About

As the African slaves arrived into America, they brought with them the vigour and expression of their homeland in the form of music and dance. As these influences roared into the 1920s mainstream, a unique form of dance was born. Growing and changing along with popular culture, jazz (both the music, and the dance) still carries its original ethos of individuality and improvisation.  

Combining live performance with multimedia, performers from ‘Chant et Danse’, Christchurch’s only professional entertainment company, will take you on a journey through the development of jazz dance from its roots to the modern day and bring the history of this cornerstone of popular dance culture to life.