Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap DancingTracing the development of tap dancing from ancient India to the Broadway stage in 1903, when the word "Tap" was first used in publicity to describe this new American style of dance, this text separates the cultural, societal and historical events that influenced the development of Tap dancing. Section One covers primary influences such as Irish step dancing, English clog dancing and African dancing. Section Two covers theatrical influences (early theatrical developments, "Daddy" Rice, the Virginia Minstrels) and Section Three covers various other influences (Native American, German and Shaker). Also included are accounts of the people present at tap's inception and how various styles of dance were mixed to create a new art form. |
Contents
Irish Influences | 7 |
English Influences | 15 |
African Influences | 22 |
Dance in the West Indies | 27 |
Dance in New Orleans | 34 |
Dance on the Plantation | 38 |
Slave Religion and the Ring Shout | 55 |
Dispersion of AfricanAmerican Dances | 63 |
Other Forms of Entertainment | 127 |
Vaudeville | 135 |
English Music Hall | 150 |
Women on the Stage | 156 |
OTHER INFLUENCES | 165 |
Indian Gypsy and Spanish Influences | 167 |
German and Shaker Influences | 174 |
Native American Influences | 182 |
Common terms and phrases
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