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Tap dance

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A man tap dancing.

Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by a tapping sound that is created from metal plates that are attached to both the ball and heel of the dancer's shoe. These metal plates, when tapped against a hard surface, create a percussive sound and as such the dancers are considered to be musicians.

History

The influences of tap dancing may include:[1]

    • Juba Dance a very quick and competitive dance involving intricate foot work, hand clapping and patting the bum
    • There seems to be no historical evidence of percussive (heel toe) dance footwear in this culture
      predating tap.
  • Spanish Flamenco

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, Ginger Rogers, Eleanor Powell, Shirley Temple, John W. Bubbles, Charles "Honi" Coles, Vera-Ellen, Ruby Keeler, Gene Kelly, Ann Miller, Jeni LeGon,[2], Fayard and Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers, The Clark Brothers, Donald O'Connor, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Prince Spencer,[3] 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[4] 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[1].[5] Indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall also features a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, tapping as percussion.

Characteristics of tap dance

Tap shoes
Main article: Tap dance technique

Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Choreography typically starts on the eighth or first beatcount. Another aspect of tap dancing is improvisation. This can either be done with music and follow the beats provided or without musical accompaniment, otherwise known as a cappella 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 primarily from cities or poor areas. Today this is not the case, especially with such a wide variety of styles spreading throughout the world. 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 and 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 Legends(courtesy of the International Tap Association)

Maceo Anderson [d. 2001]-One of the Four Step Brothers.

Fred Astaire [d. 1987]-One of the most recognized tap dancers in the world!

Cholly Atkins [d. 2003]-Former partner of Honi Coles, master teacher and choreographer for Motown Records.

Bill Bailey [d. 1978]-First artist recorded doing what is now known as the "moonwalk."

Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates [d. 1998]-Amazing one-legged tap dancer and Catskills resort owner.

Warren Berry [d. 1996]-Member of the Berry Brothers which worked for 30 years.

Bunny Briggs-One of the master tappers featured in the movie Tap! (also sings/plays piano); achieved greatness and stardom as "Duke Ellington's dancer."

Eddie Brown [d. 1992]-Master tap dancer that used self-proclaimed "Scientific Rhythm."

Ernest "Brownie" Brown [d. 2009]-of "Cook and Brown" and "The Copasetics."

James "Buster" Brown [d. 2002]-Seen in "Tap Dance in America" PBS special, in later years worked with many young dancers and ran the Swing 46 tap jam in NYC.

Ralph Brown [d. 1990]-Cotton Club and big band tap dancer.

"King" Rastus Brown -Early tapper know as "Mister Tap."

Harriet "Quicksand" Browne [d. 1997] - Famous for incredible sand dancing; shared bills with such jazz greats as Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday.

Ardie Bryant-Jazz tap dancer and master teacher.

James Cagne-Ty [d. 1986]he "professional gangster" of film was also our Yankee Doodle Dandee in tap shoes.

Lon Chaney [d. 1995]-Influential, innovative tap dancer. Influenced by Baby Laurence and in turn influenced Savion Glover.

Honi Coles [d. 1992]-"Class Act" tap dancer, partner with Cholly Atkins.

Leon Collins [d. 1978] - on of the beebop tap dancers influential teacher.

Steve Condos [d. 1990]-Danced with his brothers in "The Condos Brothers" as well as noted for precision close work, "the rudiments."

Willie Covan - tap dancer and member of Four Covans during the Vaudeville era.

Harold "Stumpy" Cromer-Made his mark in numerous Vaudeville, Broadway and film productions as well as performing with James "Stumpy" Cross as Stump & Stumpy.

James "Stump" Cross - Of "Stump & Stumpy fame in Vaudeville and film.

Louis DaPron [d. 1987] - Dancer and choreographer for film and television; influenced many contemporary dancers of today.

Sammy Davis, Jr. [d.1990]-Consummate song-and-dance man seen in the movie Tap! before he soon thereafter passed of cancer.

Doris Day - Achieved success as a big band singer, film actress, recording artist, and radio and television performer, Doris Day remains one of America's best-loved entertainers.

Dean Diggins - Classical tap dancer. Often performed Morton Gould's Tap Concerto.

Paul Draper [d. 1996]-An innovative tap dancer of film and stage.

Arthur Duncan-One of the hoofers in movie "Tap!" and star of "Tap Heat" with Jason Samuels-Smith; performed on Lawrence Welk and still quite busy.

Buddy Ebsen [d. 2003]-While he was later a TV "Beverly Hillbilly" and detective, Buddy was an eccentric tap dancer, partnered with sister Vilma.

Vera Ellen [d. 1981]-Female tap dancer in films and Broadway

Will Gaines-Beebop tap dancer based in Brittain.

Leslie "Bubba" Gaines [d. 1997]-Noted tap dancer and leading member of the Copasetics.

Al Gilbert [d. 2003]-Nightclub/theater performer, known as teacher and for his teaching method. MusicWorks, LLC carries the Al Gilbert Tap Syllabus and routines.

Chuck Green [d. 1997]-Influential master tap dancer, part of Chuck and Chuckles.

Gregory Hines [d. 2003]-Tony award winning tap dancing actor who starred on Broadway as well as in many films including The Cotton Club and Tap. See also the NYPL and ATDF Gregory Hines Collection of American Tap Dance.

Foster Johnson - A “paddle-and-roll”-style tap dancer who starred in Evolution of the Blues with Jon Hendricks and toured the world in the heyday of tap.

Stan Kahn-This master of classical tap taught in San Francisco for more than 45 years and is the developer of Kahnotation tap dance notation.

Ruby Keeler [d. 1993]-Early stage and film star of the movie 42nd Street.

Gene Kelly [d. 1996]-MGM dance star of movies such as Singin' in the Rain. Brother Fred, also a tap dancer and popular dance convention teacher.

William Henry Lane, aka "Juba"-Early tap dancer; many state one of the "first."

Baby Laurence [d. 1974]-Influential rhythm and improvisational dancer (1930's-'50s).

Mable Lee-Singer and dancer and performed solo work as well as being one of the Apollo Girls.

Jeni LeGon-Early female tap soloist. Partnered with Bojangles in film "Hooray for Love."

Hal Le Roy [d. 1985]-A young, tall, thin as a pole dancer that had a distinctive, dazzling, eccentric style that was acclaimed by audiences and dancers alike.

Henry LeTang [d. 2007]-Master teacher as well as Broadway and film choreographer.

Carnell Lyons [d. 1992]-A busy tap dancer who spent many of his years in Europe. A member of "The Business Men of Rhythm" among other groups.

Ann Miller [d. 2004]-Film tap dancer known for world record "machine-gun" tapping.

Florence Mills [d. 1927] -One of the greatest stars of the black theatre and the first black international female superstars. Sang and danced.

George Murphy [d. 1992]-Tap dancing film and Broadway star.

Frances Nealy - West Coast tap chorine with "stair dance" specialty.

Gene Nelson [d. 1996]-Film tap dancer, choreographer. Toured entertaining troops in WWII.

The Nicholas Brothers: Fayard and Harold

Harold Nicholas [d. 2000] / Fayard Nicholas [d. 2006]-Dancing brothers known for combining flash and class act tap dancing in several films.

Donald O'Connor [d. 2003]-Film tap dancer and comic actor.

Hermes Pan [d. 1990]-Tap dancer and choreographer for Fred Astaire. A great influence on how tap is filmed.

Juanita Pitts-

Eleanor Powell [d. 1982]-Athletic Broadway and film tap dancer (Broadway Melody of 1938 (and 1940) and others).

Jane Powell-Film singer, actor and tap dancer.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson [d. 1949]-The grandfather of American tap dance and namesake of the "Copasetics."

LaVaughn Robinson [d. 2008] -Philadelphia tap dancer and master teacher. Need a great video!

Ginger Rogers [d. 1995]-Actress and dance partner of Fred Astaire in many classic MGM film musicals.

Pat Rooney - early influential clog/tap dancer.

Peggy Ryan [d. 2004]-Film performer partnering with Donald O'Connor and others.

Earl Maximillian Scoggins - From street to Vaudeville, stage and master teaching.

The Silver Belles-A leggy troupe of female dancers who drew crowds to Harlem's famous nightclubs and theatres, such as the Apollo Theater and the Cotton Club.

Howard "Sandman" Sims [d. 2003]-One of the great hoofers and actors in movie "Tap!" Well-loved by the community and long associated with the Apollo Theater in NYC.

Jimmy Slyde [d. 2008]-Big band "presentation" dancer beloved by many in the field. Master host of the LaCave long-time jam event in NYC.

Prince Spencer-One of the Four Step Brothers.

Lloyd Storey-Began at the Apollo Theatre and went on to work with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and found the Detroit based Sultans. John "Bubbles" Sublett [d. 1986]- Tap innovator that invented the "cramp roll" changing the vocabulary and timing of tap.

Tommy Sutton-Long-time tap dancer and teacher, learned from Bojangles.

Shirley Temple-Child film star partnered often with "Bojangles".

Glenn Turnbull - Tap dancer and choreographer, worked in film and TV.

Jane Withers-Film actress and dancer. Nicknamed "One-Take Withers" for successful B-movie work.

Further reading

  • Constance Valis Hill. Tap Dancing America: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press; 2010), 400 pages; Traces the history of tap from its origins in African-American and Irish forms.

References

  1. ^ Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing by Mark Knowles Pub: Mcfarland & Co, Inc, 2002
  2. ^ Jeni LeGon, American Tap Dance Foundation Hall of Fame. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  3. ^ Prince Spencer, Chicago Human Rhythm Project 2007. Accessed 16 December 2007.
  4. ^ Sarah Kaufman, Tapping a Gold Mine of Motion, Washington Post, December 17, 2006. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  5. ^ Dance: The rhythm of truth, March 21, 2007. Accessed December 16, 2007.
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