Bob Fosse

Fosse’s Signature Moves

Fosse’s signature moves (displayed above) are an important part of his dance style.

• The Rake: Two bent legs, feet flat on the floor, upper torso leaning back. Hands by the sides in a cupped position with elbows pointing up and to the back. One foot can also go in front as pictured above.
• The Crane: One foot flat on the floor, the other by the knee with the upper body bent forwards. Hands are also by the sides with a cupping position.
• The Drip: The drip is an extremely recognizable position. Wrists are “broken” by the sides and feet are bent inwards with slightly bent legs.
• The Splain: Fingers are ‘splained’ when pinching a hat, for example. Feet are either in 1st position or bent inwards.
• The Stack: One person on the chair with open legs, another sat on the chair in between their legs. The last person sits on their closed legs.

What do I know about Fosse?

Bob (Robert) Fosse was mostly known as a dancer and musical theatre/film director. Although, he was also an actor. His most famous works were Pippin, Cabaret and Chicago.

Fosse was American. His style was developed due to his limitations. For example, he was unable to properly stick his feet out when doing ballet and so his famous technique – feet  facing inwards – was created. He wore hats because he lost his hair very quickly, too. More of his technique included the lowering of shoulders. He exaggerated his imperfections to form a unique and stunning dance style.

Gwen Verdon was a huge part of Fosse’s life. Verdon was originally a ballet dancer, but when she saw Fosse’s style for the first time, she knew that that was what she wanted to be doing. Fosse loved how she could perform his dance style perfectly and exactly how he envisioned it. Fosse and Verdon began a romantic relationship and their bond was so strong that even after it ended and they were divorced, they still continued working together as insuperable partners.

Fosse’s lifestyle, despite his huge success, was not so healthy. He became not only obsessed with his work in an unhealthy way but also a heavy smoker and drug user who was often around women and sex. He had heart problems for a long time and eventually died at the age of 60 on the opening night of Sweet Charity Revival.

The Stack

Musical Theatre – Jazz Dance

Jazz dance is a style of dance that builds on African American dancing that merged with Jazz music. It is compared to ballet as a “downbeat version” which is more frantic. Examples of Jazz dancing include:

• Charleston (1920s)
• Swing (1940s-1950s)
• Jive (1950s-1960s)
• Tap (1800s)

In the 1910’s, a dance move named the “Shimmy” gained popularity due to a Spencer William song, “Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble”. The movement included the simple act of isolating (keeping everything else still) the shoulders and shaking them. Often, people used the “Shimmy” in their hips instead.

Another Jazz dance style is the Charleston. The dance was developed by Katheryn Wilson and is associated with ‘the flappers’ of 1920. The flappers wore short skirts and cut their hair short into a bob (this is how you will find people are dressed in videos of the dance). This dance was a great physical representation of the post-WW1 enthusiasm.

Tap dance is considered to be the ‘original form of Jazz’. Although Jazz has become a separate dance in its own right now, it is said to have evolved from tap. The movements are very similar, however, tap involves far more isolation of the feet. When it comes to tap dancing, the beat that you tap your feet in is extremely important. In the video below, it is clear how in-time all of the dancers are – not only with the song – but with each other. This translates to jazz dance, which is also very much about keeping in with the beat of the music and really feeling it.

These days, people are taking Jazz dance far more seriously. People take professional classes, even, and make Jazz dancing their entire lives.

Jazz dancing became very popular in old musicals or musical films

Bob Fosse is an example of a choreographer who loved Jazz dance. He choreographed many musical works both on stage and in films, for example, in Chicago or Cabaret. Jerome Robbins also choreographed West Side Story. The fact he focused mainly on classical ballet, shows how linked the two dance styles are. Jack Cole was an American dancer, choreographer, and theatre director known as “the Father of Theatrical Jazz Dance”. Cole choreographed dances in Cover Girl, Meet me After the Snow, Gilda and many more.