Biography

JazzCotech Dancers from different part of the UK, brought together by Perry Louis, who founded the group in the early 90’s. As individuals, JazzCotech Dancers are all ‘Clubbers’ who have had no or very little Dance training. We are all from different social and cultural backgrounds with different takes on Jazz Dance and we are all very individual, in style as well as personality. What we have in common, however, is that we all love Jazz and we all love to dance to Jazz. Perry chooses the Dancers for those very reasons: individuality and that special something are a must to be a JazzCotech Dancer – equally important is a strong passion for Jazz, JazzFunk, Funk or Soul music and the ability to ‘let go’ and lose yourself on a dance floor. All of that makes for a strong group unit and as a group, we are the most versatile and busiest Jazz Dance group in the UK at present, as well as the only one teaching, promoting and showcasing the art of UK Street-Fusion Jazz Dance.

JazzCotech Dancers have danced for and alongside all sorts of musical greats and have appeared at all major international Jazz and Music festivals; e.g. St Lucia, Montreux, Furano and North Sea Jazz Festivals, as well as Phoenix, Brecon and Glastonbury festivals. We have danced with numerous Jazz and Funk bands and have supported well-known artists such as James Brown, Maceo Parker, Jamiroquai, Incognito, Mark Murphy, Wynton Marsalis and Jon Hendricks, to name but a few.

But we haven’t just stopped at dancing; as we are passionate about the music, we feel that by dancing, we make the music visible. Through shows and club promotions, we are constantly approached for lessons so we are now regularly teaching classes up and down the country, for both adults and young people; in fact, we started our own junior group 2 years ago, The JazzCotech Juniors who are now a successful Dance group in their own right with an impressive portfolio of shows under their belt already. As such, we see ourselves as educators of the Jazz scene and every person we introduce to Jazz Dance is often new to Jazz Music, too.

JazzCotech and Street-Fusion Jazz Dance will always be a predominantly club related phenomenon, however, it is our current and future mission to re-educate the Jazz Music scene, most of which seems to have moved away from its original free and rhythmical roots into an arena of technical ability and endless scales. Jazz is constantly being analysed; the intellectual types are trying to understand it so they in turn can lecture and pigeonhole it. Like a lot of things in life that start from small beginnings of wildness and freedom, Jazz Music is in danger of loosing the fun element of free expression. As a result, many young Musicians we come across don’t see Jazz as a Music which was always meant to be a Dance Music and aren’t aware that the 2 go hand in hand. So, we go wherever we can to spread the word. Long may it continue.

JazzCotech Dancers are a complete reflection of Street-Fusion Jazz Dance. (What is Street-Fusion Jazz Dance?)

JazzCotech Dancers run numerous promotions in London, and are constantly approached by promoters, DJs, Club Owners and Musicians to assist them on various projects.