Tap dance

Savion Glover and George Wolfe, in Bring In Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, use tap dance to evoke historical tap figures in differing ways of making a particular statement on their view of African American tap artistry. The musical traces the history of “the beat” through its origins in Africa, into America through the slave trade, and finally the different forms it took through American history. In the show, the two satirical sequences and Savion’s solo come in the second act, which begins with a young man, “the Kid,” searching for the beat in Hollywood. His search brings him into a soundstage where “Grin and Flash” and “Uncle Huckabuck” are performing. In their sleek suits and ties, the Grin and Flash act has exactly what their name says: beaming smiles and flashy performance. The two dancers sing a jazzy show tune, with full-bodied movements and dripping theatricality, jazz hands included. Not a lot of grounded, rhythmic tap is involved - there’s a couple wings and shuffle grab offs, but most of…

create a form of tap dance that is relative to what we do today? Tap dance original come from different ethnic like African, Scottish, Irish, and English clog dances, hornpipes, and jigs. In the late few decades of the 20th century, people are believed that African slaves and Irish employee are interchange their knowledge of tap dancing and it creates the tap dance in every generation from that time. Because of the competition of tap dance from different country, it makes this dance more…

People usually think tap dance does not need too much work, all you need is stamp your feet on the ground and make some loud noise. But actually, tap dance has two major variations, one is rhythm (jazz) tap and another one is Broadway tap. “Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap concentrates on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition.” According to the Rhythmic Circus official website, Rhythmic Circus is…

being ballet, tap, and jazz. They are defined, unique styles, but they are all considered a form of art. It’s all very dynamic and visual like art. All styles are defined by their steps, technique, and training, but they’re all the same in that they are a visual form of self-expression. At the end of the day dance isn’t something that is just performed, it is created and treated as living, moving art. The most common form of dance is ballet. It is the foundation of all other types of dance. I…

Tap Dogs is a professional Australian dance company whose grungy, yet casual costuming reflects their upbeat and exhilarating style of tap dancing, loose, fun and charismatic. Torn between labour and love, founder and choreographer Dein Perry uses dance to reflect his journey of becoming a professional tap dancer as a young boy. Getting down and dirty to the soul of this performance, there is no doubt that Tap Dogs Beams is far from the more traditional style of tap dancing. With a contemporary…

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…

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…

Over the course of the semester, I have learned much about the process of learning the Gamelan. Initially, I thought that the class would abide by the Western styles of music. I had a rude awakening when we started to play. The intricacies of the Gamelan became evident after I saw the Indian Kathak performance. Though, the Indian Kathak, American Tap dance, and Balinese Gamelan are very different, they all have striking similarities such as the need for instruments. What I noticed in the Indian…

Dancing Outlaw, we are introduced to Jesco White, a man who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become the next best tap dancer. In the beginning of the documentary, Jesco talks about how his father used to be the ‘king’ of tap dancing until a tragedy occurred causing him to not be able to dance anymore. Young said that he believed that Jesco thought that this documentary was going to be his “big break” (Lewis). I must agree with Young, I believe that Jesco thought that the documentary…

Richmond, Virginia. He transformed the traditional style of tap dancing and launched a new style altogether that continues to influence tap dancing. Shirley Temple was born in 1928 in Santa Monica, California and became the new face of Hollywood and television as a child star. These two came together in films such as The Little Colonel in 1935 and captured the hearts of American audiences and forever impacted the future of tap dancing and the potential end of racial segregation. Despite their…