Styles of Tap
Tap dance is considered to be indigenous to the United States, but people from all walks of life around the world have contributed to its evolution since its origins in the 18th century. Like all forms of art, this has resulted in the birth of many movements and styles within tap dance, each with its own story to tell. There are a few main styles, however, that you’ll most commonly hear reference to: rhythm and hoofing, classical, and Broadway.
To get a better understanding of what sets these styles apart and how to identify them, we’ll take a look at some of exemplary dancers and performances to get to know (and show some love to) the many ways we tap.
Rhythm and Hoofing
With an emphasis on quality percussive sound over aesthetics, rhythm tap arose from the popularity of ragtime and jazz club nightlife, having been “resurrected from its nineteenth-century minstrel origins to a modern twentieth-century art form.” (Tap Dance in America: A Short History, Library of Congress) With a fuller sound and more complex rhythms than its predecessors, rhythm tap brought the artistic expression of the dancer to the forefront.
John William Sublett (stage name John W. Bubbles) is considered the “father of rhythm tap” who famously utilized his heels to create new layers of rhythm. With his innovative use of accents and syncopated beats, Sublett’s contribution to the evolution of tap dance can be seen, heard, and felt throughout every era of tap since his time.
Hoofing is sometimes referred to as its own style, but to many it’s used synonymously with rhythm tap. While there’s arguably little difference between the two, hoofing can be seen and heard as an emphasis on stomps and shifting body weight to create layers of depth in a tapper’s sounds. This can be seen in the musicality, style, and skill of icons like Jimmy Slyde, Howard “Sandman” Sims, and Bunny Briggs, whose legacies continue to characterize and embody the spirit of hoofing and rhythm tap.
One of the greatest contributors to the preservation of rhythm tap and its resurgence of popularity is Gregory Hines, whose career has not only made essential strides in the art of rhythm and improvisational tap, but in advocating for tap itself as an art form. Hines’ style is both familiar and altogether new, being recognizable in its rhythm and hoofing roots while pushing the boundaries of what audiences were used to experiencing:
“Like a jazz musician who ornaments a melody with improvisational riffs, Hines improvised within the frame of the dance. His ‘improvography’ demanded the percussive phrasing of a composer, the rhythms of a drummer, and the lines of a dancer. While being the inheritor of the tradition of black rhythm tap, he was also a proponent of the new.” (Biography of Gregory Hines, Constance Valis Hill, New York Public Library)
Beyond the stage, Hines was a teacher and mentor who influenced tappers who would go on to cultivate careers of their own, among whom includes Savion Glover, a “virtuoso rhythm tap dancer, choreographer, director, and actor who revitalized and re-rhythmatized tap dancing for the millennium generation” (Tap Dance in America: A Short History, Library of Congress). Since his debut on Broadway starring in The Tap Dance Kid, Glover’s artistry and expansive career has made an indelible mark on the history of tap. With an approach to tap that favors musicianship over performative dance forms, Glover uses the whole foot to produce an array of percussive sound rather than focusing primarily on the heel and toe, marking his distinctive style as one built upon the framework of hoofing and rhythm tap.
Classical
Also referred to as flash or swing tap, this style was made famous by The Nicholas Brothers, whose unrehearsed, single-take performance of Jumpin’ Jive in the 1943 film Stormy Weather is considered one of the greatest dance performances of all time. Fayard and Harold Nicholas made revolutionary strides in both tap and American history, whose athleticism and showmanship continue to inspire awe from audiences and dancers alike.
Combining disciplines of jazz and ballet, classical tap features stunts of acrobatics, large movements and turns, and an exuberant, vivacious energy. These can be seen in performances from stage and film star Eleanor Powell; having some of the fastest feet in tap, her agility and complex footwork resulted in a grounded technique that managed to give an appearance of weightlessness as she moved.
Actress and dancer Ann Miller, also famous for her speed, was inspired by Eleanor Powell when she started dancing at a young age. Characterized by a gutsy, spirited approach to dance, her speed was well matched by her precision and athleticism in tap.
There can be little discussion of classical tap that doesn’t include Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. Known as the man who brought tap up from its grounded stance and onto its toes, Robinson danced on the balls of his feet to create clean, rolling sounds that had Broadway “enamored of a strikingly modern rhythm dance that interpreted Negro folk rhythms, transforming them into a sleekly modern black expression.”
It’s no small wonder that we celebrate his birthday every year on May 25 as National Tap Dance Day - his famous Stair Dance stands on its own as an icon of classical tap, but also shows a significant moment in black and American history. Through the lens of Bill Robinson’s career, we can observe the many shifts in entertainment, cultural values, and technology of the 20th century United States, and thus observe stories of the U.S. that shed light on who we are today.
Broadway
With an emphasis on choreography, formations, and performance, Broadway tap can be characterized by presenting the beauty and aesthetics of the dance itself over pure musicality, as well as the movement and positioning of the whole body. Tap numbers performed on the Broadway stage tend to direct the energy of the dancers out toward the audience, moving with an air of effortlessness on lightning-fast feet to tell the story of the show.
One of the first introductions many have to tap dance is through famous Broadway shows and mid-century musicals, not in the least of which includes Singin’ in the Rain. Adapted for the stage in 1985, the original 1952 film features acrobatic feats akin to the those of classical tap with elaborate, expressive choreography. The set is just as much as part of the dance as the dancers themselves, bringing life to Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor’s characters.
Sutton Foster won the Tony award for Best Actress for her performance in the 2011 production of Anything Goes, a musical that first debuted in 1934 and whose title number is considered one of the greats of Broadway and a tap essential.
If Broadway tap could be concentrated down to a single essence, it would most likely result in a production of 42nd Street. Featuring a large cast and formations that require dancers to execute choreography in complex formations with exceptional precision, 42nd Street delivers tap with extravagant spectacle and polished glamor.
As Styles Evolve
Much like people themselves, tap can exemplify a particular style or mood, or it can be many at once. It isn’t unusual to see characteristics of several styles of tap coming together in a single performance or a choreographer’s body of work, and given the history of the dance, nothing could be truer to its nature. Every evolution was built on the framework that came before it, and regardless of cycles of popularity or transcending of genre, that framework is always visible to those who look.
One of the references used frequently for this article is Tap Dance in America: A Short History, a free resource from the Library of Congress that provides an excellent starting point for those interested in learned more about the history of tap, entertainment, and culture in the United States. You can also find more recommended reading and other tap-related info on our Resources page.