Jam Circles
The term originated during the swing era of dancing, probably borrowed or appeared in parallel with the expression "jam session" in music. Scenes with jamming may be seen in movies and musicals, such as Hellzapoppin. At the same time, this kind of dance behavior is not unusual in folk dances 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, 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.
Read more about this topic: Jamming (dance)
Famous quotes containing the words jam and/or circles:
“We fight our way through the massed and leveled collective safe taste of the Top 40, just looking for a little something we can call our own. But when we find it and jam the radio to hear it again it isn’t just ours—it is a link to thousands of others who are sharing it with us. As a matter of a single song this might mean very little; as culture, as a way of life, you can’t beat it.”
—Greil Marcus (b. 1945)
“There are some circles in America where it seems to be more socially acceptable to carry a hand-gun than a packet of cigarettes.”
—Katharine Whitehorn (b. 1926)