a. William Henry Lane “Master Juba”
• Master Juba is seen as and instrumental figure in the formation of tap dance in America. Master Juba blended the syncopated rhythms typically associated with African dance, with movement from Irish jigs and reels. This innovative, vernacular dance style is now recognized as the rudiments of American tap dancing. After being taught the Irish jig and reel at a young age, Master Juba went on to perform in a part of New York that was predominately African American. These performances in the mid 1830’s incited the amalgamation of the two styles and the resultant vernacular style. He continued to be influential into the 1840’s and was a dancer up until his death in 1852.
b. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
• Bojangles …show more content…
John Bubbles
• Bubbles major contribution to tap dancing was his addition of heels on the offbeat as well as rhythmic changes and accents. Bubbles would accent certain rhythms and would make rhythm phrases that were longer than the standard 8 bars. For all of these reasons, he is considered the Father of rhythm tap. Bubbles tapped throughout the 1920’s all the way into the late …show more content…
Sims would dance on a board or a stage covered with sand. The sand created sounds of grit and produced very audible and distinct brushes. Sims improvised and was did not concern himself with steps because all that mattered was the sound. Sims never achieved the same level of fame as many of the other tappers on this list however; he tutored Gregory Hines and was the unofficial ambassador of tap dance for the U.S. State Department. With that title he was about to tour the world.
f. Gregory Hines
• While he was also a singer and an actor, during the 1980’s and 1990’s he became a symbol of classical tap. Hines was mainly known for his improvisation. When he tapped he would create a multitude of rhythms using unique taps steps. He would create tap steps based on the different sounds that they made. Hines’ rhythms differed from the traditional African inspired rhythmic tap as her would often disregard tempo and just tap freely. He also connected his tapping to the current (at the time) trends of jazz and postmodern dance. In 1988 he advocated for the creation of National Tap Day and was ultimately successful.
g. Savion
• Master Juba is seen as and instrumental figure in the formation of tap dance in America. Master Juba blended the syncopated rhythms typically associated with African dance, with movement from Irish jigs and reels. This innovative, vernacular dance style is now recognized as the rudiments of American tap dancing. After being taught the Irish jig and reel at a young age, Master Juba went on to perform in a part of New York that was predominately African American. These performances in the mid 1830’s incited the amalgamation of the two styles and the resultant vernacular style. He continued to be influential into the 1840’s and was a dancer up until his death in 1852.
b. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
• Bojangles …show more content…
John Bubbles
• Bubbles major contribution to tap dancing was his addition of heels on the offbeat as well as rhythmic changes and accents. Bubbles would accent certain rhythms and would make rhythm phrases that were longer than the standard 8 bars. For all of these reasons, he is considered the Father of rhythm tap. Bubbles tapped throughout the 1920’s all the way into the late …show more content…
Sims would dance on a board or a stage covered with sand. The sand created sounds of grit and produced very audible and distinct brushes. Sims improvised and was did not concern himself with steps because all that mattered was the sound. Sims never achieved the same level of fame as many of the other tappers on this list however; he tutored Gregory Hines and was the unofficial ambassador of tap dance for the U.S. State Department. With that title he was about to tour the world.
f. Gregory Hines
• While he was also a singer and an actor, during the 1980’s and 1990’s he became a symbol of classical tap. Hines was mainly known for his improvisation. When he tapped he would create a multitude of rhythms using unique taps steps. He would create tap steps based on the different sounds that they made. Hines’ rhythms differed from the traditional African inspired rhythmic tap as her would often disregard tempo and just tap freely. He also connected his tapping to the current (at the time) trends of jazz and postmodern dance. In 1988 he advocated for the creation of National Tap Day and was ultimately successful.
g. Savion