One of the masters of Jazz dance and a pioneer in the art of the variety show was Bob Fosse. Fosse was a man, who fully embraced life, and his death at the relatively young age of sixty came as a shock to almost no one, in fact many were amazed at how long he lived for!
As a practitioner of dance and theatre, Fosse was known for his modern style, a style that everyone knew was his as soon as it was seen on a stage. Today his style is celebrated through the unmistakable trademark snapping fingers, tilted bowler hats, hip and shoulder rolls and backward exits. Not to forget swivelling hips and strutting, white-gloves and single-handed gestures. Fosse’s moves are fluid and languid and he himself was a walking oxymoron of what a dancer is meant to embody.
As a dance practitioner and teacher, one of the most memorable pieces of choreography for me that Fosse created was Sing, sing sing from Dancin’. Dancin' is a musical revue first produced in 1978, directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who won a Tony Award for the choreography. The show is a tribute to the art of dance and Sing, sing, sing is a big band number that comes in two parts.
Enjoy part one below and see why Fosse is a true genius of the jazz genre.
