History of Tap

Tap was developed from the English clog dance. It mixes Irish jig, English clog dance, and African tribal rituals. Instead of wearing clogs they wear black shoes with metal taps on the heels and toes. Tap dancing first turned up in the urban ghettos where poor Irish immigrants and free blacks intermingled in the 1840’s.

        For a long time, tap was mainly the activity of black men and Irish who put on blackface. It was at the turn of the century that tap started to spill over into all forms of stage entertainment. Soon it was male-female dancing together.

        Once tap moved onto Hollywood in the late twenties and early thirties, at the same time that sound movies came out, tap’s place in American life was guaranteed. The appeal of tap dancing is that it is fun for both the audience and the dancer.

Sources:   Tap Dancing by Robert Audy
                Let’s Dance by George Ancona 

home