In 1934, at the historic opening of New York City's The Rainbow Room, Jack Cole and His Dancers wowed patrons with their provocative style of jazz dance. By this time, Jack Cole was already a household name, particularly known for his innovative nightclub acts that helped to spark the commercial spread of this uniquely American art form. 

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Beginning in the 1930s, as the era of prohibition ended and the nightclub scene sprang to life once again throughout the country, choreographer Jack Cole and His Dancers dazzled New York and Chicago’s nightlife with a new, exotic style of entertainment. On the booze scented, thundering nightclub dance floors at the likes of the Rainbow Room, history began. Used to cheap performances meant for their drunken peripheral, nightclub patrons were enraptured by Cole’s unique immersion of cultural dance styles that played with all aspects of dance - rhythm, tempo, levels, patterns - and offered an intriguing and nuanced 'high art' experience. This cross pollination of cultural movement ultimately fed into Cole’s own unique motor idiom and technique, and paved the way for the future of American Jazz Dance. ​

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Cole's genius went on to span mediums, with his work being seen on Broadway, as well as in iconic films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Three for the Show, There's No Business Like Show Business, Kismet, and On the Riviera, to name a few. He shaped stars of the era, including Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Mitzy Gaynor, and was the only choreographer Marilyn Monroe would work with. ​With his company of highly trained dancers, Cole’s work continued to thrill nightlife audiences for three decades. His club acts offered exhilarating and virtuosic dance numbers filled with knee slides and drops, hinges, back flips, rhythmic footwork and high energy partnering, pushing the boundary of what commercial dance could offer.