Jazz dance originated from the African American vernacular dance of the late 1800s to the mid-1905s. An early popular "jazz dancer" was vaudeville star Joe Frisco in the 1910s. He danced in a loose-limbed style close to the ground while juggling his derby and cigar.

Until the middle of 1950s, the term "jazz dance" often referred to tap dance, because tap dancing (set to jazz music) was the main performance dance of the era. During the later jazz age, popular forms of jazz dance were the Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Jitterbug, Boogie Woogie, swing dancing and the related Lindy Hop.

After the 1950s, pioneers such as Katherine Dunham took the essence of Caribbean traditional dance and made it into a performing art. With the growing domination of other forms of entertainment music, jazz dance evolved on Broadway into a new, smooth style taught today and known as Modern Jazz, while tap dance continued to evolve on its own. The performance style was popularized by Bob Fosse’s work, such as Chicago, Cabaret, Damn Yankees, and The Pajama Game.

Today, jazz dance is present in many different venues and different forms. Jazz dance thrives in dance schools and remains an essential part of musical theater choreography; it is sometimes interwoven with other dance styles as appropriate for the particular show. Jazz dancing can be seen in some music videos, and even a number of Las Vegas showgirls are jazz dancers.

To excel in jazz dance, the dancer must master ballet technique because it consists of slower movements that strengthens body and improves balance. Jazz dancers' strong and sharp movements are aided by ballet technique. Jazz dance can take many different paths. It is often competed in large groups in its more traditional form, but can also cross over into other styles of dance to be lyrical or contemporary. It can also be highly influenced by hip hop styles.

Jazz relies heavily on originality and improvisation. Many jazz dancers have different takes on the dance, incorporating different styles into the dance. An important factor of jazz is expression. Good jazz routines express the music through dramatic and grandiose body movements.

Some basic moves include: ball change, twist, pivot step, touch step, Piqué passé, stag leap, jete`, pencil spin, barrel turn, fan kick, jazz walk, jazz run, hip walk, chasses, cat walk and the catch step.