What is the Street Jazz?

A studio hybrid grafting hip-hop and funk styling onto jazz technique, danced to pop and R&B, and used largely interchangeably with the term jazz funk.

What tempo is the Street Jazz danced at?

The Street Jazz is typically danced at Roughly 95-115 BPM.

Dance History›Modern Fusion & Commercial›Street Jazz

Eleganza by the Street Jazz PTP | Opening Day Showcase · STEP Studio

Modern Fusion & CommercialMFC-STJ

Street Jazz

Q: Where did the Street Jazz originate?

The Street Jazz originated in United States (Los Angeles and New York studio and television scenes) in the 1990s.

Q: What time signature is the Street Jazz danced in?

The Street Jazz is danced in 4/4 with backbeat accents on two and four, and heavy syncopation against the funk groove.

Q: What is the character of the Street Jazz?

The Street Jazz is characterized as slick, attitude-forward and precise; jazz line and control delivered with funk weight and swagger.

Also known as: Jazz Funk, Jazz-Funk Dance, Funk Jazz, Hip-Hop Jazz

OriginUnited States (Los Angeles and New York studio and television scenes)

Era1990–Present

Rhythm4/4 with backbeat accents on two and four, and heavy syncopation against the funk groove

TempoRoughly 95-115 BPM

CharacterSlick, attitude-forward and precise; jazz line and control delivered with funk weight and swagger

Origin: United States (Los Angeles and New York studio and television scenes)
Era: 1990–Present
Rhythm: 4/4 with backbeat accents on two and four, and heavy syncopation against the funk groove
Tempo: Roughly 95-115 BPM
Character: Slick, attitude-forward and precise; jazz line and control delivered with funk weight and swagger

History & Cultural Context

Street jazz is a studio-born hybrid that grafts hip-hop and funk styling onto jazz technique, and the label is used more or less interchangeably with jazz funk; the standard reference treatment describes jazz-funk dance as a hybrid of hip-hop and jazz that is also called street jazz. The style crystallised in the early 1990s around television and music video work, notably the Fly Girls on In Living Color, choreographed by Rosie Perez, whose cast included Jennifer Lopez. What separates it from hip-hop proper is its foundation: street jazz retains jazz mechanics such as pirouettes, arabesques, releve and a lifted presentational carriage, whereas hip-hop's grounded bounce, rock and social-dance vocabulary descend from a different lineage and culture. What separates it from traditional jazz is the funk phrasing, the density of isolations and the pop and R&B soundtrack. It remains a staple class format in commercial studios worldwide and supplies much of the movement seen in music video choreography for artists from Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul onward.

Cultural Significance

Street jazz is a studio and industry category rather than a community-born street style. Its debt to hip-hop culture is substantial, which makes accurate naming and credit an ongoing live issue among practitioners and teachers.

Characteristic Movement & Technique

Isolations of the head, ribs and hips, sharp accents against a funk backbeat, level changes and floor accents, combined with jazz turns, extensions, releve work and strong presentational focus.

Partnering Dynamics

Predominantly solo and ensemble. Unison, canon and formation work dominate, and contact appears mainly as staged partner moments within choreography rather than as any lead-and-follow system.

Competitive Context

Appears as a category at studio competitions and conventions and in televised dance contests. It has no federation, graded syllabus or ranking system of its own.

Regional Variations

American studios generally fold it into the commercial jazz pipeline, while the Korean and Japanese scenes developed distinct jazz funk and girls' hip-hop variants that feed directly into idol choreography.

Common Misconceptions

Street jazz and jazz funk are widely presented as two clearly separate styles; in practice the labels overlap heavily and their meanings shift by studio and country. It is also not hip-hop, and teaching it as such misattributes a distinct culture.

Peak Popularity

2010s

75% estimated global awareness

Signature Figures

Rosie Perez
Jennifer Lopez

Street Jazz Music & Tempo

Drawn from 17 Street Jazz tracks in the LODance music library.

Typically danced around111 BPM· most tracks fall between 101–115 BPMBPM = beats per minute.

Example tracks at practice tempo

Black or White - Single Version — Michael Jackson115 BPM
Say So — Doja Cat111 BPM
Circus — Britney Spears115 BPM
Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) — Mark Ronson115 BPM
The Way I Are — Timbaland115 BPM
I'm a Slave 4 U — Britney Spears110 BPM

Browse & play all 17 Street Jazztracks in the Music Library →

Street Jazz on screen

Films and television where Street Jazz appears, with the sequences worth watching for.

Center Stage (2000)1 sequence indexed“Higher Ground” downtown jazz class · 00:44:53 · chor. Susan Stroman

Poster artwork from TMDB.

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Sources & Further Reading

Cultural & Historical Context

Street Jazz emerged from United States (Los Angeles and New York studio and television scenes) during the 1990s—present day. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.

Formative Influences

Signature Movement Vocabulary:

Rosie Perez, Jennifer Lopez

Primary Source Documents

The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.

Last reviewed: September 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.