Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance
Impassioned documentary on the rich and troubled history of jazz dance, a genre with roots in the transatlantic trade of enslaved peoples.
When people think of jazz dance, they think of Broadway and West End, of Liza Minnelli in CABARET or the clicking fingers in WEST SIDE STORY. This documentary overturns that image and reveals that the true history of jazz dance goes back to Africa and the African-American experience. White choreographers – like Bob Fosse, the director of CABARET – subsequently appropriated the genre and attached their names to it.
UPROOTED: THE JOURNEY OF JAZZ DANCE is also a celebration of the art form. It does so with a number of special performances by stars of the industry: Debbie Allen, George Faison, Chita Rivera, Camille A. Brown and Thomas F. DeFrantz.