Daily Almanac for
Jul 9, 2008
Info search tips
Bio search tips

Encyclopedia

jig

jig, dance of English origin that is performed also in Ireland and Scotland. It is usually a lively dance, performed by one or more persons, with quick and irregular steps. When the jig was introduced to the United States, it was often danced in minstrel shows. In instrumental music the gigue, the successor to the jig, was used by Bach and Handel in their suites.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on jig from Infoplease:

  • Jig - Jig from gigue. A short piece of music much in vogue in olden times, of a very lively character, ...
  • gigue - gigue: gigue: see jig.
  • Richard Tarlton - Tarlton, Richard Tarlton, Richard, d. 1588, Elizabethan actor and clown. One of the Queen's ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Dance