Talk:Tap dance

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Text moved
Talk regarding the African welly boot dance moved to that article's talk page. -- Oliver P. 07:42 Mar 4, 2003 (UTC)

tap dance is not soft shoe
I haven't studied dance; but isn't there some huge differences between soft shoe (which redirects to tap dance) and tap dance?

Like, tap dance, it is expected that the hands seem to be relaxed and at ones side while soft shoe often the dancers are provided with (or bring their own) hat and can and this is part of the dance?

And tap dance actually adds to the rhythm of the music with special toe and heel combinations while soft shoe is nothing like that (and a lot easier to do)? A bad tap dancer would hurt the music, in fact, a tap dance is a musician while a bad soft shoe dancer just doesn't matter so much.

This is a plea for someone who understands dance to make the distinction between soft shoe and tap here. One of those dancers is also a musician.... -- Carol 13:09, 11 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Concur on soft-shoe being distinct (albeit related). - Jmabel | Talk 19:26, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

A soft shoe style is a type of tap, practiced generally by old masters such as Bill Bojangles Robinson and Honi Coles. It consists of slower, more melodic and stylized taps. Its a bit of a misnomer, as most soft shoes are performed with tap shoes on, although there are soft shoes performed with leather or wooden soles (in the case of Bojangles).

Coles and Atkins doing a soft shoe to "Taking a chance on love" — Preceding unsigned comment added by DeKere (talk • contribs) 01:45, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Precursors
No mention of shingle dancing? I see that none of the precursors are cited, but this would seem to me to merit as much mention as the others. - Jmabel | Talk 19:27, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

So I took out the Flamenco part of the precursors. Flamenco developed independently, and really had no effect on Tap. Tap was truly born in the Minstrel Shows- first with Irish actors imitating Black slaves, then with Black actors imitating Irish Actors imitating Black slaves. Please incorporate —Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.162.86.145 (talk) 06:59, 12 November 2010 (UTC)


 * There's actually been considerable research into the roots of tap, and its become pretty clear that neither flamenco nor Indian dancing influenced Tap Dance's creation. The main influences were African dances brought over by slaves, and Irish step dancers and cloggers. —Preceding unsigned comment added by DeKere (talk • contribs) 09:09, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

I question "Irish jigs" listed as origin. I think it should be Irish hard-shoe stepdancing in general. A jig is a specific rhythm in Irish dance music, not a generic name for Riverdance-looking stuff. If we're going to get specific about Irish dance rhythms, I'd say reels are more likely to be danced in hardshoe. I would suggest changing "Irish jigs" to "Irish step dancing". Gilmer (talk) 05:46, 22 January 2018 (UTC)

There are many moves in tap dancing. For example: hop, jump, buffalo, step, stomp, shuffle, leap, falap, ball-change, heel dig, time steps, and many more. it takes time to master the art of tap dancing (a.k.a. you wont learn to be a tap expert in just one lesson). It takes years to become a expert. Here are a few rules to tap dancing: 1. Dont share your weight! 2. Stay on your toes not your heels! 3. Lean forward just a little 4.If you want to go faster, practice it slower than gradually go faster in speed 5. There is NO shortcut to be an expert at tap Following these simple steps will improve your tapping ability! Try walking on your toes for 2 minutes each day to get used to standing on your toes while your tapping. Also taking ballet will help you with the weight sharing. Everyone has to start somewhere! It doesnt matter if your a beginner or an expert! So get tapping! --68.196.239.204 (talk) 23:58, 8 November 2008 (UTC)Sophia Roberts
 * The Basics:

Is there any connection to clog dancing as practised in Northern England? Bare clogs or clogs with irons on are used for similar percussive effect. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 14:08, 25 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes, but that sort of thing is never mentioned these days. It's terribly fahionable for everything to be "Irish" and of course that English never had an impact of popular US culture. For reference, look up the great popularity (quite forgotten now) of Lancashire Clog dancers on the American stage (Vaudeville etc) in the later 19th century. Tap dance has strong roots in those traditions.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.71.39.170 (talk) 19:28, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Surely clogging deserves a mention somewhere; it's gotta be related. The clogging page says it is "the" precursor to tapdancing; I don't know, but surely it is one of the precedents. Mercster (talk) 16:46, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

Non-notable names
I will remove all the names that have been stuck in which are not notable enough to have an article about them or not cited. This is not a directory. Dmcq (talk) 17:30, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Problem with tone
The phrase "may include" is not appropriate for a wikipedia entry. I suggest dropping "may." Hmoulding (talk) 17:41, 6 August 2010 (UTC)

Gypsy / Romani tap dancing
Not sure if this has any relevence.

I am from a Romani Gypsy family and I can recall my grandfather reciting Gypsies (Romani) tap dancing back before the wartime. This must be back before the 1900s as my family would be able to recall to me. Music and dance is a big part of Romani culture when getting together. My Grandfather and his brothers and sisters would all sing where as his parents would do tap dance.

Interestingly Spanish Romani (Calo - Gitanos / Ciganos) also tap dance within Flamenco music. Something else amongst Romani across Europe is the guitar. We play guitar, clap and raise arms & we step / tap dance. Type in Romafest and again we see Romani of Eastern Europe tap dancing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.96.252.34 (talk) 17:22, 13 December 2010 (UTC)


 * Absolutely. The subject is tap dance, and is remarkably ill-informed. Where it refers in passing to English roots, it misses completely the link to earlier clog-dancing, with styles across Europe: the difference being that clog is heel-and-toe. Another aspect is that Flamenco appears to be derivative from the Low Countries, typified by the Gilles de Binche, who simply imagined what American Indian dress might be like and added it to their established folk repertoire, as a Royal Command.

English clog-shoe dancing comes from Lancashire and Wales, with a distinctively different East Anglian style which descends from Rom roots. Even earlier, the Rom being linked to a low-caste Hindi origin, I think you may find something in India. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.213.9.109 (talk) 11:24, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

More info please!
I think this page would certainly be better if it named a few places where tap dancing hit its peak and who were some of the very first tap dancers. I am in the dark about that and would like to know. But otherwise, it's an O.K article. Like I said, MORE INFORMATION. ~Timestep22 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Timestep22 (talk • contribs) 01:36, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

I see no info On Willie Covan
I see no info on Willie Covan.--Realwords101 (talk) 03:42, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Taps
There seems to be no detail about the taps themselves. Are they rigid metal plates attached to the shoe or are they hinged to give the distinctive sound of tap as against clog? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 14:10, 25 August 2011 (UTC)


 * They are rigid metal plates screwed on to the shoe. Usually the screws are not tight, so that they can rattle a little. That gives a more clear and distinct "tap" sound. I would say 'always' but there is probably some obscure person who once danced with tight taps, so 'usually' it is :-) 116.231.74.1 (talk) 10:54, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

List section?
Suggestion: what about a list of notable tap dancers as a separate section? This might help clean up the text, as well as make the article more inclusive/encyclopaedic? Just a thought. Testbed (talk) 13:40, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

Hoofer -> Tap dance
I think the redirection from Hoofer to Tap dance is misleading. It implies that a hoofer is a tap dancer, but I think a hoofer is a person who dances for entertainment purposes but not specifically tap dances. 86.185.221.250 (talk) 12:19, 22 January 2015 (UTC)


 * Traditionally, "hoofer" has been used as a reference for tap dancers (I've never heard ballet or ballroom dancers referred to as hoofers). I inserted a citation request to clarify this. Lambtron (talk) 15:03, 22 January 2015 (UTC)
 * I could be wrong, but I think the IP is referring to the actual redirect page for hoofer, not the wikilink. However, the article probably needs a citation for hoofer anyway. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 15:29, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

I'll add the link and info when I find that book. Personal knowledge for now: 'hoofing refers to the heavier, stompier, (African-)American vernacular technique of Buster Brown, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Roxanne Butterfly, etc and is contrasted with balletic "show tap" or "Broadway tap" typified by Fred and Ginger. FourViolas (talk) 17:55, 22 January 2015 (UTC)
 * ✅ and I hope to make time soon to reorganize and rewrite the article with the books I tracked down. FourViolas (talk) 21:48, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I would differ here. In the script of the MGM picture "Kiss Me Kate", the word "hoofer" is used to refer to a "Broadway tap" dancer. The movie dates back to the 1950's — Preceding unsigned comment added by 104.129.194.55 (talk) 20:16, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

"Early" hoofers
The article currently says, "Steve Condos developed an innovative rhythmic tap style that influenced the work of later tap dancers such as Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. The majority of early hoofers, such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Glover, Hines, and LaVaughn Robinson were African American men."

What time period is supposed to be "early" in this context? Sammy Davis Jr., Gregory Hines, and Savion Glover were/are of three different generations. If Savion Glover is an "early" hoofer (even though he's still only 43 years old), who are the "recent" hoofers that he should be contrasted with? --Metropolitan90 (talk) 04:58, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

The best-known tap dancer ever, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
I'm a bit concerned about "The best-known tap dancer ever, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson". Outside of specialist circles I would have thought that Fred Astaire was much more widely known. May I suggest "One of the best-known ..."? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 14:13, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree. This appears to be nothing more than the opinion of the author of the supporting citation. Lambtron  talk  00:10, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

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‘Two-colored rule’
The article says it was a rule, but doesn’t specify something pretty important: who enforced it? Was this a common law counties would pass or something? A general agreement among vaudeville theatre managers? It is pretty unclear. שונרא (talk) 22:24, 12 February 2024 (UTC)