Modern Jive is a social partner dance that is one of the easiest partner dance styles to learn. It can be danced anywhere music is playing: bars & nightclubs, parties, weddings, dance events, and so on.

It borrows concepts and ideas from other styles giving it broad appeal to people of all ages and abilities

Social

• It is relatively easy to make progress early on.
• Dancers of different abilities can dance together at classes and social events.
• It can be danced at a great many social functions such as parties, bars, weddings, concerts, even the beach!

Partner

• It's a partner dance involving at least one lead and follow.
• Break away dancing is also possible (and enjoyable) for short periods.

Dance

• It can be danced to a wide range of music (nearly all with a 4/4 time signature).
• It has looser requirements for footwork.
• Dancers can use the tempo of a song and/or other qualities such as the melody and lyrics.

Many dance styles are created for particular tempos and styles of music. For example, Argentine Tango, Lindy Hop, Rock 'n' Roll, Salsa, West Coast Swing, Zouk, and the ten standard Ballroom styles (Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Jive, Samba & Paso Doble).

They have particular footwork patterns that match the tempo of the music they are commonly danced to. Play a different genre of music and that dance style might not fit. These styles tend to be focussed more on dancing than on people - they're undertaken with proper dance shoes on specific dance surfaces to achieve the specific requirements of a style.

Modern Jive does not have formal footwork - we merely recommend leads initiate with the right foot and follows initiate with the left but it is not fixed in stone.

At more advanced levels we do not need step to the tempo of the music - we can also dance to the melody as well. The wide variety of music and the continuous evolution are just two of the reasons why Modern Jive is always fresh and rewarding.

Click below for specific information about timing and footwork.

1. The people! People who dance Modern Jive are anyone and everyone from all walks of life, there's no pecking order and everyone dances with everyone else.
2. It's easy to get started and after one lesson you can survive a whole song.
3. It can be danced to a wide range of music.
4. It's popular and appeals to a wide range of ages from teens to much older.
5. It has a relaxed approach to footwork.
6. The classes are fun and rewarding giving a quick sense of accomplishment.
7. Classes and events have great sense of community with a focus on being friendly and welcoming.
8. Modern Jive dance competitions are some of the most enjoyable and rewarding dance competitions of any dance style. The main point is the focus on overall enjoyment and participation rather than just trying to win.

Fevah Modern Jive Fun, social partner dance classes and events. We are one of the most popular partner dance clubs in Australasia running four class nights a week in Christchurch. We also have monthly dance parties and socials. Classes range in size from 40 to 100 with a wide range of ages represented.

OMJ Think Ōtautahi Modern Jive (or OMG but with the G replaced with J for jive) - this is a group within Fevah for dancers keen to keep up with latest music releases as well as dancing to classic hits. Dancers of all ages are welcome with the night being particulary popular for those in the 18 - 35 range.

Christchurch Modern Jive Championships The ChCh Champs is one of the most popular Modern Jive competitions in Australasia with over 150 competitors regularly attending. The action is spread over three days with a variety of categories to suit all levels.

Refresh Dance Weekend Our Refresh weekender is a mix of workshops, a few competition categories and socials but with a refreshing twist.

Winter Weekender The Winter Weekender is hosted by our Wednesday (OMJ) crew and is New Zealand's only Winter dance weekend featuring social events, workshops, snow sports and of course a huge dance party.

Wedding Dance with Deb Deb has taught over 500 wedding couples over the years and has also taught entire wedding groups. She has considerable experience in being able to handle large groups of people and getting them organised and dancing in a short space of time. With many years experience she is in high demand especially during the wedding season.

Modern Jive Points Index The Modern Jive Points Index (MJPI) is a system to track the progress of competitors in Modern Jive dance competitions. The MJPI is used extensively in New Zealand and Australia. It also uses a scoring system (developed by us) which is used at most Modern Jive competitions in New Zealand and has also been used at the Ceroc Pan-Asia Championships.