The Cakewalk Routine The Cake Walk, considered by many as the early origins to inspire Jazz Dance, was born by slaves mocking the way their slave masters would walk, move or dance. Eventually the slave masters would see what the slaves were doing and forced them to perform the dance as entertainment for themselves and other slave masters. Although being forced to dance, the slave who jumped or pranced the highest or provided the best animation would receive a cake or piece of cake, hence the nam