History:

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist:

-Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater.

-Rhythm tap focuses on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition.

Tap dance has roots in dancing such as the :

-Irish step dancing,

-English Lancashire Clog dancing,

-Juba Dance.

It begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows in England. Famous as Master Juba, William Henry Lane became one of the few black performers to join an otherwise white minstrel troupe, and is widely considered to be one of the most famous forebears of tap dance. Then came the time of Vaudeville. Due to the two-colored rule, which forbade blacks from performing solo, the majority of Vaudeville tap acts were duets. Like the famous pair "Buck and Bubbles," John "Bubbles" Sublett tap dancer and Ford "Buck" Washington on piano. The duo perfected the "Class Act", a routine in which the performers wore impeccable tuxedos, which has since become a common theme in tap dance. Another notable figure is Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. He joined the Vaudeville circuit in 1902, but afterwards, Robinson decided to form a solo act, which was extremely rare for a black man at that time. Despite this, he had tremendous success and soon became a world famous celebrity. He went on to have a leading role in many films, notably in the Shirley Temple franchise. During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop. In the 1950s, Jazz music and tap dance declined, while rock and roll and the new jazz dance emerged. What is now called jazz dance evolved out of tap dance.

Link to Main Events:

National Tap Dance Day in the United States, celebrated May 25, ( birthday of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.)

Link to Main Perfomer:

Arthur Duncan ,Tommy Tune, Sarah Reich, Brenda Bufalino, Melinda Sullivan, The Clark Brothers, Savion Glover, Gregory and Maurice Hines, LaVaughn Robinson, Jason Samuels Smith

Link to Tuto:

Link to Movies:

No Maps on My Taps, the Emmy award winning PBS documentary of 1979.

Similar Dances: