Tap dance is a unique and rarer form of dance that was born in the United States during the early nineteenth century. It has gained popularity all over the world due to the lively, rhythmic form of dance that uses a unique shoe design; tapping makes the performer not just a dancer but also a percussive musician.
Tap is rhythm, and rhythm in the form of tap is as popular today as it was in the heyday of the great Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. The more current Evergreen shows, the 42nd Street, Crazy for You, and the Stomp and Tap Dogs Show highlight the great diversities of style and music in tapping.
Tap as a unique style of American theatrical dance uses precise rhythmical patterns of foot movement. This form of audible foot tapping is derived from the traditional clog dances of Northern England, the jigs and reels of Ireland and Scotland, and the rhythmic foot stamping of African dancers.
Tap flourished in the U.S. from 1900 to 1935, when it was the main performance dance of Vaudeville and Broadway back when Vaudeville was the inexpensive entertainment to preceed television. Hundreds of skilled tap dancers were employed in the theatre during the Tap 'heyday'..
In the late 30's through the 50's, many of the best tap dancers went on to star in the movies and television, and a whole new tap style was created which was introduced to the audiences of film and Broadway.
The Starflower Tap class will start with a warm-up of ankle loosening and instep and thigh strengthening at the bar. There will be a section of clapping and beating rhythms with accents and pauses and the final section each day will be spent working on routines using arms and coordination of the rhythmical movement.
