Everyday Jazz
Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
MSU-Only Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
College/School
College of the Arts
Department/Program
Theatre and Dance
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Stefanie Batten Bland
Committee Member
Kristen Bell
Committee Member
Ryan Kasprzak
Abstract
Everyday Jazz is a series of short dance films that demonstrate the means by which jazz dance, as a performance medium, can be used to illustrate and detail the human experience. These films employ a full spectrum of jazz dance, including contemporary dance, theatrical jazz, commercial jazz, and the roots of jazz dance: West African dance. Each film is a fleeting exposé into a new world in which jazz dance serves as a communicative language. This series houses both narrative and abstract parts that exhibit the innate complexity of jazz dance and center the original roots, origins, and intentions of jazz dance. I have come to know jazz dance as an art form of African and African American origin that champions celebration, storytelling, and fostering community. This project will examine how these same aspects continue to accompany jazz dance today and are vividly present in our contemporary world. These films will use jazz dance to illustrate and highlight themes we encounter in our day-to-day lives. These themes include mental health, racial stigmas and stereotypes, as well as homelessness and socioeconomic hierarchy. However, not all of the films will deal with such heavy subject matter. They also demonstrate jazz dance’s ability to foster optimism, joy, and serve as a plush escape from reality. This written thesis documents my research into jazz history and its mutually beneficial relationship with cinematography. As a working director, cinematographer, and choreographer, I have filmed, edited, and color graded all of these works myself. Ultimately, the films frame and project my understanding of jazz dance in a way that honors its original roots and intentions based on accessibility, inclusivity, and community.
File Format
MP4
Recommended Citation
Lewis, Terk, "Everyday Jazz" (2026). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1669.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1669
written thesis
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Comments
The performance video is restricted to the Montclair State University community but the PDF file of the thesis, which is located at the bottom of the screen, is available to anyone interested in reading it.