Think of the difference between swing dancing in a club versus a full-cast musical with sets and costumes. That’s the evolution of jazz-funk. The best way to understand jazz-funk is to visualize a broader more commercialized form of hip-hop dance that freely borrows from many different styles of large dance production.
Jazz-funk is a lyrical style of dance, perfect for storytelling and projecting emotional depth. It’s exciting and suggestive but without the kind of vulgarity that would undermine its mainstream appeal. It is designed to have broad appeal while still having a kind of magic and thrill in its execution.