Tappin' In: Gus Giordano…A Jazz Dance Pioneer
As reported in last month’s “Révérence” column, Gus Giordano, famous and beloved jazz dancer, teacher, choreographer, author and producer, died on March 9, 2008 from pneumonia at the age of 84 years. Melba Huber further explores the life and work of this influential artist from her perspective as a Texas-based studio owner. .
Gus Giordano worked hard at preserving jazz dance, in many ways, before video and other modern technologies. He published records, wrote a great jazz book, choreographed dances, established a jazz company, founded the first American Jazz Dance Congress that became the Jazz Dance World Congress and directed a jazz school. Most important, he traveled the world to take jazz dance, his work, his art and his ideas, to teachers and students everywhere.
Giordano spent the bulk of his career in Evanston, Illinois, an uncommon place for an uncommon artist. He graduated from the University of Missouri with a minor in Dance and moved to New York, appearing in “Paint Your Wagon,” “On the Town” and numerous television shows. He moved to Chicago to open his own school in the early 1950s, settling in Evanston.
In his early years and in the early years of jazz, there were no touring and teaching groups as we know them today. Dance organizations served as the day’s “workshops” and “conventions.” Giordano taught at such dance organization meetings worldwide, as often as possible, to get his work established and promote the art of jazz dance. For instance, Giordano taught semi-annually in Dallas for the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing, and in Houston for the South Texas Chapter of the Dance Masters of America. Both were strong organizations, well attended by teachers, and laid good foundations in Texas.
Gus Giordano with Gregory Hines at the Ruth Page Awards
The Texas Association Teachers of Dancing seeded many dance pioneer members like Judith and Anne Sproule from Beaumont; Virginia Self, from Dallas; Florence Coleman, from Port Arthur; and Camille Long Hill, of Houston. These teachers traveled to New York and were always up to date on the best and newest teachers on the dance scene. Besides Giordano, faculty at events often included people like Robert Joffrey, Bob Audy, Louis DaPron (EVEN WITH THE TWO CAPITALS, HIS LAST NAME IS ONE SINGLE WORD –I corrected this), Tommy Armour, Jack Cole, Ted Shawn, Danny Hoctor and Matt Maddox.
The South Texas Dance Masters convention always had great faculties also. Most teachers of the time depended on the dance organizations for material, technique and inspiration, and supported the Dallas and Houston organizations. These teachers and many others gave Texas a rich jazz dance legacy, and Texas produced many professional dancers and great teachers as a result. (SENTENCE WAS MISSING A PERIOD)
Giordano was one of the primary teachers that inspired the development of jazz dance. Another important jazz teacher was Bob Audy. Both were important to the development of jazz dance in Texas and gave teachers material to take home to teach their students. The Texas dance teachers just couldn’t get enough of these two inspiring “professors” who had very different techniques. Audy’s style was beautiful and lyrical, while Giordano’s style was strong and powerful. Most of that generation of organization members taught the first jazz classes in their hometowns.
Because there were no video recorders, teachers had to write dance notes for their subordinate teachers. There were all levels of dance notes. They varied from excellent to bad, and occasionally none at all. Most tap and jazz notes explained the counts of the music. Giordano had the best notes of all the teachers. The left column of the page explained the steps, with counts, and a column on the right described the arm movements. Previously, few had ever explained the arm movements, and this was an important development.
Gus and unidentified partner in rehearsal in New York - 1940's
Giordano always knew his material and was an excellent teacher. Cordial in class, and helpful and encouraging to everyone, he kept a sense of humor while teaching and rarely referred to his notes. Because he had his own school, he had already taught most of his routines, which made his presentations at the dance organization meetings better than some of the others who were teaching something they choreographed for the occasion and were presenting it for the first time. Giordano established his own professional jazz company in 1962, called “Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.”
At the Dallas conventions, Giordano spoke often with member Camille Hill, who established Discovery Dance in Houston. Both had dance visions and seemed to encourage each other. Their work was very different in some ways, but they followed many of the same professional paths. Giordano directed much of his choreography to the needs of the teachers. Hill directed her energies to her Houston company performances and produced beautiful jazz pieces with wonderful jazz music. Giordano choreographed powerful numbers for his company in addition to teaching and directing a school. Hill wrote the first textbook for the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing. In 1975, Giordano wrote “The Anthology of American Dance,” the first book on jazz. They even exchanged guest-teaching residencies.
Giordano moved jazz dance conventions to a new plane by establishing the first American Jazz Dance Congress, in 1990, in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois where he has his studio.
In a 1989 interview, Giordano expressed his hopes for the Congress. “The festival could influence the development and progress of jazz dance throughout the world. Jazz dancing will die if the good teachers do not unite to preserve this American art form. Because it is a relatively young art form, we need to lay the groundwork to preserve it.”
In Chicago in 1990, the American Jazz Dance Congress was the first united presentation for all the Chicago Jazz dance companies under one banner: the Hubbard Street Dance Company, the Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre, the Joel Hall Dancers and the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago Company. Giordano planned to include other jazz master teachers with classes during the day and performances at night. Luigi and Matt Maddox were two of the first of non-Chicago teachers to join them. Giordano shared his art and his dreams with all.
He stated once, “I know when a student has had tap, and it is very important. Tap was the rhythm of jazz—the forerunner of dance expression—previously inhibited- a renaissance of free style. Tap gives you the coordination of the fine muscles whereas jazz develops the large muscles. Even Joffrey had his dancers tap. Did you know that there was even a Gus Giordano tap shoe?”
His first American Jazz Dance Congress later became the Jazz Dance World Congress and the organization and its work continues. Over the years it has been held at: the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; Nagoya, Japan; Wiesbaden, Germany; Phoenix, Arizona; Buffalo, New York; Monterey, Mexico; and Chicago, Illinois.
He defined his own mission and goals in a 1989 interview. “Jazz dance is an American art form and as Americans we are the originators and guardians of this art. It was born, is nourished, and continues to grow here. Congress recently recognized jazz as a national treasure- a true American art form. Jazz dance has always crossed ethnic, social and political barriers, bringing all peoples together into one rhythmic, united pulse.”
While Gus Giordano’s time has passed, his gifts to jazz dance live on. The entire dance world mourns his passing; his legacy is one which will never be forgotten.
Read more of Melba’s previous columns, and her 1989 interview with Giordano, at www.melbasdance.com.