Quck answer
Tap dance is a unique style of dance that involves creating rhythms and sounds with your feet. While special tap shoes are not necessary to start learning tap dance, they are highly recommended. Tap shoes have metal plates on the soles that produce distinct sounds when they come into contact with the floor. These sounds are an essential part of tap dance and are difficult to achieve without tap shoes. Additionally, tap shoes provide the necessary support and flexibility for dancers to execute intricate footwork and movements. Investing in a good pair of tap shoes will enhance your tap dancing experience and improve your performance.
What happens when you combine enjoyable music, quick footwork, and a good sense of rhythm? You get the clickety-clack and tappity-tap of tap dancing!
Tap dancing combines two beautiful art forms—dance and music—into one performance. How can you identify if someone is tap dancing? Simply listen for the tapping sounds produced by the metal plates on the bottom of their shoes.
When these shoes make contact with a solid surface, like a wooden floor, they create a distinct sound. As tap dancers move across the floor, they create music with their dance steps!
Many companies manufacture specialized tap shoes that have tap plates securely attached to the soles with screws. Since each shoe has a tap plate near the toe and one on the heel, they are often referred to as “two shoes and four taps.” The screws that fasten the plates to the shoes can be adjusted to change the sound they produce.
Alternatively, some people make their own tap shoes. They attach quarters or metal plates to the bottom of a pair of shoes using tape or screws (with adult assistance). It is also possible to tap dance in shoes with a hard, solid sole. However, the sound produced by such shoes is not the same as that of genuine tap shoes.
The origins of tap dancing can be traced back to Africa and the English Isles. When individuals were forcibly taken from Africa and brought to America as slaves, they brought their music and dance traditions with them.
When slaveholders prohibited them from using drums and other percussion instruments, enslaved individuals used their feet to create music through percussive dancing. Over time, this practice merged with Irish clogging, resulting in the tap dancing we are familiar with today.
Tap dancers often improvise, creating their moves and rhythms as they go. They also heavily rely on syncopation, utilizing irregular rhythms to emphasize beats or accents where they typically would not occur.
Did you know that tap dancing can even be performed without music? Similar to singing without accompaniment, tap dancers can perform “a cappella.” Instead of dancing to music, they generate their own rhythms using a variety of specialized steps.
In the early 1900s, tap dancing was highly popular in America. It was frequently featured in Vaudeville shows and on Broadway, and it played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance. Many tap dancers also appeared in films and eventually on television.
You may be familiar with the names of some renowned tap dancers. Have you heard of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson? How about Josephine Baker or Rita Hayworth? These were all well-known tap dancers. Other notable figures in tap dancing include Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers.
With the emergence of rock-and-roll, tap dance experienced a decline in popularity. Jazz dance eventually evolved from tap dance as a separate form of dance. Although they were once similar, tap dance and jazz dance are now considered distinct dance styles.
Traditional tap dance is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Modern tap dancers include Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. In fact, Savion Glover played a significant role in bringing tap dancing back into the mainstream. He choreographed and performed in the film Happy Feet, which tells the story of a tap dancing penguin.
Are you familiar with the art of tap dancing? Or would you have an interest in learning it? Tap dancing is a popular form of artistic expression that brings joy to many individuals. It is a unique experience to create and dance to your own music simultaneously!
Give It a Try
Would you like to try tap dancing? Enlist the help of a friend or family member and explore the following activities:
- If today’s Wonder of the Day has inspired you to tap your feet, get up and let the rhythm guide you! You don’t need specialized tap shoes to learn some basic tap dance moves. Create your own homemade tap shoes, put on a pair of dress shoes, or even slip into some old sneakers. Then, get ready to dance.
- Tap dancing is a delightful activity that can be enjoyed by anyone, whether they have dreams of being a future ballerina or feel like they have two left feet. Explore the guide “How to Tap Dance” to learn a variety of tap dance moves. You could also take inspiration from the tap dancing genius Sammy Davis, Jr. Invite your friends and family to join you for a toe-tapping session of fun!
- Can you create your own tap dance routine to a popular modern song? Give it a shot! Select an easy-to-dance-to popular song and come up with a few simple dance moves to complement it. Invent some tap dance steps to accentuate the song’s beats. Share your dance routine with a friend or family member!
Sources of Wonder
- https://ums.org/2019/06/21/from-margins-to-mainstream-tap-dance-history/ (accessed 27 Jan. 2021)
- http://www.ehow.com/about_5084… (accessed 24 Jan. 2020)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_dancing (accessed 24 Jan. 2020)
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