A pioneer of his time, and even beyond his death, Jack Cole has paved the way for the style of jazz in dance. Known as the “Father of Jazz” by many, he is all too often forgotten as an important asset to how jazz dance has changed over the course of the century. Though his accomplishments are plentiful and his success was limited, Cole’s contribution and passion for creating something out of the ordinary will continue to live on through those that continue to praise his work.
Jack was not Cole’s birth name. In fact, he was born John Ewing Richter on April 27, 1911 in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Levine.) He ran away at a young age and aimed to pursue a career in dance. Dance studies began with Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, and expanded from there (Boross.) He finally changed his name by combining his nickname and stepfather’s last name, becoming Jack Cole (Levine.) Cole made it a point to learn from experts in each genre of dance he incorporated in his signature style. He didn’t limit himself to just one medium; Cole stretched his choreography from nightclub performances to Broadway shows, and even to film. He was a choreographer and an instructor for many years, until his death. Jack Cole died on February 17, 1974 in Los Angeles, California (walkerdance.org.)
Cole became very fond of dance in his early years. After watching a performance by the Denishawn troupe, he was intrigued with the intricate characteristics that went into dance. He immediately jumped into pursuing dance, and both training and performing with St. Denis and Shawn (Levine.) There he learned the art of modern dance technique. Cole also studied the Cechetti ballet method and techniques, which focuses on understanding the body and movement, under ballet master Luigi Albertieri (Levine.) Quite taken by the Eastern Indian culture, Cole furthered his intrigue by studying Bharata Natyam under La Meri (Hill.) Concerned with learning from the best, Cole continued his journey into learning various type of dancing throughout the world by studying in the areas of origin. One example is when he learned the Lindy hop. Cole made it a point to travel to different areas of Harlem to observe and soak in the way the lindy hop was stylized along with getting acquainted with strong rhythms and beats (Boross.) Another example was studying the native dance when we traveled to areas like the Caribbean and Brazil (Levine.) He was very thorough and concerned with learning authentic movement and style from different cultures. This dedication helped him persevere in successfully fusing together a variety of dance styles to give life to jazz dance.
Although he was not credited with as much success as other dance pioneers, Jack Cole contributed just as much. He introduced to the world a new style of dance. It did not take everyone by storm, but steadily gained attention and appreciation from other dance teachers and choreographers. By incorporating multiple influences of dance from other cultures, Cole was able to birth something interesting that no one had ever thought of. Cole began adding ethnic and exotic movement to his performances at various nightclubs. It was not accepted at the time by audiences, but the concept started to grow on them. After building a name for himself in the entertainment industry, Cole went on to choreograph many Broadway shows (Boross.) Among a handful of successful musicals, some did not do so well, including Carnival in Flanders (Levine.) He continued to help with shows on Broadway, but extended his choreography to films. This is where he had the highest success of his career, as he worked with big names like Marilyn Monroe (walkerdance.org.) He also continued a position as instructor throughout his dance career, even up until his last years.
Jack Cole had an incredibly thought out process when choreographing and putting together a dance piece. He was careful to put a little bit of each style of dance he took time studying, and created ground-breaking and energetic choreography. The group chose to re-create his work from the musical Carnival in Flanders. It was not a hit, and Cole ended up being replaced by another choreographer (ovrtur.com.) His piece “Spanish Trio” was performed by three dancers, in which Cole used ethnic gestures of Spanish influence. In the dance, he has the dancers do clapping motions above the head, and powerful stomps on the ground. The men even seem to enter with a “macho” type persona, which commands the audience’s attention. Cole adds East Indian dance influence when he has the dancer(s) move ferociously from bended-knee movement to leaps, jumps, and kicks. Many parts include body isolations, where the torso and center stay put, yet the hips move smoothly and the heads sharply turn. Bob Boross states that Cole’s style includes “strength in movement, exploring spatial movement, and use of rhythm.” He was known for dancing in plié, and having fluid yet strong gestures going on at once (Boross.) Cole incorporated ballet to the “Spanish Trio” by adding ballet foot positioning, turns, and grace. The dancers pose and continually come back to the fourth position.
Jack Cole has made a huge impact on the dance world, and it is sad to say that many people do not know how much he has influenced not only the formation of jazz, but other successful dancers and choreographers. His success stories are not as extensive as other choreographers, but he was able to pave the way for big names that we are familiar with today, including Jerome Robbins and Fosse (walkerdance.org.) His legacy as the “Father of Jazz” will continue to live on, and hopefully future generations will continue to be educated on the gift he shared with the dance world.
Jack was not Cole’s birth name. In fact, he was born John Ewing Richter on April 27, 1911 in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Levine.) He ran away at a young age and aimed to pursue a career in dance. Dance studies began with Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, and expanded from there (Boross.) He finally changed his name by combining his nickname and stepfather’s last name, becoming Jack Cole (Levine.) Cole made it a point to learn from experts in each genre of dance he incorporated in his signature style. He didn’t limit himself to just one medium; Cole stretched his choreography from nightclub performances to Broadway shows, and even to film. He was a choreographer and an instructor for many years, until his death. Jack Cole died on February 17, 1974 in Los Angeles, California (walkerdance.org.)
Cole became very fond of dance in his early years. After watching a performance by the Denishawn troupe, he was intrigued with the intricate characteristics that went into dance. He immediately jumped into pursuing dance, and both training and performing with St. Denis and Shawn (Levine.) There he learned the art of modern dance technique. Cole also studied the Cechetti ballet method and techniques, which focuses on understanding the body and movement, under ballet master Luigi Albertieri (Levine.) Quite taken by the Eastern Indian culture, Cole furthered his intrigue by studying Bharata Natyam under La Meri (Hill.) Concerned with learning from the best, Cole continued his journey into learning various type of dancing throughout the world by studying in the areas of origin. One example is when he learned the Lindy hop. Cole made it a point to travel to different areas of Harlem to observe and soak in the way the lindy hop was stylized along with getting acquainted with strong rhythms and beats (Boross.) Another example was studying the native dance when we traveled to areas like the Caribbean and Brazil (Levine.) He was very thorough and concerned with learning authentic movement and style from different cultures. This dedication helped him persevere in successfully fusing together a variety of dance styles to give life to jazz dance.
Although he was not credited with as much success as other dance pioneers, Jack Cole contributed just as much. He introduced to the world a new style of dance. It did not take everyone by storm, but steadily gained attention and appreciation from other dance teachers and choreographers. By incorporating multiple influences of dance from other cultures, Cole was able to birth something interesting that no one had ever thought of. Cole began adding ethnic and exotic movement to his performances at various nightclubs. It was not accepted at the time by audiences, but the concept started to grow on them. After building a name for himself in the entertainment industry, Cole went on to choreograph many Broadway shows (Boross.) Among a handful of successful musicals, some did not do so well, including Carnival in Flanders (Levine.) He continued to help with shows on Broadway, but extended his choreography to films. This is where he had the highest success of his career, as he worked with big names like Marilyn Monroe (walkerdance.org.) He also continued a position as instructor throughout his dance career, even up until his last years.
Jack Cole had an incredibly thought out process when choreographing and putting together a dance piece. He was careful to put a little bit of each style of dance he took time studying, and created ground-breaking and energetic choreography. The group chose to re-create his work from the musical Carnival in Flanders. It was not a hit, and Cole ended up being replaced by another choreographer (ovrtur.com.) His piece “Spanish Trio” was performed by three dancers, in which Cole used ethnic gestures of Spanish influence. In the dance, he has the dancers do clapping motions above the head, and powerful stomps on the ground. The men even seem to enter with a “macho” type persona, which commands the audience’s attention. Cole adds East Indian dance influence when he has the dancer(s) move ferociously from bended-knee movement to leaps, jumps, and kicks. Many parts include body isolations, where the torso and center stay put, yet the hips move smoothly and the heads sharply turn. Bob Boross states that Cole’s style includes “strength in movement, exploring spatial movement, and use of rhythm.” He was known for dancing in plié, and having fluid yet strong gestures going on at once (Boross.) Cole incorporated ballet to the “Spanish Trio” by adding ballet foot positioning, turns, and grace. The dancers pose and continually come back to the fourth position.
Jack Cole has made a huge impact on the dance world, and it is sad to say that many people do not know how much he has influenced not only the formation of jazz, but other successful dancers and choreographers. His success stories are not as extensive as other choreographers, but he was able to pave the way for big names that we are familiar with today, including Jerome Robbins and Fosse (walkerdance.org.) His legacy as the “Father of Jazz” will continue to live on, and hopefully future generations will continue to be educated on the gift he shared with the dance world.