I've been tap dancing on and off the stage for about as long as I can remember. Way back when, my dance classes were definitely all about the Broadway tap (or musical tap). We had the sequins and the feathers. We had the time steps and the kicklines and the ramrod straight backs and the big flashy grins. I still have a soft spot for that kind of tap. It wasn't until many years later that I dropped into a tap class in Boston and saw a very different kind of tap.
Now before I go on, I should clarify that the title of this blog post isn't actually accurate. I'm half joking, and I'll explain the title in a sec. I'm well aware that there are a number of different historical and modern tap dance styles - not just two - thanks to all of the wonderful influences from different cultures and countries and musical genres that have made tap dancing such a lively and dynamic form of dance.
A lot of dance studios differentiate between rhythm tap and Broadway tap for the purposes of helping new students understand what kind of tap class they are walking into, but there are several major variations in tap dancing, like rhythm tap, jazz tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and freestyle tap or postmodern tap. Some people break down these styles even further, though personally I don't see enough clear differentiation yet for that.
But let's get back to my original claim, which is that there are two kinds of tap dance. I'm NOT talking about rhythm tap and Broadway tap. So what exactly are the two kinds of tap?
I'd argue that the two most basic forms of tap dancing are tap for the general audience and tap for other tap dancers.
Tap for the general audience is usually Broadway-ish. Think precise arms and simple but clean steps performed by groups. It's the Rockettes or a tap number in Anything Goes. It's what you expect to see at a children's dance recital or in a local theater production. It's flashy, but typically not because of the footwork. Sometimes that footwork is lightning fast, but it doesn't have to be. There is a lot of upper body choreography. It's high energy. And you don't need to know anything at all about tap dancing to appreciate it.
Can tap for the general audience have elements of different tap styles in it? Absolutely. And don't think I'm implying that tap for the general audience can't be technically challenging, musically interesting, or exciting for other tap dancers to watch. It's just that even when this type of tap choreography is relatively simple, it can still blow an audience away when it's done well.
Tap for other tappers is all about the footwork and the musicality. It is percussive - dance as another instrument in the band. It's often performed solo, but there are some AMAZING groups out there right now performing in the mainstream dance world. It's that tap that makes other tap dancers think, "What did she just do with her feet?" or "THAT is how you do percussion!" It feels improvisational, even when it's actually highly choreographed. And the arms? They're probably swinging.
Can tap for other tappers be appreciated by the non-tap dancing audience? Again, absolutely. The virality of tap dancer Sarah Reich's videos definitely proves that. Or the lasting popularity of Gregory Hines. But I think overall that tap that's for other tap dancers tends to be judged more harshly by a general audience who often doesn't get why it's so darn good.
To answer the natural follow up question, yes, there can be a huge amount of overlap between tap dance for the general audience and tap for other tappers. The very best tap probably falls somewhere in between - it's the choreography that has something for everyone, from great energy to great footwork.
Which do I like best?
Now before I go on, I should clarify that the title of this blog post isn't actually accurate. I'm half joking, and I'll explain the title in a sec. I'm well aware that there are a number of different historical and modern tap dance styles - not just two - thanks to all of the wonderful influences from different cultures and countries and musical genres that have made tap dancing such a lively and dynamic form of dance.
A lot of dance studios differentiate between rhythm tap and Broadway tap for the purposes of helping new students understand what kind of tap class they are walking into, but there are several major variations in tap dancing, like rhythm tap, jazz tap, classical tap, Broadway tap, and freestyle tap or postmodern tap. Some people break down these styles even further, though personally I don't see enough clear differentiation yet for that.
But let's get back to my original claim, which is that there are two kinds of tap dance. I'm NOT talking about rhythm tap and Broadway tap. So what exactly are the two kinds of tap?
I'd argue that the two most basic forms of tap dancing are tap for the general audience and tap for other tap dancers.
Tap for the general audience is usually Broadway-ish. Think precise arms and simple but clean steps performed by groups. It's the Rockettes or a tap number in Anything Goes. It's what you expect to see at a children's dance recital or in a local theater production. It's flashy, but typically not because of the footwork. Sometimes that footwork is lightning fast, but it doesn't have to be. There is a lot of upper body choreography. It's high energy. And you don't need to know anything at all about tap dancing to appreciate it.
Can tap for the general audience have elements of different tap styles in it? Absolutely. And don't think I'm implying that tap for the general audience can't be technically challenging, musically interesting, or exciting for other tap dancers to watch. It's just that even when this type of tap choreography is relatively simple, it can still blow an audience away when it's done well.
Tap for other tappers is all about the footwork and the musicality. It is percussive - dance as another instrument in the band. It's often performed solo, but there are some AMAZING groups out there right now performing in the mainstream dance world. It's that tap that makes other tap dancers think, "What did she just do with her feet?" or "THAT is how you do percussion!" It feels improvisational, even when it's actually highly choreographed. And the arms? They're probably swinging.
Can tap for other tappers be appreciated by the non-tap dancing audience? Again, absolutely. The virality of tap dancer Sarah Reich's videos definitely proves that. Or the lasting popularity of Gregory Hines. But I think overall that tap that's for other tap dancers tends to be judged more harshly by a general audience who often doesn't get why it's so darn good.
To answer the natural follow up question, yes, there can be a huge amount of overlap between tap dance for the general audience and tap for other tappers. The very best tap probably falls somewhere in between - it's the choreography that has something for everyone, from great energy to great footwork.
Which do I like best?
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