I have always wanted to learn how to tap dance. What can you tell me about it?
It's basically a form of dance with the use of tap shoes.
That makes sense. I like to watch the classic movies like Singin' in the Rain with Gene Kelly. He was an amazing tap dancer.
I've never heard of him, but I find it interesting that tap dancing is so based on sound.
Yeah, it really creates a rhythm. Musicals with tap dancers were very common in older movies.
I've noticed that too! There's also two major forms: rhythm tap and Broadway tap.
Interesting, I wonder what makes them different?
performed in musical theatre. Rhythm tap focuses on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the jazz tradition. Classical tap has a similarly long tradition which marries European "classical" music with American foot drumming with a wide variation in full-body expression. Post-modern or contemporary tap has emerged over the last three decades to incorporate abstract expression, thematic narrative and technology.
There are different brands of shoes which sometimes differ in the way they sound. Soft-shoe is a rhythm form of tap
2005 Broadway musical "Spamalot" in the dance break to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," complete with tap-dancing knights spinning bright yellow umbrellas around.
- The "Singin' in the Rain" sequence was featured in a 2005 Volkswagen Golf commercial, with Gene Kelly seen break-dancing in the street. Also featured was Mint Royale's version of the song accompanying the commercial.
- A parody of the number "Singin' in the Rain" was featured in the 2005 animated film