The Power of Tap
By Clare Viglione

With its rhythm, creativity and integration of cultures, tap dance is unlike any other form of dance. Tapping originated from a collision of cultures in the “New World” centuries ago, and has become one of America’s unique home-grown dance forms. The fusion of British Isles clog and step dancing combined with the rhythms of Colonial-era West African drumming and dancing, spawned an ever-evolving art form that continues to flourish today.

In the mid-1600s, Scottish and Irish indentured laborers brought their social dances to the New World. Slaves in the southern United States imitated the rapid toe-and-heel action of the Irish Jig and the percussive sensibility of the Lancashire Clog, and combined them with West African step dances known as “Juba” dances and “Ring Shouts.” Over the years, African dance styles became more formal, while European elements became more fluid and rhythmic, eventually resulting in a uniquely American Tap hybrid.

Tap didn’t become a stage dance until the rise of the Minstrel Show in the late 1800s. Before the end of the Civil War, black and white performers were rarely allowed to appear on stage together, with the exception of William Henry Lane. Born a free man in 1825, as a teenager Lane became a well-known dancer in New York City. A superb Irish Jig and Clog dancer, Lane created such rhythmically complex dances that he was regarded as the champion dancer of his time. (To read the full article, check out the January/February 2008 issue of Dance San Diego!)

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