Tap dance

Tap dance was born in the United States during the 19th century, and today is popular all around the world. The name comes from the tapping sound made when the small metal plates on the dancer's shoes touch a hard floor. This lively, rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a dancer, but also a percussive musician.

Related Topics:
United States - 19th century - Percussive

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Its evolutionary grandparents may well have been:

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• African dance to drum rhythms
• African welly boot dance
• Spanish flamenco, where nails are hammered into the heel and the front part of the dancers' shoes so that the rhythm of their steps can be heard
• Step dancing
• Clogging, for example from Lancashire, where there may be no accompanying music, just the noise of the shoes
 
Tap dance: History ►