Tap dancing is a dance form that is characterized by the sound of
an individual rhythmically tapping their tap dancing shoes on a hard
surface, usually a timber floor, but sometimes specific theatre props in
stage performances.
There are two main variations, Broadway tap and Jazz tap. They do vary quite a bit, mainly because Broadway tap is much more common in musical theatre and plays, so the actual dance is flowing and focused on more. Jazz tap, on the other hand, is more about the music than the dance routine itself.
This dance form was recorded to have first come about in the mid-1800s.
With roots from both African American dancing and more
obviously Irish step dancing, it first made major appearances in
minstrel shows. Supposedly, the story is that the white performers would
mock the Southern blacks by imitating their dancing in a sarcastic way.
This then led to the black performers imitating and making fun of the
white performers' imitations of them. It ended up turning into somewhat
of a cycle, until the minstrel shows lost popularity.
At this point, tap dance made its way moving into other shows, notably the very popular (at the time) Vaudeville stage. There were several popular acts at the time, contributing to the growth of tap dancing, particularly the "Buck and Bubbles" duo, which consisted of a dancer (Bubbles) and a pianist (Buck). These two essentially started the common theme of famous tap dancers wearing tuxedos while performing, something that still happens today. One of their most popular acts, known as the "Class Act", involved them dancing in tuxedos.
Another notable act during the similar time period was Bojangles and Cooper, who both brought more of an Irish step-dancing background to the dance. Dancing together for a while, eventually they both had a bit of conflict, and Bojangles went solo. At the time, this was very rare for a black man to do, but it worked out incredibly well, resulting in major success for Bojangles, and he later went onto appearing in films as a leading actor.
Over the years since the origination of tap dancing, the dance has definitely changed. As with many dances over time, new moves are added in to give the dance a new feel and sound. That being said, the fundamentals of the dance still remain the same, and even today many fans of tap dancing still look back and enjoy those legends at work.
Today tap dancing is still very common in theatre and musicals. It's quite often coupled with vocals, and usually done along with some sort of background music. There are definitely times, like in the Broadway shows, when the tap dancing occurs without this accompaniment, like dance sections in Riverdance, so the audience can enjoy the purity of it.
Famous duos don't exist as much as they did in the past on the silver screen. There is more the emphasis on musical companies running shows that employ large casts of dancers, with a few playing the leading roles. That being said, there are still small towns and cities around the globe where tap dancing classes are incredibly popular, and small solo and duo acts still have their fame.
A new phenomenon in recent years has been the contest for the title of the world's fastest tap dancer. Guinness World Records have records for the most taps in 60 seconds and the most taps in one second.
There are two main variations, Broadway tap and Jazz tap. They do vary quite a bit, mainly because Broadway tap is much more common in musical theatre and plays, so the actual dance is flowing and focused on more. Jazz tap, on the other hand, is more about the music than the dance routine itself.
This dance form was recorded to have first come about in the mid-1800s.
With roots from both African American dancing and more
obviously Irish step dancing, it first made major appearances in
minstrel shows. Supposedly, the story is that the white performers would
mock the Southern blacks by imitating their dancing in a sarcastic way.
This then led to the black performers imitating and making fun of the
white performers' imitations of them. It ended up turning into somewhat
of a cycle, until the minstrel shows lost popularity.At this point, tap dance made its way moving into other shows, notably the very popular (at the time) Vaudeville stage. There were several popular acts at the time, contributing to the growth of tap dancing, particularly the "Buck and Bubbles" duo, which consisted of a dancer (Bubbles) and a pianist (Buck). These two essentially started the common theme of famous tap dancers wearing tuxedos while performing, something that still happens today. One of their most popular acts, known as the "Class Act", involved them dancing in tuxedos.
Another notable act during the similar time period was Bojangles and Cooper, who both brought more of an Irish step-dancing background to the dance. Dancing together for a while, eventually they both had a bit of conflict, and Bojangles went solo. At the time, this was very rare for a black man to do, but it worked out incredibly well, resulting in major success for Bojangles, and he later went onto appearing in films as a leading actor.
Over the years since the origination of tap dancing, the dance has definitely changed. As with many dances over time, new moves are added in to give the dance a new feel and sound. That being said, the fundamentals of the dance still remain the same, and even today many fans of tap dancing still look back and enjoy those legends at work.
Today tap dancing is still very common in theatre and musicals. It's quite often coupled with vocals, and usually done along with some sort of background music. There are definitely times, like in the Broadway shows, when the tap dancing occurs without this accompaniment, like dance sections in Riverdance, so the audience can enjoy the purity of it.
Famous duos don't exist as much as they did in the past on the silver screen. There is more the emphasis on musical companies running shows that employ large casts of dancers, with a few playing the leading roles. That being said, there are still small towns and cities around the globe where tap dancing classes are incredibly popular, and small solo and duo acts still have their fame.
A new phenomenon in recent years has been the contest for the title of the world's fastest tap dancer. Guinness World Records have records for the most taps in 60 seconds and the most taps in one second.
Robert Alexanda is a writer who specializes in health and the arts.
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