Tap Dance

Tap dance has its roots from the time when slavery was introduced in America. Slaves brought for plantation work were forbidden to use drums, therefore, they developed to beat out rhythms out of their feet and hands. The dancers were called as ‘levee dancers’. Plantation masters developed a liking for it and introduced clogs, jigs and reels from their Irish and English backgrounds. ‘Clog’ in Irish dance, is a
  dance where almost whole of the upper body is kept motionless, leaving only the
  part below hips for movement (dancing). Tap continued to develop in theater in
  1800s, in the form of minstrel shows, where Master Juba was the most famous
  dancer. In 1830s in New York city, different immigrants groups would gather and
  show off their skills and tap was a regular form of dance then. The result was a
  style called ‘buck and wing’ which became modern tap dance during the years
  from 1900 to 1920. Irish tap dancer John ‘Jack' Diamond (1828 – 1850) was
  considered to be the greatest ‘Jig dancer’ of all time.

  During the 1930s and 1940s, tap dance was at its peak. Many African American
  performers were the best in the world. Tap dancing was introduced into movies,
  and it became really famous. During 1930s to 1950s, Ann Miller was one of
  America’s top female dancers. She claimed her fame because of her
  unbelievable speed. She was listed in Ripley’s Believe It or Not as world’s
  fastest tap dancer, when a speedometer attached to her feet recorded 598 taps
  per minute in 1942. She even danced in few movies like Kiss Me Kate (1953).

After the 1940s, tap dance somehow lost its charm. People weren’t interested in this form of dance until, several tap companies (mostly by women), were formed at college level, to draw young audience. Broadway musicals like 42nd Street found huge success. But, it was the 1989 film Tap that helped tap dance get back into the grove. The film was a huge success, and there was no turning back since then.

The best known contemporary tap dancer is Savion Glover, who has choreographed Broadway shows like Bring in da Noise and Bring in da Funk, which won a Tony award in 1996. He made his Broadway debut at a young age of 12. Recent animated movie Happy Feet, which was a hit, highlighted tap dancing.

America is still the breeding ground for tap dance innovations. Many young students are taking tap dance classes and many are eager to learn. Though, tap dance is less popular in other parts of the world, it has surely become an international dance form.