Tap Styles
Genre: Vaudeville
Time Period: 1920-1935
Characteristics:
 Neat, clean footwork
 Dance up on balls of feet with minimal heel work
 Sounds are shaded and tonal nuance and dynamics shifts are
emphasized with easily heard rhythmic lines
 Classical structure of rhythmic patterns developed
 Metal taps become popular over hard wooden soled shoes
Famous Tappers: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Genre: Class Acts
Time Period: 1940-1950
Characteristics:
 emphasize full body movement, with an elegant flair
 evening attire; top hat, canes, spats, and gloves
 seems to glide and float, idea of control and polish emphasized
 presents an air of elegance and refinement
 generally performed to a slow, soft shoe tempo
 precision and unison are essential features
Famous Tappers: Honi Coles and Cholly Atkins
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Genre: Ballroom Tap
Time Period: 1940-1950
Characteristics:
 Blending of the steps and styles of ballroom dance with the sounds
and rhythms of tap
 Lends itself well to both camera angles and the stage
Famous Tappers: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers
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Genre: Musical Theatre/Movie Tap
Characteristics:
 Big Broadway chorus line numbers
 The mobility of cameras and the ability to edit and layer image in
the cutting room deemphasized tap technique
 Tap dancers usually recorded tap steps in a sound booth that was
later dubbed over the dance scenes.
 Very popular from the 1930’s to the late 1940’s
 Solo dancers in movies still emphasized tap technique
 Usually features a solo artist with a chorus line behind them singing
and dancing
Famous Tappers: Gene Kelley, Donald O’Connor, Ann Miller, Eleanor
Powell
Genre: Contemporary Tap/Hoofing
Characteristics:
• emphasizes intricate footwork,
• dances flatfooted,
• work is passed down from one person to another
• uses improvisation
• accompanied by live musicians
• sometimes performed a cappella
Famous Tappers: Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Jimmy Slyde, Sammy
Davis Jr., James “Buster” Brown, Henry Le Tang