Tap dance is a dance style in which the feet are locked in special shoes for dancing on the floor, in different rhythms. The shoes hitting the floor make knocking noises that add to the rhythm of the music. Sometimes the dance is not accompanied by music and what is heard is just the tapping of the shoes.
Tap dance has two main styles: Rhythm and Broadway. The Broadway style is most often seen in musicals because it focuses on dance and physical aesthetics. The rhythm style focuses on musicality and rhythms and is considered part of the jazz world.
International Tap dance Day was proclaimed by US President George W. Bush in 1989. He chose May 25 because it was the birthday of tap-father Bill Bojangles Robinson, who united whites and blacks in tap dancing in America in the early 20th century.
You can see tap dancing in many movies, including: "Tap", "Singin' in the Rain", "White Nights", "Move Your Feet", "The Cotton Club", "American in Paris" "Bootmen".
Among the most successful tap dancers today: Brenda Bufalino, Dianne "Lady Di" Walker, Savion Glover, Sam Weber, Jason Samuels Smith, Sarah Reich, Melinda Sullivan, Maurice Hines, Michelle Dorrance, Chloe Arnold, Jason Janas, Heather Cornell, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards.
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| The tap shoe consists of two metal parts located in the heel of the shoe and in the toe area that produce tapping sounds. |
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| A bride and groom in a tap dance at their wedding ceremony (Source) |
In the next video (speakers required) you will see an amazing tap dance performance by a 6 year old boy named Luke Spring, who is dancing alongside a famous and popular dancer named Justin M. Lewis. The two demonstrate rhythm, speed and energy and produce the dance sounds with their own feet. Both perform across the United States and are enthusiastically swept away by a large audience.
May 25 is also Towel Day