Tap dance facts for kids
Tap dancing is a fun and exciting type of dance. It is special because dancers use their feet to make sounds like music. They wear special shoes that have small metal pieces, called "taps," on the bottom. One tap is at the toe, and another is at the heel. When dancers move their feet, these taps hit the floor and create rhythmic sounds.
What is Tap Dancing?
Tap dancing is like playing a drum with your feet! Dancers use their tap shoes to hit the floor in many different ways. The sounds they make can be loud or soft, depending on how hard they tap. They can also change the sound by using different parts of their feet, like the toe, heel, or even the side of the shoe.
How Tap Shoes Work
Tap shoes look like regular shoes, but they have two important metal plates. These plates are usually made of aluminum or steel. One plate is attached to the front part of the shoe, near the toes. The other plate is on the heel. These metal taps are what make the unique clicking and tapping sounds when they strike the floor.
Different Styles of Tap
There are two main kinds of tap dancing, each with its own focus:
- Rhythm Tap: This style is all about the sounds. Dancers who do rhythm tap are like musicians, creating complex rhythms and beats with their feet. It's often called "jazz tap" because it goes well with jazz music.
- Broadway Tap: This style focuses more on the dance moves and how they look. It often includes big, showy movements and is a common part of Broadway musical shows. The sounds are still important, but the visual performance is a big part of it.
Images for kids
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The best-known tap dancer ever, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was also the best known and the most highly paid black American entertainer in America during the first half of the twentieth century.
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John "Bubbles" Sublett as Sportin' Life in the George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess (1935)
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Tap dancing class at Iowa State College, 1942
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Tap shoes
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Jimmy Slyde tap dancing (National Folk Festival, Richmond, Virginia, 2006)
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Side view of tap shoe, showing taps mounted to bottoms of heel and toe
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Metal tap on bottom of heel
See also
In Spanish: Claqué para niños
