Tap Roots: The Early History of Tap Dancing » (New Edition)

Tracing the development of tap dancing from ancient India to the Broadway stage in 1903, when the word "Tap" was first used in publicity to describe this new American style of dance, this text separates the cultural, societal and historical events that influenced the development of Tap dancing.

Section One covers primary influences such as Irish step dancing, English clog dancing and African dancing. Section Two covers theatrical influences (early theatrical developments, "Daddy" Rice, the Virginia Minstrels) and Section Three covers various other influences (Native American, German and Shaker). Also included are accounts of the people present at tap's inception and how various styles of dance were mixed to create a new art form.

Library Journal

Having conducted extensive research on the origins of tap, choreographer Knowles (American Acad. of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles; The Tap Dance Dictionary) here discusses this art form in terms of three broad influences: primary, theatrical, and "other." Primary influences includes Irish (clog), English, African, West Indian, and Plantation styles, while theatrical influences incorporate the worlds of minstrel, vaudeville, and music hall. Other influences include Indian, Gypsy, German, Shaker, Native American, and American country quite a variety. Knowles successfully interweaves the immigrant and slave influences on the dance that slowly evolved into early tap and adds a bit of early theatrical history when profiling the careers of "Daddy" Rice, Master Juba, and others. He concludes that the development of any dance form is linked to climatic, geographical, and economic factors, as well as costume. Basically an academic text for dance and theater history courses, this book includes reproductions of sheet music covers, photos, and playbills that reflect the times. Recommended for academic libraries. Barbara Kundanis, Batavia P.L., IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.