Cultural Influences On Tap Dance

Dancing, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is the act to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. It is undeniable that the definition of dance is much more abundant than just one’s intrinsic body movement. People devote a lot of time to choreograph complex actions, of which require intensive training; to put in affecting emotions, of which require deep thinking; and to put inspiring moods, of which require precise depiction. In fact, dance is probably the most profound and complex art form yet exists in our society. Nevertheless, the intention of dance before any cultural influences is to let people move along with music. The evolvement of Tap dance or stepping dance, a polyrhythmic dance form that integrates techniques of using sounds of shoes striking the floor, can perfectly illustrate the power of culture and time on shaping dance forms. This paper will juxtapose American stepping dance and Irish tap dance in terms of techniques, purpose and music under cultural background.
Tap dance has roots in many cultural dances such as the English clog dance, Spanish Flamenco and African Juba dance which makes it an interesting genre to study and practice. Within these different practices, the African Juba dance definitely has one of the greatest influences on modern tap dance. It has resulted …show more content…
After examining videos from both American and Irish styles, the significant variation in terms of music, technique and purpose are made clear. It is astonishing that how simple stomping and stepping can result in two physically diverse but intrinsically alike art form. Were it not for years of cultural influence, tap dance would not become a popular multinational dance