Tap Dancing

Guide Note

Developed in the U.S. in the early 1900s, tap dancing is a popular form of percussive dance. Its name is derived from the rhythmic sounds created by a dancer tapping on the floor with metal plates attached to the bottom of his or her shoes.

Fast Facts

1. Origin: United States
2. Material required: Tap shoes
3. Notable practitioners:
   1. Sammy Davis, Jr.
   2. Savion Glover
   3. Gregory Hines
   4. Gene Kelly
   5. Nicholas Brothers
   6. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
   7. Jimmy Slyde
   8. Charles "Honi" Coles

Tap dancing bears a relationship to forms of Irish and English clog dancing and South African gumboot traditions. The form reached the zenith of its popularity in early 20th century vaudeville shows and screen musicals.

The earliest tap dances were performed in 19th century minstrel shows by African-American performers and included the following routines:

1. Buck and Wing: The "buck dance" and "pigeon wing" was an early character dance performed by African-American males, known as "bucks," in wood-soled shoes.
2. Shim Sham: A vaudeville tap routine that consisted primarily of a shuffled "time step."
3. Black Bottom: Formally introduced by Perry Bradford in 1919, a popular solo challenge dance which was danced "off beat" and is considered the origin of modern tap dance phrasing.