much of an audience. While a few competitions have staged Charleston

Charleston (dance)

The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild and became one...

 jams and competitions, almost always they happen on their own when a few dancers start doing solo Charleston next to each other. Eventually the dancers form a circle and dance solo charleston while watching each other. These jams occur frequently at most Lindy Hop

Lindy hop today

The Lindy Hop is only one of many swing dances popular today, and there are thriving local communities throughout the world. Structurally, lindy hop's basic step -- the swing-out -- combines both closed position and open position and is clearly related to the Charleston...

events.