Histoy of Tap dance

Other dances

Histoy of Tap dance

Tap dance was taken to the United States during the nineteenth century, and today is popular around the world. The name comes from the sound made by small metal plates placed in the dancer's shoes when touch the floor.

Tap dance began in 1830 in the vicinity of New York City as a fusion of Irish dances, Scottish and English and possibly a combination of African dance.

Perhaps the most influential of all was the Irish. Dancers from different immigrant groups would meet to compete and to demonstrate their best qualities and movements. In this way, while the dances were mixed, a new style of dance was born.

Subsequently succeeded in tap E.E.U.U. from 1900 to 1955, when it was the main dance of Vaudeville and Broadway. Many great performances included tap dances as part of their demonstrations. For a while, every city in the U.S. had tap amateur performers that were dancing on the street. The tap dance was called jazz dance, because jazz was the music used by tap dancers to perform. In the 30s, the 40s and 50s, the best tap dancers moved from Vaudeville to the movies and television.

In the 50s, the style of the show was changing. Jazz music and tap dance declined, while the emerging rock and roll music and the new jazz moving, which is now called jazz dance. The jazz dance was developed from the tap dance that is why the two movements have much in common. But, jazz evolved and continued to tap their way separately to become a new form in its own right.

Tap Specifications

Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Choreographies typically start on the eighth beat, or between the eighth and first account.
Another aspect is the improvisation. This can be done with music and any further blows provided or without musical accompaniment, if not known a capella dancing. Hoofers are tap dancers who dance only with their legs, making a loud sound, as grounded. This kind of tap dancing, also called "rhythm tap", is typically found in cities or poor areas. Most hoofers such as Sammy Davis Jr., Savion Glover and Gregory Hines, are black dancers.
Dancers like Fred Astaire provide a look different from ballroom to tap feet to dance, while Genn Kelly used his extensive training and great classical ballet for intangible and create his own style.

There are a variety of styles and techniques of tap dancing in the various dancers and that is why that there are different ways of naming their various steps and ways of teaching.

Famous tap dancers

     * Fred Astaire
     Bubbles * John (born John William Sublette)
     * Brenda Bufalino
     * Charles "Honiara" Coles
     * Steve Condos
     * Lynn Dally, co-founder of Jazz Tap Ensemble
     * Sammy Davis, Jr.
     * Arthur Duncan
     * Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett on the Beverly Hillbillies)
     * Chloe Stevenson
     * Vera Ellen
     * Savion Glover
     * Gregory Hines of Hines, Hines and Dad
     * Maurice Hines, Jr. of Hines, Hines and Dad
     * Maurice Hines, Sr. of Hines, Hines and Dad
     * Jason Janas
     * Master Juba (William Henry Lane) of Five Points
     * Ruby Keeler
     * Gene Kelly
     * The Best Tiffany
     * Ann Miller
     * Fayard Nicholas of The Nicholas Brothers
     * Harold Nicholas of The Nicholas Brothers
     * Eleanor Powell
     * Bill Robinson (aka Bojangles)
     * Howard "Sandman" Sims
     * Jimmy Slyde is a jazz influenced tap dancer whose style is reflected in his name ( 'slide').
     * Tommy Tune
     * Erin Sharp
     * Jamie Williams of Tilly and the Wall
     * Chuck Green
     * Bunny Briggs
     * Ning Foncham

Source DanzaBallet.com

Pages of interest (in English):

www.tapdance.org/

www.theatredance.com/tap/