Woman learning to tap dance at tap class, London. Photo:Jeff Gilbert
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (Jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the dance, and is widely performed as a part of musical theater. Rhythm tap focuses more on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition. Tap dance has roots in English Lancashire Clog dancing, Irish step-dancing, and black slave dances such as the Juba Dance. It is believed to have begun in the mid-1800s during the rise of minstrel shows. Irish performers would imitate Southern blacks and satirize their dance forms while incorporating step-dancing. In later minstrel shows, black performers in blackface would play roles in which they imitated 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.
Size: 4896px × 3263px
Location: Dance Attic studios, 368 North End Road, Fulham, LONDON, England, UK
Photo credit: © Jeff Gilbert / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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