Gus Giordano Research Papers

Gus Giordano is known in the dancing history as “Grandfather of Jazz Dance”. In 1955 he and his wife Peg launched a dance studio in Evanston, Illinois. Since that time, this studio has become an institution in the jazz dance. The term “jazz dance” was coined in the 1920’s. This form of dance is evolving all the time because it can be referred more to an artistic movement than to an actual, descriptive style. Such prominent dance artists as Fred Asaire and choreographer Bob Fosse have developed their own style of jazz dance. Giordano became a star of jazz dance in 1968 when he put together a demonstration of jazz dance for the Bolshoi Ballet. Giordano and the dancers he choreographed greatly impressed the Russian audience and they were asked to tour in Russia; after the Russian tour they made performances in Germany, France, Italy, the Bahamas, Canada, Japan, South America, Aruba and throughout the United States. Giordano teaches spontaneous expressionism, which is the nucleus of jazz dance.