HISTORY

The Rich History of Tap Dance

Tap Dancing originated as a form of African percussive dance crossed with Irish step dancing. When slave owners on ships took away traditional African percussion instruments, slaves turned to percussive dancing to express themselves, communicate, and stay in touch with their culture (Hill). 

Tap dance spread quickly across major cities such as New York City and Los Angelos. In cities, tap was a form of social dance, uniting people both black and white in underground dance halls to partake in swing like dance gatherings. 

From there, tap hit the big screen. In the 1930s to 1950s tap dancing was a staple in major Hollywood productions such as 42nd Street and Singin' In the Rain. This began the era of Broadway tap.Tap eventually made its way to Broadway where it is now most known ("From").

Tap now has two main styles: Broadway and Rhythm. Broadway tap is often more showy and based around impressive looking movements and formations, rather than the strict percussive sound of rhythm tap. Broadway tap is also considered "white tap" while rhythm tap is "black tap". This has to do with the cultural stereotypes around where tap came from. In Hollywood, most of the tap was done by white actors and actresses while the rhythm tap stayed "in the streets" (Hill). 

While this stereotype has gone down from when it originated, it is not completely eliminated and slightly perpetuated today.

Click on the images (above) to see some different examples of tap in its many styles. 

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