When I was in college, nothing was more exciting than Thursday nights when my friends and I would meet up at a local club hosting swing dance night. It was a very cool thing to be a part of, but how cool would it have been to learn both the jazzy dance techniques and the people who influenced the existence of them? That’s the idea in Uprooted; educate viewers on the roots of jazz dance and the key figures - both popular and lesser known - involved with its evolution and impact on society. And I must say, I can’t think of a history lesson as invigorating as what is offered in this documentary. 

Through the eyes, education, and experience of dozens of dance industry leaders, Uprooted presents a thorough look at the evolution of jazz dance, starting with the dance expression that happened during slavery all the way up to contemporary styles of dance today. While the film risks offering too much information to absorb in the 94 minute runtime, every moment of this documentary is invaluable as director Khadif Wong dances audiences through professional insights of key moments in jazz dance history.

One of the interviewees, Jason Samuels Smith, echoes a sentiment that is pivotal to the message in this documentary when it comes to acknowledging and honoring the history of jazz dance: “We need to talk about our ancestors, we need to talk about our inspirations every class, not just the one time we get to sit down on film. We need to speak their names every day.” It’s a notion that hits a soul stirring chord with me because so often in American society, important topics are reduced to very limited and mainstream viewpoints that deserve much more perpetual and involved conversation.

Yes, Uprooted is comprehensive in its examination of the history of jazz dance, but the production is intent on educating about how to  propagate the foundation and key influences in a more continuous manner. The effort - exemplified in the featured interviewees and their love and passion for the topic - is earnest, enlightening, and effective.

With the wealth of underserved information about the evolution of jazz dance, it's a wonder we don’t have more prominent documentaries and feature films about the subject. TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and musical films like La La Land demonstrate that jazz dance is still a performance art that is and continues to be prevalent in mainstream media and society, which makes Uprooted a timely and necessary documentary. Much like jazz dance itself, Uprooted is a lively and inspiring presentation.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2 | Reviewer's Preference - 2 | What does this mean?