All That Jazz

A tiny black woman with short, red curly hair walks briskly through
Robinson Hall. She wears gel shoes, maroon ankle warmers, black dance pants,
and on her dark T-shirt a woman figure dances in a purple hat. She heads
downstairs to teach Vintage Jazz, well at least thats her plan; unfortunately, she
cant find her keys again. Her dance students can attest to the fact that Professor
Karen Hubbard constantly loses her keys.
As usual, The UNC Charlotte Associate Professor doesnt let it ruin her day.
Hubbard heads into class with a huge smile on her face, ready to share with her
students her love for Vintage Jazz. She doesnt worry. The keys will show up.
Hubbard is not only quirky, kind and happy woman, she is an accomplished
dancer, writer and teacher with a fascinating career, refreshing humility and great
love of dance.
Hubbard claims she always danced and grew serious about it as a teenager
when she began training in ballet. But as much as she loved movement she never
intended to be a professional dancer. Although Hubbard went to every audition
without any real expectation, she ended up having a great career.
Originally from Ohio, she went to New York for her senior trip and took a
jazz class she will never forget with Jamie Rodgers, a dancer in the Broadway and

film versions of West Side Story, Later Pepsi Bethel, professional Lindy Hopper
and artistic director of The American Authentic Jazz Dance Theatre, introduced
her to historical jazz dance.
Looking back, she says that dance always summoned her. Her
accomplishments verify this; she danced with Karamu Concert Dancers, a modern
company based in Cleveland Ohio, was a go-go girl with NBC Hullabaloo dancers,
performed in a work choreographed by Tally Beatty, and appeared in Screen
Actors Guild, and American Federation of Television & Radio Artists daytime
serials, commercials and films.
With the Actors Equity Association, she played Ermengard in the
Broadway musical Hello Dolly! Hubbard always looked young for her age and
played the 16 -year -old at the age of 30. Hubbard was sick with a fever the day of
the audition and almost didnt go, but I said I was gonna do this and I did it.
While living in New York she had many friends with talented voices. Her
audition song was If My Friends Could See Me Now from Sweet Charity. A
fellow Hello Dolly! cast member asked her to sing on a benefit program for
patients at a New York hospital. I figured what the heck and agreed to sing,
but when it came time perform she did the entire song off-key. I got no applause.
I was mortified. Encouraged to sing the entire song from the beginning she tried

again, this time on-key, getting applause.

One of Hubbards most interesting experiences occurred when she was
around 32 years old. She auditioned for the film version of The Wiz, with
hundreds of dancers, including some from Julliard and some from NY High School
of Performing Arts. A few days after the audition, Hubbard got a message to
return; hoping it was a final cast line-up instead of a callback she wore a denim
A shaped jumper, Nikes with high socks, and floppy pig tails on either side of
her head. The renown director, Sydney Lumet took one glance at her and dragged
her away, not indicting where he was taking her. She ended face- to -face with the
films costume designer, Tony Walton. Next thing she knew, Hubbard lay on a
large, brown paper while workers traced her body and hair. She had no idea she
would become the prototype for the Paper doll munchkins in the film The Wiz.
Hubbards accomplishments soar well beyond performing; before landing
her first professional job in the NY theatre she was assistant to the fashion director
at Glamour Magazine, which she describes as, Glamorous, in a way. She says
when they were busy, they were very busy, but when they werent, they didnt
have to pretend to be. She would take an entire hour and a half dance class on her
break, just because she wanted to keep dancing.
In 1985 as a graduate student in the Dance Department at The Ohio State

University, she began to realize the significance of everything she had learned
while studying and performing in NYC, leading her to develop an original
approach to teaching Vintage Jazz Dance in which students learn jazz movement
and history from the first half of the 20th century. She outlines this coursework in
her article, Valuing Cultural Context and Style, in which she says it allows
students to experience authentic jazz dance through methodology that
acknowledges and respects the cultural context of the form. She believes it is
important for students to study and understand their history as it gives them a
framework for rhythm, style, projection and improvisation. Teachers also need to
recognize the importance of jazz history, inspiring Hubbard to write articles and
book chapters on the topic including, The Authentic Jazz Dance of Pepsi Bethel,
and Curriculum Design for DanceThe Origins of Jazz.
It is this passion for dance and history that draws many to her, and why she
so fondly reaches out to her students. Her coworker and friend, Delia Neil,
explains that she does what benefits her students, not herself. Neil adds that she is a
good and concerned listener. Dance student Jessica Davis says, She is always
willing to go out of her way for you. She describes her as unconventional,
unique, humble and constructive. If she doesnt have an answer she admits and
says, I dont know that, lets figure it out. Davis also says, if you can figure out
her crazy web, you know what she is talking about.

Hubbard has lived the glamorous life of a dancer and actress but comes to
her students as a friend, mentor and teacher. Because of her unique, laid back, and
inviting personality, her students say she is a youthful spirit, and very much like a
cool aunt.