Tap dance origin

Characteristics of tap dance
Who invented tap shoes
Famous tap dancers male

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Dancing Through Time: A Biographical Look on the Evolution of Tap Dance

Program

Biography and Memoir

Subject Categories

Keywords

Tap dance, American history, jazz music, New York City, Minstrelsy, vernacular art

Abstract

A uniquely American art form, tap dance has often been misrepresented and under-appreciated when positioned alongside other dance forms. This is largely due to the form’s racialized history, which builds upon contributions from African-American culture. Unlike other dance forms, which stem from white European traditions, tap dance evolved out of a necessity for cultural preservation as enslaved Africans adapted to life in America. As tap dance evolved, its association with slave culture led to it not being taken seriously; if anything, tap dancers were viewed simply as “entertainers” – certainly not as artists. Using a biographical lens, this work looks at the evolution of the genre by positioning it alon

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History of Tap

Zelia Raye (1900-1981) studied dance in the USA. Following the publication of her book Rational Limbering (1929) she was invited to form a Committee and create an examination syllabus. She founded the Stage Branch in 1931; it later became the Modern Stage Branch and eventually the Modern Theatre Faculty. The first Committee was announced in 1932 and examinations were held in 1933. Raye’s book American Tap Dancing was published in 1936. The survival of the Stage Branch owes its success to the tenacity and diligence of Miss Raye. Her life is well documented in Pam Eddleston’s book Zelia Raye and the development of Modern Theatre Dance (2002). Here Eddleston describes her as a dynamic and imaginative woman, far-reaching in her vision.’ The book also pays tribute to ‘the talented people who contributed and developed this vision with dedication and devotion’.

These ‘talented people’ were an extremely important part of the development of Tap Dance. Joan Davis, Janet Cram, Tom Parry, Doreen Aust

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Tap dance

Type of dance involving percussive shoes

Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music.^[1] Tap dancing can also be a cappella, with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its own music.

It is an African-American artform that evolved alongside the advent of jazz music.^[2]^[3] Tap is a type of step dance that began with the combination of Southern American and Irish dance traditions, such as Irish soft-shoe and hard-shoe step dances,^[4] and a variety of both slave and freeman step dances. The fusion of African rhythms and performance styles with European techniques of footwork led to the creation of tap dance.^[5] This fusion began in the mid-17th century but did not become popular until the mid-19th century.^[6]

There are two major versions of tap dance: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses on musica