Tap Dance - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_dance

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using one's shoes, as well as the floor, as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a musical form as well. Two major variations on tap dance exist, rhythm (Jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the dance side, and is widely performed as a part of musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses instead on the musical side, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition.

Tap dance has its roots in both Irish step-dancing, and black slave dances, such as the Master Juba. It is believed to have begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows, in which Irish performers would imitate southern blacks and satirize their dance forms while incorporating step-dancing. In later minstrel shows, black performers wearing blackface would play roles in which they would imitate the Irish imitation of black dance forms, further mixing the two. Famous as Master Juba, William Henry Lane became one of the only black performers to join an otherwise white minstrel troupe, and is widely considered to be the most famous forebear of Tap Dance.

History:

During the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the best tap dancers moved from Vaudeville to cinema and television. Steve Condos, with his innovative style of percussion tap, created a whole new tap style that he introduced to audiences in Vaudeville, and later to the audiences of film and Broadway. Prominent tap dancers of this period included Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Shirley Temple, John W. Bubbles, Charles "Honi" Coles, Vera-Ellen, Ruby Keeler, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Jeni LeGon, Fayard and Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers, The Clark Brothers, Donald O'Connor, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Prince Spencer, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and Jimmy Slyde.

During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop. "Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" are Lindy Hop moves with tap footwork. In the 1950s, the style of entertainment changed. Jazz music and tap dance declined, while rock and roll and pop music and the new jazz dance emerged. What is now called jazz dance evolved out of tap dance, so both dances have many moves in common. But jazz evolved separately from tap dance to become a new form in its own right. Well-known dancers during the 1960s and 1970s included Arthur Duncan and Tommy Tune.

No Maps on My Taps, the Emmy award winning PBS documentary of 1979, helped begin the recent revival of tap dance. The outstanding success of the animated film, Happy Feet, has further reinforced the popular appeal National Tap Dance Day in the United States, now celebrated May 25, was signed into law by President George Bush on November 7, 1989. (May 25 was chosen because it is the birthday of famous tapper Bill "Bojangles" Robinson). Prominent modern tap dancers have included Brenda Bufalino, Savion Glover, Gregory and Maurice Hines, LaVaughn Robinson, Jason Samuels Smith, Chloe Arnold, and Dianne "Lady Di" Walker Indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall also features a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, tapping as percussion.

Characteristics of Tap Dance:

Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Covisation. This can either be done with music and follow the beats provided or without musical accompaniment, also known as acappella dancing.

Hoofers are tap dancers who dance primarily with their legs, making a louder, more grounded sound. This kind of tap dancing, also called "rhythm tap", came from the dancing of slaves in America. Because the slaves were generally not allowed to practice their own culture and customs, they mixed their form of dancing with Irish dance to create tapping. They managed to sneak it by slave owners and over-seers. This is the origin of tap and what later evolved to (what most people know as tap now) "show tap" because it uses more arms and tricks and less technique. This form evolved because overall, show tap was thought to be more exciting to watch and became famous when show tap was put on Broadway. Rhythm tap is not well known although the history of it is important to know as rhythm tap is the father of show tap. Steve Condos rose out of his humble beginnings in Pittsburgh, PA to become a master in rhythmic tap. His innovative style influenced the work of Gregory Hines, Savion Glover and Marshall Davis, Jr. The majority of hoofers, such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, and LaVaughn Robinson are African American men, although today the art form transcends racial and gender stereotypes. Savion Glover is the best-known living hoofer, who helped bring tap dance into mainstream media by choreographing and dancing for the major motion picture Happy Feet, a film about a tap dancing penguin. Another well-known tap film is 1989's Tap, starring the late Gregory Hines and many of the old-time hoofers.

Early tappers like Fred Astaire provided a more ballroom look to tap dancing, while Gene Kelly used his extensive ballet training to make tap dancing incorporate all the parts of the ballet. This style of tap led to what is today known as "Broadway style," which is more mainstream in American culture. It often involves high heeled tap shoes and show music, and is usually the type of tap first taught to beginners. The best examples of this style are found in Broadway musicals such as 42nd Street.

Common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, flap, flap heel, cramproll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, single and double pullbacks, wings, Cincinnati, the shim sham shimmy (also called the Lindy), Irish, Waltz Clog, the paddle roll, the paradiddle, stomp, brushes, scuffs, and single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks, single, double, and triple time steps, riffs, over-the-tops, military time step, New Yorkers, and chugs. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. Timesteps are widely used in tap and can vary in different areas. These consist of a rhythm that is changed to make new timesteps by adding or removing steps. Tap dancing can also be done using an acapella method. Similar to singing without instrumental accompaniment, tap dancers are not dancing to any music but creating a rhythm by using different steps at the same time. In a tap acapella, the steps are normally kept simple (such as the most common steps listed above) and easy to control. The group of dancers must work together to create the sound keeping their steps at the correct speed to match each other.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.